Florida Residential Lease Review Checklist

This resource is a one-page, tenant-side checklist of the seven clauses Florida renters should read before signing a residential lease. It is built for the moment you have the most leverage and the least time — signing day — when a dense document needs to become a short list of things to verify and negotiate.

Each item is grounded in the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Chapter 83, Part II): the deposit itemization rules of Section 83.49, the landlord maintenance duties of Section 83.51, and the 24-hour entry-notice standard of Section 83.53. The checklist identifies the tenant-protective version of each clause and the version that should not be accepted without renegotiation.

It is a practical planning document, not legal advice. On a year-long lease with an ambiguous deposit, renewal, or repair clause — or any lease where the fees do not reconcile to the advertised rent — the checklist should be paired with attorney review before signing.

What the PDF covers

• Security deposit terms and the statutory itemization and return rules.
• Automatic renewal and the notice-to-vacate window to calendar.
• Repair responsibility and the landlord's baseline maintenance duties.
• Early termination, late fees, landlord entry, and fees beyond rent.