Property Management in Florida

Florida is one of the most active rental markets in the country, spanning beachfront short-term vacation rentals, snowbird mid-term stays, and steady long-term residential leasing. The rules differ depending on whether you manage your own property or manage other people's property for compensation, how long your guests stay, and which city or county the property sits in. This guide walks through licensing, security deposits, landlord-tenant essentials, eviction, the short-term rental (STR) landscape, and taxes. Florida generally leans landlord-friendly and pro-tourism, but pre-2011 grandfathered local STR ordinances can be unforgiving.

Quick Reference

1. Licensing

In Florida, renting, leasing, or managing real property for another person and for compensation generally requires a real estate license under Chapter 475, Florida Statutes— administered by the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) — while managing your own property does not. The §475.01 definition of "broker" reaches anyone who, for another and for compensation, rents (or offers/attempts/agrees to rent) real property. [1][2]

Key nuances:

• Salaried employeesof an owner who manage that owner's property are generally exempt; the license trigger is largely tied to commission/transactional compensation paid for handling others' rentals. [1]
• Community Association Manager (CAM) licensing is a separate regime under Chapter 468and is administered by DBPR. A CAM license covers managing associations (HOAs/condos) above certain thresholds — but it does not authorize leasing individual units on behalf of owners for compensation. That activity falls under the Chapter 475 broker definition. [1]
• A vacation rental licensethrough DBPR's Division of Hotels and Restaurants is also required to operate transient/short-term lodging (see Section 5).

2. Security Deposits

Florida sets no statutory cap on the security deposit amount. The handling and return rules live in Fla. Stat. §83.49: [3]

• A landlord who holds a deposit must keep it in one of the statutory ways (separate non-interest account, separate interest-bearing account, or post a surety bond) and give the tenant the required written notice of how the deposit is held.
• If the landlord does NOT intend to impose a claim on the deposit, the deposit (plus any required interest) must be returned within 15 days after termination of the rental agreement. [3]
• If the landlord DOES intend to impose a claim, the landlord must send written notice of intent to impose a claim within 30 daysafter termination of the rental agreement, by certified mail to the tenant's last known address, in the specific statutory form. [3]
• The tenant then has 15 days to object in writing. If the tenant does not object, the landlord may deduct the claim and must remit the balance within 30 days of the notice of intent. [3]
• Forfeiture: If the landlord fails to send the 30-day notice, the landlord forfeits the right to impose a claim against the deposit (though the landlord may still sue separately for damages after returning the deposit). [3]

3. Landlord-Tenant Essentials

Florida's residential landlord-tenant relationship is governed by Part II of Chapter 83 (the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act).

• Entry / access (§83.53):The landlord may enter for repairs, inspection, agreed services, or to show the unit, but must not abuse the right or harass the tenant. "Reasonable notice" for repairs is defined as at least 24 hours prior to entry, and a reasonable time is between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. The landlord may enter at any time to protect or preserve the premises (emergencies). [4]
• Landlord maintenance duties (§83.51): The landlord must comply with applicable building, housing, and health codes; or where there are none, maintain roofs, windows, doors, floors, steps, porches, exterior walls, foundations, and structural components in good repair and keep the plumbing in working order. The landlord must also install working smoke detection devices at the start of a single-family or duplex tenancy. Single-family and duplex obligations can be shifted partly by written agreement. [4]
• Required disclosures: Federal lead-based paint disclosure applies to pre-1978 housing. Landlords must disclose how/where the security deposit is held (§83.49) and identify the property owner or authorized agent (§83.50). [3]
• Late fees: Florida does not impose a statewide statutory cap on residential late fees; they are governed by the lease and general principles of reasonableness. (Contrast this with New York, which caps late fees.) Verify current law and keep fees reasonable and clearly disclosed.

4. Eviction

Florida's eviction process is relatively fast and landlord-friendly compared to many states. There is no self-help eviction— lockouts and utility shut-offs are prohibited; you must go through the courts.

