[RPPTL LandTen] Article of interest
South Palm Beach County (Delray Beach) Florida - Real Estate & Rental
Markets
Delray Beach, Florida Resident & Landlord Seeks to Make
Changes to Landlord/Tenant Laws
http://www.pr-inside.com/print657920.htm
Print article
http://www.pr-inside.com/mail657920.htm
Refer to a friend
Mark J. Behar-Delray Beach, FL - Property Owner/Investor & Landlord.
2008-06-23 09:43:37 - Old & Outdated Landlord/Tenant
Laws Exasperate South Florida Landlord with 28 Rentals
Mark Behar placed "Free Rent" signs in front of his
unoccupied dwellings in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach.
But even in these dire economic times, Behar isn't
receiving any calls.
Of his 28 rentals, only six are occupied.
Behar said the landlord-tenant laws he must follow are
pro-tenant and have harmed him financially. If changes don't occur in
the rental market and
landlord-tenant laws, he predicts he'll be out of
business
<http://www.pr-inside.com/delray-beach-florida-resident-landlord-r657920
.htm> .
"Everybody thinks with rising gas prices [and] rising
grocery prices, rents are also up. Rents are down to where they were in
1997," Behar said.
The Delray Beach resident started renting properties in
"Economically, it's a bad time for rentals," Behar said.
Tenants not paying rent on time, vandalism and false
claims all are part of daily life as a landlord, he said.
"I have had problems with tenants destroying the
properties, or gutting the interiors of their apartments
<http://www.pr-inside.com/delray-beach-florida-resident-landlord-r657920
.htm> ," he said. "Landlords used to only lose a month's rent when
evicting a bad tenant. Now it's two to three months at a time per
eviction and tenant."
He said landlords lose rental money by spending so much
on court costs, filing fees, obtaining a process server
<http://www.pr-inside.com/delray-beach-florida-resident-landlord-r657920
.htm> and attorney fees.
"The current landlord-tenant laws are old and outdated.
Some haven't been updated in over 20 years," Behar said. "They need to
be updated to deal with the current times and current situations that
property owners
<http://www.pr-inside.com/delray-beach-florida-resident-landlord-r657920
.htm> and landlords deal with on a daily or monthly basis."
Behar wrote District 86 Congresswoman Maria Sachs to
start the process of changing landlord-tenant laws.
"It's an interesting summary of what's wrong with the
current status of the law," Sachs said.
She said Behar is knowledgeable in this area and that
she looks forward to working with him to remedy these issues.
Behar's plan includes changing the final step of the
writ of possession. He wants issued writs served not just by Palm Beach
County Sheriff's Office deputies but by private process servers
<http://www.pr-inside.com/delray-beach-florida-resident-landlord-r657920
.htm> .
"It could cut the time from two weeks, in some cases, to
two days," Behar said.
Behar said he met with former congressman Mark Foley and
Rep. Adam Hasner to revise and update the laws. Something must be done
soon, he said, because he can't afford to be tied up in appeals that
should never have reached that stage.
"Each judge interprets the statutes in different ways.
We, as landlords, are spending thousands of dollars to appeal these
rulings that eventually get overturned," Behar said.
For further & more Information - Please Cont a ct:
561-637-6275.
Neil B. Shoter
Partner
Shutts & Bowen LLP
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Palm Beach, FL 33401
Direct: (561) 650-8535 | Fax: (561) 822-5525
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