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Being a landlord in Orlando works until it does not. A tenant stops paying in month fourteen, the property taxes and insurance keep climbing, the air conditioner fails in August, and suddenly the rental that was supposed to build wealth is costing you money and weekends. If you also live out of state, every showing, repair, and court date has to be handled by somebody else at your expense.
Here is the part that matters most for selling. In Florida, selling a rental property does not terminate the lease. A buyer takes the property subject to the existing tenancy, which means a retail buyer who wants to move in cannot, and the pool of financed buyers willing to inherit an occupied unit is small. That single fact is why occupied rentals sit on the market in Orange County while vacant houses on the same street sell in two weeks. This page explains your realistic paths, the Florida notice and eviction rules that govern what you can and cannot do, and when selling occupied to a cash buyer beats waiting to get the house empty.
This is general information about Florida landlord tenant procedure, not legal advice. Notice requirements and eviction procedure are technical, and a defective notice restarts the process. Have a Florida landlord tenant attorney review any notice before you serve it.
Start here, because it drives every decision. In Florida a lease generally survives a sale. The new owner steps into the landlord's shoes and takes the property subject to the tenant's existing rights, including the remaining term, the agreed rent, and the security deposit. You cannot sell your way out of a lease, and you cannot ask a buyer to remove a tenant that Florida law protects. What you can do is decide whether to sell occupied, or to lawfully end the tenancy first and sell vacant.
There is also a federal layer worth knowing. Federal law provides protections for tenants when a rental property goes through foreclosure, which generally allows qualifying tenants to remain for a period after the sale. If your rental is in foreclosure as well as tenant occupied, get advice before serving any notice.
Under current Florida law, a month to month tenancy is generally terminated by written notice given at least 30 days before the end of the monthly rental period. Shorter tenancies use shorter notice, with week to week generally requiring 7 days. Quarter to quarter also generally requires 30 days, and year to year generally requires 60 days. Count the notice period carefully against the rental period, not from the day you happen to mail the letter, because a defective notice restarts the clock and hands the tenant a defense.
A lease with a stated end date generally runs to that date. You cannot terminate it early because you decided to sell. Read the lease for any early termination, sale, or buyout clause. If none exists, your practical options are to wait, to sell occupied, or to negotiate a voluntary move out.
Florida requires a written three day notice to pay rent or vacate before an eviction for nonpayment, and that count excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. If the tenant does not pay or leave, you file an eviction action with the Orange County Clerk of Courts in county court. Once served, the tenant generally has five days to respond, and like the three day notice that count excludes weekends and legal holidays. In a nonpayment case the tenant is typically required to deposit the disputed rent into the court registry. If the tenant does not deposit rent, the landlord can usually move for a default. If the case proceeds smoothly, a writ of possession is issued and executed by the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Contested cases with defenses take considerably longer.
Florida prohibits self help eviction. Do not change the locks, shut off the power or water, remove the doors, or take the tenant's belongings. Florida law provides for real damages against landlords who do this, and it converts a straightforward eviction into a lawsuit you will lose. It is also the fastest way to give a nonpaying tenant leverage.
Paying a tenant to leave voluntarily feels backwards when they already owe you money. Run the math anyway. An eviction in Orange County costs filing fees, service fees, attorney fees, weeks or months of continued nonpayment, and a property you cannot show or sell during the process. A negotiated move out with an agreed date and a signed agreement is frequently cheaper and always faster. If you do this, put it in writing, tie the payment to actual keys and a broom clean unit, and have an attorney review the release language.
If the tenant is paying and the lease ends in a few months, this is usually the best financial outcome. A vacant, clean house in Orange County reaches every buyer, including financed owner occupants who pay the most. The tradeoff is time and the risk that the tenant leaves the unit in worse condition than you expect.
The path to maximum price when the tenant is nonpaying and the house needs work anyway. Understand the full cost, which is legal fees, months of lost rent, turnover repairs, and carrying costs, all before you see the first dollar. It only pencils when the property has substantial equity and you have the cash to fund the process.
The realistic path when the tenant is staying, the lease has term left, or you simply do not want to run an eviction from another state. An investor buyer values the property on rent and condition and takes the tenancy as it sits. You get out now. The price reflects the tenancy, the deferred maintenance, and the risk the buyer is absorbing.
