Does anyone have a clue on what a renter's right in Florida are regarding breaking a lease? The lease is a generic Office Max lease form that has not been notorized following the completion of the form. We were told that we needed to either move or buy the house within in two to three months due to the landlord's family being ill and they needed to be closer to care for them. We found a house with a more reasonable purchase price and let the landlord know, first a 60 day notice of what we were doing, and then a 30 day notice when the loan papers were signed. Now we are waiting on a closing date projected for a week or two, and the landlord is telling us that we have to pay him rent for the remainder of the lease. HELP!! Do we have any rights? Also I would like to add that the landlord has told us several times that all we needed to give him was a 30 day notice to move out:, and that this is our second year term with him. We already completed the first lease contract as agreed. We were on a month to month when he said that we could continue on the month to month but he wanted another lease signed. I know, I know it was stupid to sign it. We should have never taken his word and now it could harm us. I guess we are too trusting.

Help in Florida,
Jenn P. :(

Hello P:

If you signed, you are obligated. He can just sit back and collect rent for the balance of the term.

Florida must LOVE landlords. No other state does that.

excon

Did the new lease specify an expiration date? Didn't you question why a month to month lease would have an expiration date?

Unless you can prove that he told you, you would continue on month to month then you are stuck in the lease.

Check the lease to see ifr it has a sublet clause, if so sublet it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plappert

Does anyone have a clue on what a renter's right in Florida are regarding breaking a lease? The lease is a generic Office Max lease form that has not been notorized following the completion of the form. We were told that we needed to either move or buy the house within in two to three months due to the landlord's family being ill and they needed to be closer to care for them. We found a house with a more reasonable purchase price and let the landlord know, first a 60 day notice of what we were doing, and then a 30 day notice when the loan papers were signed. Now we are waiting on a closing date projected for a week or two, and the landlord is telling us that we have to pay him rent for the remainder of the lease. HELP!!!!! Do we have any rights? Also I would like to add that the landlord has told us several times that all we needed to give him was a 30 day notice to move out:, and that this is our second year term with him. We already completed the first lease contract as agreed. We were on a month to month when he said that we could continue on the month to month but he wanted another lease signed. I know, I know it was stupid to sign it. We should have never taken his word and now it could harm us. I guess we are too trusting.

Help in Florida,
Jenn P. :(

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What if I didn't sign the lease and my husband signed it for me in front of the landlord? As far as the letter telling us to buy or move, was that basically just a threat. It sounds like with the lease in place he couldn't have done what he threatened to do.

Jenn P.

Hello again, Jenn:

Your husband can obligate you with his signature alone. The fact that you didn't sign it doesn't matter.

With the lease in place he can't do what he threatened. But, he made the threats BEFORE you signed the lease and he absolutely COULD have carried them out. You had a month to month tenancy. All he had to do was give you 30 days notice.

excon