• Nonpayment of rent (§83.56): Serve a 3-day notice to pay rent or vacate. The 3 days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. [5]
• Curable lease violation (§83.56): Serve a 7-day notice to cure specifying the noncompliance; if not corrected within 7 days, the landlord may terminate. [5]
• Non-curable / repeat violation: For serious noncompliance (e.g., intentional destruction) or a repeat violation within 12 months of a written warning, the landlord may serve a 7-day notice of termination without an opportunity to cure. [5]
• Filing: After the notice period, the landlord files an eviction action in county court under §83.59. Florida uses a summary procedure; if the tenant disputes the amount of rent owed, the court may require the tenant to deposit rent into the court registry. [5]

5. Short-Term Rental Landscape

Florida has a long history of state preemption of local STR regulation. Under Fla. Stat. §509.032(7), local governments generally may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of stays — unless the local ordinance was adopted on or before June 1, 2011, in which case it is grandfathered. Cities and counties can still regulate noise, parking, trash, occupancy/safety, and impose local registration. [6]

State licensing: a property rented as a transient "vacation rental" (rented more than three times a year for periods of less than 30 days, or advertised as such) generally requires a DBPR Division of Hotels and Restaurants vacation rental license. [6]

Because of the grandfathering carve-out, some long-standing local restrictions remain enforceable — verify the local ordinance and zoning before listing. [6]

6. Taxes

Short-term/transient rentals in Florida are taxed at two levels:

• State sales tax: 6% state sales tax on transient rental income (rentals of six months or less), collected and remitted to the Florida Department of Revenue. Some counties add a discretionary sales surtax. [6]
• County Tourist Development Tax (TDT): Counties add a Tourist Development Tax, typically 2%–6%, administered by the county tax collector (or the Department of Revenue in some counties). [6]

Platforms like Airbnb/Vrbo collect and remit some of these taxes in some jurisdictions, but not always all of them— owners are often still responsible for registering and filing. Verify which taxes your platform collects versus what you must file yourself.

7. Florida-Specific Gotchas

• Preemption is a trap door, not a free pass. Statewide preemption protects against duration/frequency bans, but pre-2011 grandfathered local ordinances can still effectively ban STRs in residential zones.
• DBPR vacation rental license vs. local registration are different things — you may need both, plus tax registrations.
• 3-day notice math excludes weekends and legal holidays; miscounting voids the notice.
• Security-deposit forfeiturefor a missed 30-day notice is automatic — there's no grace.

Sources

Local rules and figures are summarized as of 2026 and change frequently — verify the current rule with the primary source or a local attorney.

1. Florida Real Estate Licensing Law — Florida Realtors — Overview of Chapter 475 broker definition and that renting/managing others' property for compensation requires a license; CAM does not cover leasing units.
2. Division of Real Estate — MyFloridaLicense.com (DBPR/FREC) — Official DBPR Division of Real Estate / FREC licensing portal.
3. Fla. Stat. §83.49 — 2025, The Florida Senate — Security deposit handling, 15-day return with no claim, 30-day notice of claim, 15-day tenant objection window, forfeiture for failure to notify.
4. Fla. Stat. §83.53 — FindLaw — Landlord access; "reasonable notice" of at least 24 hours (as amended 2022), entry between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
5. Fla. Stat. §83.56 — 2025 Florida Statutes (leg.state.fl.us) — 3-day nonpayment notice (excluding weekends/holidays); 7-day notice to cure; §83.59 eviction filing.
6. Florida Short-Term Rental Laws 2026 — Avalara MyLodgeTax / industry guides summarizing §509.032(7) — State preemption under §509.032(7), pre-2011 grandfathered local ordinances, DBPR vacation rental license, 6% state sales tax plus county Tourist Development Tax. (Verify ordinance/tax figures against your locality and the Florida Department of Revenue directly.)

Related reading

• Rental Types Guide: Short-, Mid-, and Long-Term
• Top 15 Property Management Tips for New Managers