This is what we do most often on rentals. We buy occupied, including with a nonpaying tenant, an unfinished eviction, or a tenant who has refused interior access. We price the uncertainty and take on the resolution. It nets less than a vacant retail sale, and it ends the bleeding today.
Possible, but difficult. Florida tenants have possession rights, and a tenant who is unhappy about the sale controls showing access in practice. Uncooperative tenants and messy units produce photographs and showings that suppress the price more than the tenancy itself does.
An open eviction case in the Orange County Clerk's records does not stop a sale. What it changes is who carries the case forward. In some transactions the seller finishes the eviction and delivers the property vacant. In others the buyer takes over and the parties address substitution with counsel. This must be negotiated up front and written into the contract, along with who receives any rent collected before closing and how the security deposit is credited at closing. Florida requires the deposit to be transferred or accounted for, so make sure the closing statement reflects it rather than leaving it as a handshake.
Florida requires reasonable notice before a landlord enters for inspection or to show the unit, and the lease may set additional terms. When we buy occupied Orlando rentals, we work around this rather than through it. We will underwrite from exterior condition, the rent roll, comparable interior condition in the same building or subdivision, and a walkthrough if the tenant agrees to one. If interior access is impossible, we will still make an offer and simply price the unknown. Nobody harasses your tenant on our behalf.
Nonpaying tenant, holdover, lease with a year left, or a tenant who will not open the door. We take the property as it sits and handle the tenancy after closing.
If the tenant will not allow a walkthrough, we price from exterior condition, your rent roll, and comparable interiors nearby. Your tenant is never pressured or contacted on our behalf.
Security deposit transfer, prorated rent, and who carries any pending Orange County eviction forward are written into the agreement before you sign, not negotiated at closing.
Yes, but the lease generally survives the sale. In Florida the buyer takes the property subject to the existing tenancy, including the remaining term, the rent, and the security deposit. That means the buyer cannot simply remove your tenant after closing. It also means your buyer pool narrows, because most financed owner occupants need possession. Investor and cash buyers routinely purchase occupied rentals, which is why occupied properties tend to sell to that segment of the market.
Under current Florida law, terminating a month to month residential tenancy generally requires written notice given at least 30 days before the end of the monthly rental period. Week to week tenancies generally require 7 days, and longer periods require more notice. The notice must line up with the rental period rather than the date you mail it, and a defective notice gives the tenant a defense that restarts the process. Have an attorney review your notice before serving it.
It depends entirely on whether the tenant contests it. A nonpayment case starts with a written three day notice, which excludes weekends and legal holidays, then the case is filed with the Orange County Clerk of Courts. The tenant generally has five days to respond, excluding weekends and legal holidays, and typically must deposit disputed rent into the court registry. Uncontested cases can move in a few weeks through to a writ of possession executed by the Sheriff. Contested cases with defenses take considerably longer.
No. Florida prohibits self help eviction, which includes changing locks, shutting off utilities, removing doors, or taking the tenant's belongings. Florida law provides for damages against landlords who do it, and it will convert a simple nonpayment case into a lawsuit against you. The only lawful path to possession is the court process through the Orange County Clerk of Courts and a writ executed by the Sheriff's Office. If you are tempted, sell instead.
It has to be accounted for. Florida has specific requirements about how residential security deposits are held and about the notices a landlord must give. At closing, the deposit is typically transferred to the buyer as a credit on the settlement statement so the new owner holds the tenant's money and remains responsible for it. Make sure this appears on the closing statement rather than being handled informally, because the tenant's claim to that money does not disappear.
It depends on equity and cash. If the property has strong equity, you can fund the legal fees and turnover repairs, and you can absorb several more months without rent, evicting and selling vacant on the MLS usually nets more. If you are out of state, out of cash, or already behind on the mortgage or taxes, that plan often costs more than the extra price it produces. Price both paths before deciding.
We would rather you check our numbers than take our word for it. These are the official records for your property.
Look up your property's assessed value, ownership history, and exemptions. Use this to sanity-check any offer you receive, including ours.
Search foreclosure filings, lis pendens records, and civil case history tied to a property.
The probate court for Orange and Osceola counties. Start here if you inherited a home and need to understand the estate process.
Official record of deeds, mortgages, liens, and judgments recorded against a property.
Check open code violations and accrued daily fines before you sell. Unresolved violations follow the property, not the owner.
Verify whether past work, such as a garage conversion or an addition, was permitted and closed out.
Check delinquent property taxes, tax certificates, and pending tax deed applications.
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