Rental glossary

A written demand to pay the rent owed or give up the home within 3 days, not counting weekends, legal holidays or the day it arrives. It comes before an eviction for unpaid rent.

A common landlord rule that your gross monthly income should be about three times the rent. It's a screening habit, not a Florida law.

The court paper served on a tenant when a landlord files for possession. The tenant has 5 business days to answer and deposit the rent with the court.

A written notice that gives the other side 7 days to fix a problem or face the end of the lease. Tenants use it for repairs, and landlords use it for lease violations.

In Florida, a tenant is presumed to have abandoned the home after being gone for half a rent period with rent unpaid and no notice of the absence.

Insurance that pays what a lost item was worth used, after depreciation, less the deductible. It usually pays less than replacement cost.

Rent paid for a future period, like last month's rent paid at move-in. Florida treats it like deposit money: the landlord has to hold it the same way.

The notice a landlord must give when it turns you down because of a screening or credit report, naming the company so you can get a free copy and dispute errors.

Rent plus every required monthly fee, in one number. It is the amount you pay each month.

A lease of twelve months or more. In Florida, one longer than six months in writing avoids the transient rental tax, and one longer than a year must be in writing.

Each adult who applies to rent. For a Florida condo association's fee, a married couple or a parent with dependent children counts as one applicant.

What a landlord or manager charges to screen you, usually per adult. Florida doesn't cap it, except for condo association fees.

A condo or HOA's sign-off on a new renter, with its own application and sometimes an interview. In many South Florida condos, no one moves in without it.

A deposit a Florida condo association can require from a renter if its documents allow it, up to one month's rent, to protect the common areas.

The Census's mean one-way travel time to work for workers 16 and older, in minutes.

A tenant whose lease is an arm's-length deal at roughly market rent, and who isn't the owner or the owner's close family. Bona fide tenants get the 90-day protection in a foreclosure.

A rule barring certain dog breeds or sizes. Florida ended local breed bans in 2023, but private landlords and associations can still set them.

The fast intercity train with South Florida stations in Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, and service to Orlando.

A building-wide contract where the condo association pays for cable or internet through owners' dues. If your building has one, you may not need your own plan.

Damage from a sudden event like a storm or fire that the tenant didn't cause. Under section 83.63 it can let you end a lease or pay less rent.

Mail the post office tracks and gets signed for. Florida deposit claims go by certified mail unless both sides signed an email addendum.

A listing whose owner a licensed agent matched to the county property record, with the full monthly price and the cost to move in shown up front.

The written notice a Florida landlord sends within 30 days after the lease ends to keep part of a deposit. It names the amount and the reason, and gives you 15 days to object.

The fee a landlord offers to the renter's agent when that agent brings the renter who signs the lease.

Someone who signs the lease itself alongside you and is on the hook for it like a tenant, usually without living there.

The city or county office that inspects homes for building, housing and health code violations. In unincorporated Miami-Dade you reach it through 311.

The parts of a condo building every owner shares, like the roof, hallways, elevators and pool. The association maintains them.

A deal a landlord offers to get a lease signed, like a free month or a waived fee. A free month leaves the full rent in the lease for renewal.

A unit you rent from its owner inside a building run by a condominium association. The association's rules bind the owner and you.

A credit report or tenant screening report from a reporting company. A landlord needs a housing purpose to pull one and owes an adverse action notice if it helps decide against you.

HUD's term for a household paying more than 30% of its income for housing. More than 50% is severely cost burdened.

The Florida trial court that hears evictions and smaller money claims. Each county has one.

An account the court clerk holds. In a Florida eviction, a tenant raising any defense other than payment has to deposit the claimed rent there, or the defenses are waived.

A three-digit number from 300 to 850 that sums up your credit history. FICO calls 580 to 669 fair and 670 to 739 good.

How long a listing has been up. A home that has sat for weeks usually has the most room to negotiate.

The founding legal document of a condo or HOA community. Leasing limits, approval rules and pet restrictions usually start here.

The summary page of an insurance policy listing coverages, limits and deductibles. In Florida it shows the hurricane deductible in dollars.

