Sell your Clearwater, FL rental property for cash, with tenants in place: no vacancy, no renovation between tenants, Florida lease and deposit rules handled at closing, and a written offer within 24 hours for owners ready to exit.
Owning a rental in Clearwater made sense when the insurance premium was a few hundred dollars a year and a block home in Greenwood or Skycrest rented reliably for less than the mortgage covered. In 2026 many owners are looking at a different ledger: an insurance bill that has tripled and a carrier that wants a new roof, non-homestead property taxes that rise with the 10 percent cap and no exemption, a tenant whose rent has not kept pace, and the maintenance that a 58-year-old average housing stock demands. Add a landlord who has moved away or simply grown tired, and the question becomes how to sell a rental without a vacant-and-renovate period that costs months of rent and a renovation budget.
Clearwater Cash Buyers buys rental properties from their owners throughout Clearwater and north Pinellas, with tenants in place or vacant, in any condition, with a written offer within 24 hours of the visit and a closing on your date. This page is for the owner who wants to sell: it explains how a sale with tenants works under Florida law, what happens to the lease and the deposit, how the numbers compare to listing, and the tax points to consider before you close.
How it works
- Tell us about the house — address and condition. Two minutes.
- Get a fair cash offer — based on real Clearwater-area values. No obligation.
- You choose closing — 7 days or on your schedule. We pay the customary closing costs.
Selling your rental with the tenant in place
A sale does not end a lease. The tenant's lease, written or month-to-month, continues with the new owner, and the security deposit transfers at closing with the required notice to the tenant under Florida's landlord-tenant statute. You do not have to wait for the lease to expire, give notice to vacate or offer the tenant anything to leave. For the visit, Florida's landlord-tenant statute sets 24 hours' notice for repair entries and requires the tenant's consent, not unreasonably withheld, for a showing, so we schedule it with notice and the tenant's agreement. Your tenant's rent for the month is prorated on the settlement statement. From the closing date forward, the tenant pays us and calls us.
Why owners sell rentals to us rather than list them
Listing an occupied rental is awkward: showings disrupt the tenant, retail buyers want to see it empty and renovated, and a financed buyer's lender wants a lease that fits its rules. Listing it vacant means months without rent, a renovation budget, and then the two to three months a Clearwater home takes to go under contract plus the buyer's closing. We buy occupied or vacant, with the roof and the kitchen as they are, pay the customary closing costs, and charge no commission, which on a rental near the city's $305,000 median is roughly $18,000 kept. The offer is below a renovated retail price; the comparison is against your net after vacancy, renovation, commission and months of carrying costs.
Rentals with problem tenants or no rent
If your tenant is behind on rent, in an eviction case in Pinellas County Court, or holding over after a lease ended, we buy the property with the situation as it stands and take over the landlord's position, including any pending case, at closing. You do not have to finish the eviction, serve the notices or collect the back rent before selling; the unpaid rent is yours to pursue or write off as you choose, and the property's price reflects the occupancy. If the tenant is cooperative and simply on a month-to-month term, nothing changes for them except who they pay.
Condition, deferred maintenance and code
Rentals carry the maintenance that a tight budget deferred: roofs insurers no longer accept, aging air conditioners, original plumbing and panels, a yard the City of Clearwater's Code Compliance Division has noticed. We price all of it into the written offer and handle it after closing; if a code case is open, it transfers to us and any lien is settled on the settlement statement. You make no repairs and give no credits, and there is no inspection period in which the price can be reopened.
Taxes when you sell a rental
A rental does not qualify for the homestead exclusion on capital gains, and depreciation taken over the years is recaptured at sale. Many owners defer the tax with a 1031 exchange into another investment property, which requires a qualified intermediary engaged before closing and strict identification and closing deadlines afterward; a cash sale with a certain closing date fits an exchange timeline well. Others simply pay the tax and exit. A tax professional should run your numbers before you commit to a date; we will provide the written offer within 24 hours of the visit so the planning can start with a real figure.
How the sale runs
Send the address, the rent, the lease terms and whether the tenant is current. We arrange the visit with proper notice to the tenant, deliver a written offer within 24 hours of the visit, and open title when you accept. The Pinellas County title company prorates rent, transfers the deposit with notice to the tenant, pays off any mortgage and closes in about a week once the search is clean, or on a later date you choose. If you own several Clearwater rentals, we can buy them together on one timeline. If your rental is well maintained and cash-flowing, holding or listing it may serve you better and we will say so.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell my Clearwater rental while the tenant is still living there?
Yes. The lease continues with the new owner, the deposit transfers at closing with notice to the tenant, and we schedule the visit with the notice Florida requires.
My tenant stopped paying and I have filed for eviction. Can you still buy the property?
Yes. We take over the landlord's position and the pending case at closing. You do not have to complete the eviction first.
Do I need to renovate between tenants before selling?
No. We buy occupied or vacant with the roof, kitchen and systems as they are, and price the work once in the written offer.
Can I do a 1031 exchange when I sell to you?
Yes. Engage a qualified intermediary before closing, and the certain closing date of a cash sale fits the exchange deadlines. A tax professional should guide the structure.
Who pays the closing costs and the commission?
We pay the customary closing costs, and there is no commission. Your net is the price minus any mortgage and liens, with rent prorated at closing.
Looking to buy, not sell?
This page is for owners selling. If you are an investor who buys in Clearwater and Pinellas County, we occasionally have off-market properties we are not keeping. Leave your details and we will let you know when something fits; no spam, and you can opt out any time.