[newlandlord08]

My tenants have broken their lease 3 months into a one year lease(in FL). I am a new landlord and not sure what steps to take next. The lease that I used is not very explicit about the terms for breaking the lease. There are two tenants. One became pregnant and moved in with her boyfriend. The other was promoted with work and had to move. One tenant gave a 30 day notice, the other gave none. They assumed the security deposit was their last months rent and did not pay for they last month that they were in the condo. I believe that I have found new tenants but had to pay a property management company to do so. So what's next? I would like them to pay for the last month and the expense of the property management company. Also I don't want them to do this to someone else.

[rockinmommy]

I have 2 suggestions...

First, educate yourself about your state laws, landlording proceedures in general, etc. Just get on the internet and search around. Your local bookstore will have books - both general and specific to your state. Check around for a local landlord association or apartment association. They will likely have better lease forms that will give you better protection. They can also teach you about screening tenants. Finally, the biggest thing, is to know the Florida landlord / tenant laws. There's a "sticky" at the top of this forum for the link to each state's laws.

Second, yes, you can sue these tenants in small claims court. You'll add up all your damages. That includes lost rent, costs of re-renting the unit, any physical damage, etc. Apply their security deposit towards whatever total you get. Then file a suit against them for the balance. Once you get that judgement it can be recorded and will go on their credit reports. Then, any future LLs who check credit will see it. There are tenant tracking agencies you can report this stuff to, but if you just have one unit it's pretty cost prohibitive.

Florida is a good state to be a landlord in. The state laws are very landlord friendly. That's in comparison to other states. You still need to know your laws and what remedies you have when something goes wrong.