A judgment entered because one side didn't respond in time. In evictions it usually follows a tenant missing the 5-day deadline.

Florida's legal term for any money a landlord holds for the tenant: security deposits, damage deposits, pet deposits, advance rent deposits and similar.

A Florida tax on deeds and on mortgage notes. On a mortgage it is $0.35 per $100 borrowed, paid at closing.

A fee you agree to pay to end the lease early. In Florida it can't exceed two months' rent and requires a separate signed addendum.

A signed add-on to a Florida lease, allowed since July 1, 2025, that lets the landlord and tenant send legal notices by email to the addresses in it.

An animal that helps with a disability-related need, often by its presence. A landlord must allow one as a reasonable accommodation and cannot charge pet fees for it.

The lettered zone emergency managers use to order people out before a storm, mostly because of storm surge. It is a different map from FEMA's flood zones.

A listing whose agreement ran out before the home rented or sold. The owner is free to list again.

Tolled lanes, as on I-95, whose price rises and falls with traffic. A SunPass or compatible transponder pays the toll.

The federal law barring housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability.

HUD's yearly estimate of rent plus utilities for a standard-quality home, set at the 40th percentile: about 40% of similar homes rent for less. Housing authorities use it to set voucher limits.

Having a child under 18 in the household, or being pregnant or getting custody of one. It is a protected class, so an ordinary rental cannot be adults-only.

A nonrefundable fee, usually monthly, that some Florida landlords offer instead of a security deposit since 2023. It isn't insurance for you, and you still owe for damage.

A lease with a start and end date, like 12 months. It ends on its date unless it renews.

An MLS listing for a set fee instead of a commission. The owner handles showings and picks the tenant.

A separate form a Florida landlord gives before signing a lease of a year or longer, saying what it knows about past flooding and flood claims. Required since October 1, 2025.

FEMA's rating of an area's flood risk. Zones starting with A or V are high risk, and X zones are moderate or minimal.

The court process a lender uses to take a property when the owner stops paying the mortgage. Renters in a foreclosed home have federal protections.

Leasing handled by a licensed agent from pricing to keys: listing, showings, screening, the lease and association approval. The owner picks the tenant.

A rental that comes with the owner's furniture and often kitchenware and linens. There's no legal definition, so get the list in writing.

A real reason for an eviction, such as unpaid rent or a lease violation. It defeats a retaliation defense in Florida.

Days after the due date when rent can still be paid without a late fee. Florida law doesn't require one, so only your lease can give you one.

Income before taxes and deductions. Landlords using the 3x rule almost always mean gross.

Someone who signs a separate written promise to pay your rent and other lease costs if you don't. Florida requires that promise to be in writing.

A homeowners association, which runs a community of houses or townhomes under its declaration. Some approve renters and set rules on parking, pets and leasing.

Money paid to take a home off the market while an application is processed. Pay one only after you've seen the home, with the terms in writing.

Staying after the lease ends. Without the landlord's consent, a Florida landlord can recover double rent for the holdover period.

A Florida property tax break on your primary home that can cut its taxable value by up to $50,000. Rental property doesn't qualify.

The housing authority's share of a voucher holder's rent, paid straight to the landlord each month under a contract with the landlord.

A Housing Choice Voucher (often called Section 8) pays part of your rent. Your local housing authority issues it.

A separate, usually larger deductible for hurricane losses. Florida requires the insurer to show it in dollars on the declarations page.

Windows built to resist wind-borne debris, so nobody has to put up shutters before a storm.

A signed list of what's in a rental and its condition at move-in, with photos. It decides furniture and damage claims at move-out.

Each person on the lease owes the full rent, whatever split the roommates agreed among themselves. If one stops paying, the landlord can come after any of the others for all of it.

The property appraiser's estimate of a home's market value as of January 1, the starting point for its assessment.

Kilowatt-hour, the unit your electric bill counts. Florida regulators compare utilities using a 1,000 kWh month.

Property insurance written for a home rented to someone else, often called a dwelling policy. It covers the building and liability, and often lost rent.

A charge the lease adds when rent comes in after a set day. Florida law doesn't cap it, and a court can refuse to enforce one that is unconscionable.

