Landlord and Tenant Lawyers in Ocala

Find the right Tenant attorney in Ocala, FL

Tenant Law in Florida

The relationship between a landlord and tenant in Ocala, Florida can sometimes be a touchy one. Landlords and tenants are not always clear on their respective rights and responsibilities.

Landlords and tenants have to navigate a web of legal rights and obligations. It's essential that the parties to a landlord/tenant relationship know what obligations they have to one another.

Landlord's Rights in Ocala, FL

The most important and most apparent right that a landlord has is the right to timely payment of rent from the tenant. This, of course, means that the tenant has a duty to pay rent.

Furthermore, landlords can bill the tenant for any damage they cause to the unit, whether it was intentional or negligent. The costs of repairs for such damage can be deducted from a tenant's security deposit, but it should be noted that tenants aren't liable for ordinary wear and tear, over which they have little control.

Tenant's Rights in Ocala, FL

Tenants, most basically, have a right to a habitable apartment. After all, this is what they're paying for. Ocala, Florida landlords are obligated to see that the units they rent to tenants are fit to be lived in by people. Many different defects might render an apartment uninhabitable, such as serious infestations and other problems with sanitation, lack of running water or electricity, or failure to provide adequate protection from the outside elements.

Furthermore, tenants are entitled to common areas which are reasonably safe and clean, and free of physical obstacles. Areas such as lobbies, hallways, stairwells, and fire escapes must comply with the building codes of Ocala, Florida. Furthermore, any other unreasonable safety hazard, even if it doesn't violate a specific provision of a building code, can create liability for the landlord if it injures a tenant.

Tenants also have rights, under federal and Florida law, to not be victims of racial, ethnic, or gender discrimination in housing, whether they are renting or buying. Furthermore, landlords are not allowed to discriminate against tenants based on physical disabilities. They must also allow physically-disabled tenants to make reasonable modifications to the apartment to make it more accessible. However, the landlord can require tenants to remove those modifications and restore the property to its original condition once the tenant moves out.

Tenants are also legally protected from unfair eviction. Before a lease agreement expires, landlords cannot evict tenants unless they breach as significant term of the agreement by not paying rent, causing serious damage to the property, engaging in activities that are a nuisance to the other tenants, or engaging in illegal activity on the property, among other things.

Can a Ocala, Florida Landlord/Tenant Lawyer Help?

Tenants and landlords always want to avoid getting into any serious disputes - these disputes interfere with the tenant's living arrangement, and the landlord's business. In short, they help nobody. While a good Ocala, Florida attorney can certainly help his or her client prevail in such a dispute, they may be more valuable for their ability to help prevent such disputes from escalating in the first place.

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Life in Ocala

Ocala is located in Marion County, Florida. About 54,000 people call Ocala home.

In this small city, the median income for a household is approximately ,000. Many residents commute outside of Ocala or making a living doing small labor here and there.

A popular attraction of Ocala is the Ocala Symphony Orchestra. Another popular attraction is the Ocala Civic Theatre. Evidently, Ocala is a small city that is big on the fine arts!

Being so small, Ocala has some small law offices. For larger, more complex legal matters, residents of Ocala can go to neighboring cities for legal services.

All in all, Ocala is a quaint city in Florida, offering tourists a very different feel from the stretch of beaches and metropolitan atmosphere.

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