Introduction
The Florida rental application is a form issued by the landlords or property managers to people or families looking to rent a space for settlement. The form usually asks answers to questions like the individual’s rental, employment, and credit history among other information that can be used to verify the applicants’ worthiness and readiness to occupy the space.
Florida Security Deposit Law
- Standard limit/Maximum amount - Florida has not set apart any maximum amount. However, different cities and states are permitted to set theirs.
- Receipt Requirements - There has not been placed any requirement by the federal law of Florida to issue tenants with a receipt once they pay security deposits.
- Financial holdings - Landlords can choose to keep the deposit in a non-interest bearing account that has been set aside for deposits alone. They can also choose to keep the money in an account that bears interest and credit a 5% flat rate should be given to the tenant. They can pay for a security bond in the physical county of the address of the property and 5% of the interest earned should be given to the tenant.
Sending Rental Application Forms
There are two ways in which landlords can send Florida rental application to tenants;
- Manually - landlords can be able to send a rental application Florida pdf form to tenants through email or a physical copy. This can be facilitated by the use of PDF and word templates available online.
- Using Software - There are property management software services that have been used by property managers. This software allows landlords to carry out a tenant screening process automatically.
Florida Eviction Record Search
Florida public records contain information on eviction and can be accessed by anyone. This can be facilitated with the help of a third-party screening program or even manually. The following is the process to carry out the screening personally;
- Browse the Florida Supreme Court Online Docket Search
- From the drop-down search menu, select “party of attorney”
- Enter the name of the person you need to carry a background check on
- Click the “count” in the right column. This will direct you to any existing court case
Responding to the Rental Application
If a tenant fills in the rental application form in Florida and goes through the screening process successfully, then the landlord just needs to notify them of the progress to the leasing process.
In case as a landlord you are not satisfied with the information, you should provide the tenant with an adverse action notice. Adverse action notice can be illustrated by either rejecting the application or requesting higher requirements from the said tenant that is above other tenants’ prerequisites. An adverse action notice is supposed to be sent to the tenant and should be inclusive of;
- The name of the agency, address, and contact details of the person who gave the report
- The decision of agency stating the decision wasn’t theirs and they can’t tell why the decision was arrived at
- A statement that explains the rights of an applicant’s right to refuse the information given and their freedom to a copy of the information within 60 days
How to Fill in the Florida Rental Application
Step 1: Input your telephone and fax number on the first line of the application.
Step 2: Write your names in full just next to the Applicant’s name. Then add your social security number in full just next to the Soc Security.
Step 3: Include your date of birth and Driver’s license number on the line that follows.
Step 4: Enter your Address under the “Residential History”. This should be added next to “present address”.
Step 5: On the next line, indicate the full names of the owner/landlord and their telephone number.
Step 6: On the line that follows, indicate the amount of rent required to be paid monthly, the date the lease began, and the last date rent was paid. Choose the Yes or No box next to the question “ was the 30-day notice issued”. Indicate when the landlord received a notice of you vacating the residence and terminating the lease agreement next to “when”.
Step 7: Enter your reason for terminating the residential lease agreement next to “ Reason for leaving”.
Step 8: Indicate the place you lived before you moved into your current place.
Step 9: Write the name of your current employer and their telephone number under “Employment”.
Step 10: Indicate the position you hold in your organization and the name of your supervisor/manager.
Step 11: Indicate the period you have been employed at. You also have to indicate whether you are part-time or full-time. Next to “salary” indicates how much you earn.
Step 12: In the next section for “Employment,” you will be required to fill in information about your other place of work before your current job.
Step 13: Indicate information concerning your vehicle; make, model, and plate number.
Step 14: Right below the vehicle section, there are several disclosures that you are expected to answer with utmost honesty. If any of your answers are yes, you will have an area next to the question to give further explanation.
Step 15: On the second page at the top, indicate the address of the rental house you are applying for just next to “ Property Desired”.
Step16: The three paragraphs that follow are for verification purposes and they can only be signed by the owner or landlord after the screening process is done and you are verified.
Step 17: Write your signature just next to “Applicant’ Signature”.
Step 18: Indicate the names of people you could be living with and their date of birth in the space provided.
Conclusion
A rental application helps in answering questions about the tenant’s financial status, address, and social security number. Additionally, the Florida lease application might ask for more information on issues like owned vehicles, employment, and credit history. Landlords have not been limited to the amount of money they can charge for both rent and security deposits.
