Florida's Fraudulent-Entry Law Takes Effect October 1, 2026: What Property Managers Need to Know Before Filing

If you manage residential rentals in Florida, you have probably seen a headline about a new fraudulent-entry law. The law takes effect today, October 1, 2026. It may also have prompted a question from an owner, a leasing agent, or your own team: Does this mean we can get someone out faster?

The short answer is that the law gives you a new, specific ground for a seven-day termination notice. It does not give anyone the right to change locks, shut off utilities, or remove belongings. A valid notice may end a tenancy. If the occupant stays, getting possession back still requires the applicable lawful court process.

This article explains in plain language what the enacted law says, what it does not say, and how your business can prepare. It is a general briefing, not legal advice. Every situation turns on its own facts. Before you serve a notice or file anything, have a Florida attorney review your specific circumstances.

Here's what you need to know.

What Changed on October 1, 2026

The change comes from Chapter 2026-143, Laws of Florida, which was enacted from CS/HB 1293 during the 2026 legislative session. You can read the enacted chapter text at laws.flrules.org/2026/143.

The chapter does two things that matter to property managers.

A New Knowing-and-Willful Fraudulent Entry Offense

First, the chapter creates an offense for knowing and willful fraudulent entry. The words "knowing and willful" matter. They signal that the offense is built around intent, not around honest mistakes, paperwork errors, or ordinary lease disputes. The chapter itself sets out the conduct and the elements. Your team should read that language directly rather than relying on summaries, including this one.

Keep the categories separate. An offense defined in statute is something law enforcement, prosecutors, and criminal courts handle. Your landlord-tenant remedies run on a separate track. Deciding that someone has committed this offense is not your role, and your notice should not read as though it were.

A New Ground in Section 83.56(2)(a)

Second, the chapter amends section 83.56(2)(a), Florida Statutes, to add the specified fraudulent-entry conduct to the list of grounds for a seven-day termination notice.

This is a point that gets lost in casual coverage, so it is worth stating precisely: Florida did not invent the seven-day noncurable notice in 2026. Section 83.56(2)(a) has long allowed a landlord to deliver a seven-day notice, without an opportunity to cure, for certain serious noncompliance. Examples include intentional destruction, damage, or misuse of property and continued unreasonable disturbance. What Chapter 2026-143 does is add the fraudulent-entry conduct described in the chapter as another ground within that existing framework.

The practical effect is that a defined category of conduct now fits into a notice mechanism Florida property managers already know. The procedural boundaries around that mechanism stay in place.

The Effective Date

Chapter 2026-143 takes effect October 1, 2026. Do not assume it reaches conduct or notices that came before that date. If an owner asks you to rely on the new ground for a situation that started earlier, that is a question for counsel before you act.

A Quick Clarification: Chapter 2026-143, Not SB 1224

You may see this law described online as "SB 1224." That label is not accurate for the enacted law.

SB 1224 was a 2026 Senate bill on related subject matter. According to the Florida Senate bill history, SB 1224 did not independently become law. The operative law is Chapter 2026-143, which came from CS/HB 1293.

Why does this matter? If your notice templates, internal memos, or attorney intake forms cite the wrong bill, you create confusion and possibly a defect. Whenever your documents refer to the new ground, use the citation your attorney approves. That should generally be the Florida Statutes section, with the session law as context.

While You're Checking Citations: The Three-Day Notice Did Not Change

Another rumor has circulated this year: that Florida moved to a five-day notice for nonpayment of rent. It did not. SB 716, which proposed that change, died on March 13, 2026. The nonpayment notice in section 83.56(3) remains three days, excluding Saturday, Sunday, and legal holidays.

If a vendor, template library, or well-meaning colleague has given you a "new five-day notice," pull it from circulation and have your attorney confirm what you should use.

The Core Boundary: A Notice Is Not Removal

This is the most important section of this briefing. It applies whether the ground is nonpayment, ordinary noncompliance, or the new fraudulent-entry ground.

What a Valid Notice Can Do

A properly drafted and properly delivered seven-day notice under section 83.56(2)(a) may terminate the rental agreement. That is a legal status change. It sets up the next step if the occupant does not leave.

