Tenant abandonment is an unfortunate situation that some landlords will eventually have to face. It's very frustrating when a tenant disappears without notice, leaving behind their belongings and unpaid rent. In this blog, CrossView Property Management documents its process for handling tenant abandonment in a Jacksonville property.

Understand Tenant Abandonment

Before we can take any action, you need to understand what tenant abandonment means in the state of Florida. According to Florida law, a tenant has abandoned the property if they have been absent from the rental unit for at least 15 consecutive days while rent is due and unpaid.

Document Evidence of Abandonment

If we suspect that your tenant has abandoned the property, we will document any evidence we can find. CrossView Property Management will take pictures of their belongings left behind, and check if their utilities have been shut off. This documentation will be useful if we need to pursue legal action in the future.

Send Notice to Tenant

Will we then send a notice to your tenant through certified mail or in person, informing them of their unpaid rent and the evidence of abandonment. We will state that we consider the property abandoned if they do not respond within a certain timeframe, usually 10 days.

Wait for Response

Wait for the tenant to respond to our notice. If they do not respond within the timeframe we provided, we can assume that the property has been abandoned.

Secure the Property

After the waiting period has ended, we can secure the property by changing the locks and removing any abandoned belongings. We can also post a notice on the door stating that the property has been secured due to abandonment.

Store Abandoned Belongings

If the tenant left behind personal belongings, we must store them in a safe location for a period of time before disposing of them. In Florida, we must store abandoned property for at least 30 days before disposing of it.

Terminate Lease

After we have secured the property and stored any abandoned belongings, we terminate the lease agreement with the tenant. We may also pursue legal action to collect unpaid rent or damages.

In conclusion, handling tenant abandonment in your Jacksonville property can be challenging, but it is important to understand the legal process and document evidence to protect yourself. By following these steps, CrossView Property Management can secure our owners’ properties and terminate the lease agreement with the tenant.