All Forum Posts by: Jorge Rullan

My name is Jorge Rullan, I'm a REALTOR with Total Realty Corp. in Sanford. I can definitely help you out. Feel free to call me and we can set something up. 

Jorge

407-279-0562

I think the national average is approximately $115 to $125 per square foot.

Some states allow you to act as your own GC if you are the homeowner. However, whomever is doing the work will be required to pull permits in accordance to your building codes and regulations. 

My name is Jorge, very nice to meet you. I work mainly in Seminole and Volusia Counties. Definitely interested in meeting people and seeing how we can be successful together. Welcome!!

To clarify;

F.S. 83.54(4) - Landlord’s obligation to maintain premises.—The landlord is not responsible to the tenant under this section for conditions created or caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of the tenant, a member of the tenant’s family, or other person on the premises with the tenant’s consent. (look at definitions and case law defining "family")

F.S. 83.52(6) - Tenant’s obligation to maintain dwelling unit - (6) Not destroy, deface, damage, impair, or remove any part of the premises or property therein belonging to the landlord nor permit any person to do so.

F.S. 83.54 Enforcement of rights and duties; civil action; criminal offenses.—Any right or duty declared in this part is enforceable by civil action. A right or duty enforced by civil action under this section does not preclude prosecution for a criminal offense related to the lease or leased property.

This is a "word of the law versus spirit of the law" arguement.

You have to remember your investment property is a business. As such, to forgive a one time incident and inherit the cost of repairs is a moral decision, that I myself would make. Beyond one incident, I would protect your investment. I want to thank everyone for the passionate discussions but we need to remember there are civil liabilities in everything we do, not just criminal.  We need to do our best to minimize our risk.  Good Luck.

FYI, I would fix it because I'd want to protect my investment. I would bill her or take it from her security deposit but I'd fix it. Mainly, to make sure the repairs are done correctly.

If another incident occurred after that, I would begin the eviction process to prevent my investment becoming a financial liability. Best of luck. 

As former Deputy, in the state of Florida, Domestic includes person's involved in a relationship whether or not they lived together. As far as the break-in, the tenant has "exclusive right of use" and because of that, she is the victim. Same as if any other crime had been committed at residence. The landlord would not be the victim unless the residence was vacant and he had not leased out "the rights of usage" to anyone else. This is only FL law so I do not know about any other state. Good Luck.

Another thing to consider is that you as the owner have leased your rights to the property to the tennant.  The victim of the criminal mischief is the tenant not the landlord.  These are the reasons why I recommend consulting an attorney.

We have to take into consideration that we do not know all of the details. As such, we need to remember because it is a "boyfriend" it is considered a "domestic" incident. We also don't know if he was a visitor or some kind of tenant like a sublease or a gratuitous guest. There are still too many unknowns and as such; the landlord can hold the tenant liable for damages. That's why I highly recommend speaking to an attorney.

Best of luck.

John,

Permits and inspections, although a huge pain, are there to protect you.  As far as the paint, flooring and other cosmetics, those do not require permits. HVAC should have pulled a permit.  The issue you are going to have now is the inspector can fine you for non compliance, issue a seize work order and even place a lien on your property.  My best advise is speak to a contractor and an attorney and have them help you with correcting the issue.  They should be able to make contact with the inspector and work with them to pull the necessary permits and have the worked inspected.  

As for the feeling like you are being harassed,  by avoiding them you are making yourself a target and building a reputation of being someone who is noncompliant.  Be careful.

The last thing I'll advise you is, without proper permits and inspections if something happens after you sell the property, you are opening yourself to civil liabilities.

Best of Luck!