Consumer Rights In Florida

When you rent an apartment or home, knowing your consumer rights in Florida or any state for that matter, is crucial. You need to be educated on your rights in case your landlord ever crosses the line in the way that he or she treats you.

If you’ve rented before, you already know that there are many problems that creep up, from broken air conditioning to breaking your lease. If you don’t know your rights, how will you know if your landlord is mistreating you? Even worse, how will you know what you’re able to do about it? Before you even think about renting, you need to read up on the consumer rights in Florida to protect yourself.

The library, bookstore and internet are all great sources that can provide you with the information you need to get informed! You will find that the web will literally provide you with thousands of different articles and online guides about this topic, but you need to make sure the source is reputable before you go quoting any facts to your landlord. If you cannot confirm that it’s a solid source, move on. There is no use in wasting time reading up on information that cannot help you in the long run.

Renting means that your landlord has a right to enter your apartment- even when you are not home, but only in certain circumstances. If there is an emergency, such as a flood, leaking gas or a broken water pipe, your landlord can come into your apartment without your consent. If your landlord would like to make a repair of some sort or update decorations, he or she can do this, but only if they provide you with reasonable notice that they are coming into your apartment. Reasonable notice is at least 12 hours in advance and it must be done only during the hours of 7:30 am and 8:00 p.m.. Also, it is more than reasonable for you to insist that if your landlord had to come into your apartment for any reason when you weren’t there, that he or she must leave a note detailing what they did and why they did it. Keep in mind that this is only necessary in case of emergencies that occur when you’re not home. If you encounter dangerous conditions in your apartment or around the complex that you weren’t informed of before you moved in, your landlord will be held liable. It is within your rights to be told of any potential health threats, including broken stairs, cracked sidewalks and so on. If you were to get hurt when on the property, your landlord will most likely be held liable if you choose to take him or her to court. If your landlord were to come in your apartment to make a repair and damage something else in the meantime, he or she would be held liable in this case as well.

There are many other rights you have when it comes to renting and its best to read a whole book on the subject. Don’t let yourself be in the dark about this matter, you deserve to know what your rights are when to be able to recognize when they are being threatened.

Author: Lisa Mason