For homes built before 1978: the EPA lead pamphlet, any known lead hazards and reports, and a signed Lead Warning Statement with the lease.

A new lease term with the same landlord, often at a new rent. Florida treats a renewed lease as a new agreement, and a carried-over deposit as a new deposit.

An amount set in advance for a breach, instead of proving actual losses. Florida's early termination addendum uses the term.

The contract between an owner and a brokerage that lets the brokerage list the home, with its term and fees.

A small box on the door that holds the key for showings. Agents and approved visitors open it with a code or an app.

A landlord keeping a tenant out by changing locks or using a boot lock. Without a court order and the sheriff, it's illegal in Florida.

Landlord insurance that pays the rent you lose while covered damage, like a hurricane-torn roof, is repaired.

Insurance that pays the extra cost of living elsewhere, above your usual expenses, when covered damage makes your home unlivable. Also called additional living expenses.

A failure serious enough to matter, like ignoring a code violation. It is what a Florida tenant's 7-day notice has to point to.

The middle of what renters told the Census Bureau they pay each month, rent plus utilities. Half pay more and half pay less.

Miami's free automated people mover, looping through downtown and running to Brickell and Omni.

Short for Multiple Listing Service: the shared database licensed agents use to list homes for sale and for rent. Rentvana search shows every rental on BeachesMLS.

A tenancy with no end date where rent is paid monthly. Either side can end it with at least 30 days' written notice before the end of a monthly period.

The federal program that sells flood insurance, including contents-only policies for renters. Coverage generally starts 30 days after purchase.

The listing came off the market. It may have rented elsewhere, or the landlord took it down. If it comes back, we'll tell you.

The 10% limit on yearly increases in a rental's assessed value, for taxes other than school taxes. It resets to just value after a sale or other change of ownership.

The ordinary aging of a home from living in it, like faded paint or light scuffs. A landlord can't charge your deposit for it, only for damage beyond it.

The share of occupied homes lived in by their owners, from the Census. The rest are rented, so a low rate means a renters' market.

The most a housing authority will count toward rent and utilities for your voucher size, set between 90% and 110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent.

The landlord accepted an application. Pending leases sometimes fall through, so a pending home stays on your list in case it comes back.

Money held against damage a pet causes. Florida counts it as deposit money, so it comes back under the same deadlines as a security deposit.

A one-time charge for having a pet. When the lease calls it a nonrefundable fee, you don't get it back.

A monthly charge for having a pet, added to the rent. It is not refundable, and Florida law sets no limit on it.

Taking a housing voucher with you when you move to an area run by another housing authority. Tell your housing authority before you move.

A state law taking a subject away from cities and counties. Since July 1, 2023, Florida preempts local rules on residential tenancies.

The part of a mortgage payment that pays down the loan and its interest, before taxes, insurance and association dues.

The county office that values property for taxes. Its free online search shows who owns a home, which is the quickest scam check there is.

Rent for part of a month, figured by the day. Common on move-in, and what a servicemember owes when ending a lease early under Florida law.

A trait fair housing law bars landlords from using against applicants: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status and disability under federal and Florida law.

The federal law that gives bona fide tenants at least 90 days' notice after a foreclosure, and lets most leases run to their end.

The local agency that runs the Housing Choice Voucher program, approves voucher tenancies, inspects homes and pays its share of the rent to the landlord.

A statement about radon gas, in wording set by section 404.056(5), that must appear on a document signed at or before a Florida lease.

A change to a rule or policy that a person with a disability needs to use and enjoy a home, such as allowing an assistance animal in a no-pets building.

For repairs in Florida, at least 24 hours' notice before the landlord comes in, for a visit between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Renting the home to someone new after a tenant leaves early. If the landlord relets for the old tenant's account, the old tenant owes only the gap.

The periodic payment for living in the home, plus any other charge the written lease designates as rent. That second part decides whether a late fee can go in a 3-day notice.

A reduction in rent for a time the home, or part of it, could not be used, such as during tenting for pests or after storm damage.

A legal cap on rent or rent increases. Florida bars cities and counties from adopting it, so renewal increases have no limit.

