Sell a House After an Eviction in Clearwater — Fast, As-Is, Cash

Florida's landlord-tenant statute sets out how a landlord handles personal property left behind. If the lease contains the statutory language stating that the landlord is not liable for property left after the tenant vacates, the landlord may dispose of it. Without that language, Florida's disposition-of-property rules apply: written notice to the tenant describing the property and a deadline, then sale or disposal under the statute's procedure. After a sheriff's writ of possession, the landlord may generally remove property to the property line, and the sheriff's role ends. Getting this wrong invites a claim. If you sell to us, you can leave everything in place and we handle it as the new owner under the same rules; if you prefer, your attorney can advise on the notice before closing.

Post-eviction damage follows a pattern: drywall and doors, flooring, kitchen cabinets and appliances, plumbing fixtures removed or broken, electrical tampering, pest infestation, trash and odor. We walk the house once and price a full interior renovation where the damage warrants it, along with the roof, systems and exterior items the tenancy deferred. The written offer has no inspection contingency, so what is found behind the trash does not come back to you. If a City of Clearwater code case was opened over the yard or the condition during the tenancy, it passes to us at closing with the written disclosure and five-day notice to the city that Florida requires, which we prepare, and any lien is settled on the settlement statement.

Unpaid utility accounts in the tenant's name do not attach to the house in most cases, but accounts in your name do, and some municipal utility balances can become liens. Property taxes may have slipped during the months without rent; a tax certificate on the parcel is redeemed at closing from the purchase price. If the mortgage fell behind, the arrears are included in the payoff. An association that was not paid during the tenancy has an estoppel balance that is settled at closing. The title company lists all of it on one settlement statement, and your net is the price minus what is owed. You bring money only if the balances exceed the price.

Re-renting requires the renovation first and puts you back in the business that just cost you an eviction. Renovating and listing requires the same renovation, then two to three months on the market in the current Clearwater climate, then a financed buyer's closing and a commission of around $18,000 on a home near the $305,000 median. Selling as-is requires nothing: the house closes in about a week with the damage priced once and the contents left behind. Our offer is below what a renovated house would list for. Against the cost and time of the renovation and the listing, and the months of carrying costs you have already absorbed, it is frequently the better net and always the faster one.

Your eviction may have produced a money judgment for unpaid rent and damages. It is yours regardless of the sale, and selling the house does not affect your right to collect it; the deposit you held may be applied under the statute's accounting rules. In practice such judgments are often uncollectible, and many owners treat the eviction's real result as the return of the house. We will not ask you to credit the judgment or the damages against the price; the price reflects the house as it stands.

Send the address and a description of the condition and the balances. We visit within a day or two, deliver a written offer within 24 hours of the visit, and open title when you accept. The Pinellas County title company clears taxes, liens and the mortgage from the proceeds and closes in about a week once the search is clean, or on a later date you choose. We pay the customary closing costs, and there is no commission. Leave the abandoned property, the trash and the damage; they become ours at closing. If the damage is light and you want to try the business again, we will say so.