[RPPTL LandTen] FW: N-1003 - Landlord Tenant Committee: Legislative Proposal - Landlord Tenant Committee - Evictions

Thu Dec 12 11:32:00 PST 2013

I agree with Conrad 100% and have faced the same problem many times.  Here in PBC, we have a self help center and they regularly counsel tenants to file the Motion to Determine Rent knowing full well the statements are false and is filed solely as a delay tactic.  I'd be willing to work on a committee on this issue. In addition, I would propose the statutory amendment contain language that after the hearing and once the Judge does determine the amount of rent owed, that there be a maximum timeframe that the tenant must post or face automatic FJ - e.g. 3-5 days.  At that point, it has been judicially determined the tenant didn't pay rent, so the short timeline would not prejudice the tenant since it's already a past due obligation.  

The reason I bring this up is because some "tenant friendly" judges will often determine that rent is owed and it can often be 3-4 months worth of rent, but give the tenant 2 or even 3 weeks to post, then the hearing a week or more after that.  This basically grants the tenant another free month of rent, which again, completely subverts the purpose of the expedited procedure.

I might also suggest a deadline on when the final hearing would be scheduled after the posting of rent deadline, but I understand that Judge's dockets can be busy and it might be taking it too far to statutorily set a timeline on hearing dates.

My 2 cents.

Cary  
Law Offices of Cary P. Sabol
P.O. Box 15981 | West Palm Beach | Florida | 33416 
Phone: (561) 281-2744 

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On Thursday, December 12, 2013 2:11 PM, "rick.eckhard at hklaw.com" <rick.eckhard at hklaw.com> wrote:

Good afternoon, fellow L/T Committee members, 

Conrad Kahn, in his trailing email, suggests that the committee consider proposing an amendment to Florida Statutes § 83.60.  As chair of the legislative subcommittee, I'd like to get a feel for committee member support for Conrad's suggestion.  I'd also like to hear from those willing to work on this matter.  Thank you, Rick 
Richard Eckhard| Holland & Knight 
Equity Partner 
100 North Tampa Street, Suite 4100 | Tampa FL 33602 
Phone 813.227.6417 | Fax 813.229.0134 
rick.eckhard at hklaw.com | www.hklaw.com     
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_______________________________________________________________________________________ 
From:Conrad Kahn [mailto:conradkahn at gmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2013 11:53 AM
To: Lloyd Granet; safrank at arnstein.com
Subject: N-1003 - Landlord Tenant Committee: Legislative Proposal - Landlord Tenant Committee - Evictions 

Lloyd & Scott, 

I’m a member of the Landlord/Tenant committee for the RPPTL section of the bar.  I have an idea for a legislative proposal regarding evictions and I’d like to share my idea with you and, if possible, receive some feedback if you think it is feasible or an idea worth exploring. 

In my practice, I deal with evictions often.  Often, a tenant files a “Motion to Determine Rent” under Florida Statutes § 83.60 merely as a delay tactic.  The hearing proceeds, and even when the tenant admits the amount of rent at the hearing, the judge nonetheless allows the tenant further time from the date of the hearing to deposit the rent into the Court.   

This whole charade by tenants circumvents the purpose of the relevant statutes in affording Landlords a quick eviction remedy.   

My proposal is as follows:  If a tenant wishes to file a “Motion to Determine Rent,” the Tenant must also file a verified affidavit stating what the tenant believes the rent should be, deposit that amount into the Court with the filing of the motion, and state the grounds for why the rent should be lower than the amount alleged in the complaint.  In addition, based on the verified affidavit and motion, the Judge should be permitted to make a determination ex-parte, in Chambers without a hearing. 

I truly believe this process would help ameliorate the problem of landlords face when tenants filed unwarranted “Motions to Determine Rent.” 

What do you think?  

Conrad Kahn Esq. 
Conrad Kahn P.L.  
FBN. 104456  
P.O. Box 41-4213  
Miami Beach, FL 33141  
T.  (305) 865-0865  
F.  (305) 200-0139  
Email:  ConradKahn at gmail.com  

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