The housing agency's check that a voucher rent is in line with similar unassisted homes nearby, done before the lease and before any increase.

Insurance that pays what it costs to buy a new item like the one you lost, less the deductible.

A rent increase, service cut or eviction aimed at a tenant for a protected act, like a good-faith code complaint. Florida law lets the tenant raise it as a defense.

A written deal among roommates on splitting rent, bills and the deposit and on leaving early. The landlord isn't bound by it, but it protects you from each other.

A court filing that says a money judgment has been paid. Attach a copy to rental applications after a paid-off eviction judgment.

Florida's limit on yearly increases in a homestead's assessed value: 3% or inflation, whichever is lower. It ends when the homestead does.

Your filters, kept. We email you the rentals that match each morning, or right away if you switch it.

A short rental, usually furnished and usually for the winter months, priced higher per month than an annual lease.

Money a landlord holds to cover unpaid rent or damage if you break the lease's terms. In Florida it has to come back within 15 days of the lease ending, or the landlord has 30 days to send a written claim.

Forcing a tenant out without a court order, by changing locks, removing doors or cutting utilities. It is illegal in Florida and costs the landlord at least three months' rent.

A dog or miniature horse trained to do specific work or tasks for a person with a disability. Comfort alone is not a task under Florida law.

A member of the armed forces or National Guard. Florida lets servicemembers with qualifying orders end a lease on 30 days' notice without a penalty.

A visit to see a home for rent or for sale. Florida tenants can't unreasonably refuse showings with reasonable notice.

HUD's Fair Market Rent set ZIP code by ZIP code instead of for a whole metro area, so vouchers stretch further in pricier neighborhoods.

The part of county court for money disputes up to $8,000 in Florida. Most deposit fights that go to court end up here.

A local fair housing rule barring landlords from refusing tenants because of a lawful income source, such as a housing voucher. Miami-Dade and Broward have one, though whether Florida's 2023 preemption reaches it is unsettled.

A one-time charge a condo or HOA levies on owners for a big project, like structural repairs. Florida's 2022 condo safety law has driven many.

The high-risk A and V zones on FEMA maps, expected to flood in a flood with a 1% chance of happening in any year.

Florida's rule that certain promises must be in writing to be enforced, including a promise to pay someone else's debt and any lease longer than a year.

Panels or fixed shutters that protect windows and doors in a hurricane. Florida's repair statute doesn't assign them, so the lease should.

Renting your rental to someone else while you stay on the lease. Florida's landlord-tenant act doesn't address it, so the lease and any condo rules decide.

A bond a Florida landlord can post with the circuit court clerk instead of holding deposits in a separate bank account. It comes with 5% yearly interest to the tenant.

A report a landlord buys about an applicant: credit, eviction and court records, criminal history and sometimes a risk score.

The money due before you get the keys: the first month, the security deposit and application fees, including an association fee when there is one.

A county tax on short-term rentals, on top of state sales tax: 6% in Broward, Palm Beach and most of Miami-Dade, and 5% in Martin and St. Lucie.

Florida's tax term for a rental of six months or less. It carries 6% state sales tax plus county surtax and tourist tax, unless there is a written lease longer than six months.

South Florida's commuter railroad, running from Mangonia Park through Broward to Miami along the I-95 corridor.

The Truth in Millage notice mailed each August with a property's assessed value, proposed tax rates and exemptions. It is an estimate, not a bill.

So one-sided that a court refuses to enforce it. A Florida judge can strike or limit an unconscionable lease term.

Not fit to live in. In Florida, a tenant who leaves a home made untenantable by the landlord's failure to repair owes no rent for that time.

Money a utility may hold when you open an account. FPL's, when required, equals two months of expected electric use and earns 2% interest.

The county board that hears property owners' challenges to assessed values. Petitions are due within 25 days of the TRIM notice's mailing.

An inspection that documents a home's wind-resistant features, such as roof straps and opening protection. Florida insurers must offer discounts for them.

A listing taken off the market while its agreement may still be in force. Check its terms before relisting elsewhere.

The court order the sheriff posts after an eviction judgment. 24 hours later the sheriff returns the home to the landlord, weekends included.