Defective 3 Day Eviction Notice As A Complete Defense To A Florida Residential Eviction Action

As draconian as it may seem to the non-lawyer, if the landlord serves a defective 3 Day Eviction Notice, the landlord’s residential eviction complaint will be dismissed for failing to state a cause of action (i.e., it is legally insufficient).  Investment & Income Realty, Inc. v. Bentley, 480 So. 2d 219 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985).  That is because a proper 3 day eviction notice is a statutory condition precedent to filing an eviction proceeding in Florida.

Moreover, because the landlord is the party seeking to prove his or her entitlement to the tenant eviction, the landlord carries the burden of proof on that issue.  As a result, if the tenant raises the defense that the landlord’s 3 Day Eviction Notice is defective, the burden of proof has not yet shifted to the tenant until the landlord proves that the 3 Day Eviction Notice is legally sufficient.  The tenant is not required to pay the alleged past due rent into the Court registry pursuant to Florida Statute § 83.60(2).

LANDLORD RIGHTS TIP:  A non-defective 3 Day Eviction Notice is absolutely critical to a residential tenant eviction in Florida.  The following articles examine some of the most common defects raised in defense to tenant eviction related to the 3 Day Eviction Notice.

Here is a FREE EVICTION FORM that the landlord can use as a 3 Day Eviction Notice in Florida.

3 Day Eviction Notice Home Page