What can a landlord do with a tenant’s belongings left behind in Florida?

In Florida, once the sheriff executes a writ of possession, the landlord may remove any personal property found on the premises to or near the property line and is not liable for its later loss, and for belongings left behind after a tenancy ends the landlord may follow an optional procedure of written notice giving the tenant at least 10 days to claim them if the notice is delivered in person or 15 days if it is mailed. The landlord may ask the sheriff to stand by to keep the peace while the locks are changed and the property removed, at a reasonable hourly rate paid by the person asking. Under the optional procedure, the notice must describe the property, say where and by what date it may be claimed, and say that reasonable storage costs may be charged; unclaimed property is sold at a public sale advertised once a week for 2 consecutive weeks, unless the landlord reasonably believes its total resale value is less than $500, in which case the landlord may keep it or dispose of it in any manner. Sale proceeds left after storage, advertising and sale costs that nobody claims are paid into the county treasury within 30 days of the sale, and may be claimed from the county within 1 year. A landlord may not remove a tenant’s personal property except after surrender, abandonment, recovery of possession after the last remaining tenant’s death, or a lawful eviction, and a rental agreement carrying the statutory legend can excuse the landlord from the notice procedure and from liability for storing or disposing of property after surrender or abandonment. This is Fla. Stat. §§ 83.62, 715.104, 715.109, 83.67.

WhatFlorida
Belongings left behindRemove to the property line once the writ is executed
What the statute requires firstNo waiting period before disposal

What the statute says

“At the time the sheriff executes the writ of possession or at any time thereafter, the landlord or the landlord’s agent may remove any personal property found on the premises to or near the property line.”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

Fla. Stat. §§ 83.62, 715.104, 715.109, 83.67

Read the statute in the Florida Statutes (The Florida Senate): flsenate.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 15, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

Seayora keeps a lease’s end date and every notice sent through it, with the date it went out, in the lease record — so the dates a rule like this one counts from are on file rather than remembered.

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