Tenants didn’t pay Rent? Read this before you decide to start an Eviction!



There is an eviction moratorium in place in the State of Florida and pretty much the whole country that began on March 27, 2020 and will remain in force through July 25, 2020. Landlords of covered properties are prohibited by federal law from sending their Tenant 3-day notices of non-payment and from filing a new eviction case for failure to pay rent during this period.  They are also prohibited from charging Tenants fees or interest for late payment during this period. After July 25th, Landlords may serve 30-day notices and file an eviction after that time expires. This doesn’t forgive the rent Tenants may owe.

Covered Properties include, but are not be limited to:
·        Properties with federally backed mortgages (FHA, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, VA, HUD, USDA)
·        Properties receiving low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC)
·        Public housing
·        Section 8 vouchers and project-based units, or those with support from various federal programs.
·        USDA and rural housing programs under the Dept. of Agriculture

Cases or Properties not included under this law:
·        Eviction cases filed in court on or before March 26, 2020
·        Eviction cases based on Lease violations, breach of contract, holdover tenancy, and others, other than non-payment
·        Properties bought in cash which therefore have no mortgage and are not covered by the law. 
·        Properties bought through a loan by a private lender

Even if your property is not protected, there is a moratorium until May 17th that apply to evictions for non-payment, so all Landlords still need to wait until May 18th to serve Tenants with a 3-day notice.


Take into account that, besides state or federal moratorium, there may be county-level protections, in place temporarily, that apply to both residential and commercial tenancies, things are changing day by day, so always check with the clerk of court or an attorney to confirm the status of any policy changes. 

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