Residential Lease ? In Florida!
My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of:Florida
I signed a 2 year lease on Feb 1st, 2007. In January of 2008, my across the street neighbor walked into my house with a saw and threatened me and my family (a backstory is involved but I feel unimportant and she was not provoked). She was non physically forced out of the house.The police came out and arrested her.
Now for the good stuff... The landlord is best friend with the woman across the street that was arrested. I believe she helped bond her out and is always over there. When this happened, she did not one time check to see if my family or I was hurt or OK in any way.
Anyway, the police suggested that we get a restraining order against this woman(the lady living across the street). We did and the court awarded us one. We have had the police out on on numerous times(about 10-15 times a police report was made) between the time she was arrested and the time of the restraining order for revving her motor at my kids, threatening my girlfriend, yelling obscenities at my children, etc.
Well, needless to say, the landlord was not too happy with this. She has asked us to drop the charges even OFFERING US free rent which she refused. The lady across the street has moved out and within 2 weeks was at our next door neighbors yelling at my kids and girlfriend. The police were called again and she was arrested again for violating a restraining order.
Well, we started to look for a new place to rent but it won't be available until June 1st.There is only a couple of problems with this- 1)I cannot for the life of me find a copy of the lease and am beginning to wonder if I ever got one so I can look at it but I remember it was a straight lease form for Florida out of a book and 2) Am I obligated for the remaining 9 months of the lease? And 3)Will I have a problem receiving my security deposit?
Should I ask the landlord (which now is pissed at me) for a copy of the lease? I know if she says she doesn't have one that it turns into a month to month and I no longer would have to worry about the remainder of the lease. Also, I plan to send them a 30 day termination letter of lease by the end of this month(April). The biggest problem I have is I don't have the money if anything were to happen (her try to evict me)because I have my money tied into the new place in June.
All rent has been paid on time and I have reciepts for those and the Security Deposit...
Any help would be certainly appreciated and I don't know where else to go. I cannot afford an attorney at all. Thanks for your time and efforts if you reply!! God Bless!!