What a Notice Cannot Do

A notice does not itself authorize physical removal of anyone or anything. It does not let you or your staff:

• Change or disable the locks
• Remove doors, windows, or appliances
• Interrupt or shut off utilities such as water, electricity, gas, or elevator service
• Remove the occupant's personal property from the unit
• Otherwise force the occupant out on your own authority

Section 83.67, Florida Statutes, titled Prohibited Practices, addresses this directly. It bars landlords from lockouts, utility interruptions, and removing a tenant's belongings outside of the lawful process. You can review it at flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/83.67. That page reflects the 2025 codification, so confirm with your attorney that no 2026 amendment affects it before you rely on any particular wording.

If the Occupant Remains

If the occupant stays after a valid termination, recovering possession generally requires the applicable lawful court process. Possession is ultimately delivered through that process, not through the notice and not through self-help.

There are situations where possession comes back another way. The most common is an occupant who voluntarily surrenders the unit. Florida law also contains other statutory procedures that may apply to particular circumstances. Whether any of them fits your facts is a legal question. Do not assume one applies because the conduct seems egregious.

Why This Boundary Matters More Under the New Law

The new ground involves conduct that may feel more serious than a late payment. Your team may feel frustrated or even unsafe. That is exactly when the pressure to "just change the locks" is highest. It is also when a self-help mistake can do the most damage to your owner's position.

Put it in writing for your staff: a fraudulent-entry concern changes which notice ground may apply. It does not change who is allowed to remove someone from the property.

What the Law Does Not Tell You

A careful briefing should be honest about gaps. The enacted chapter is statutory text. It does not include:

• Procedural court guidance on how judges will handle cases filed on the new ground
• Official interpretation of how the fraudulent-entry elements apply to particular fact patterns
• Case outcomes, because the law takes effect today and there is no track record yet

The Florida Senate's online version of section 83.56 is also published under the 2025 codification. It may not yet reflect the Chapter 2026-143 amendment. Do not treat the absence of the new language on a statute page as proof the change didn't happen. Read the enacted chapter alongside the current statute, and have your attorney confirm the operative text.

Until courts begin applying the amended section, nobody can tell you how long a case on this ground will take or how a given judge will view a given set of facts. Be wary of anyone who promises speed. That includes vendors, template sellers, and online forums.

Business Implications for Property Managers

The law is narrow, but it touches several parts of your operation. Here is where it is likely to show up.

Notice Templates

If your company keeps a library of seven-day notice templates, the new ground needs attention. Points to raise with your attorney:

• Whether you need a separate template for the fraudulent-entry ground or an update to an existing seven-day noncurable notice
• How the ground is described, so the notice tracks the statutory language without overstating facts or making criminal accusations
• Citation accuracy, so templates reference Chapter 2026-143 and the amended section 83.56(2)(a), not SB 1224
• Version control, so staff cannot pull an outdated form from a shared drive

Templates should be attorney-approved before anyone uses them. A template is a starting point. It is not a substitute for a lawyer looking at the facts of a specific unit.

Internal Escalation Steps

The new ground calls for a clear escalation path, because the decision to use it should not sit with a single leasing agent or on-site manager. Consider a written process along these lines:

1. Front-line staff document and escalate. They record what they observed and what documents they reviewed. They do not confront the occupant or decide which notice applies.
2. A designated manager reviews the file for completeness and makes sure the timeline and documents are preserved.
3. Counsel reviews the facts and decides whether a notice is appropriate, which ground applies, and how it should be worded.
4. Notice is delivered and documented in a way counsel approves.
5. If the occupant remains, counsel decides on the next court step.

Write a hard stop into the process: no lock changes, utility changes, or property removal at any stage without a lawful basis confirmed by counsel.

Owner Communications

Owners will read the same headlines your staff reads. Expect questions about whether this law is a shortcut. Prepare a short, plain-language response that explains the new ground, restates the notice-versus-possession boundary, and avoids any promise about timing. Setting expectations now prevents pressure later.

Documentation Standards

Because the offense turns on knowing and willful conduct, the facts behind any notice will matter. Your file should show clearly what you knew, when you knew it, and how you learned it. Useful items may include:

• Application and screening records
• Lease documents and any documents the occupant presented
• Dated communications with the occupant
• Staff notes made at the time, not reconstructed later
• A clear chain showing who handled each document

Give the entire file to your attorney before any notice goes out.

Delivery and Documentation: Where Cases Hold Together or Fall Apart

Even a well-drafted notice can create problems if delivery is sloppy or poorly recorded. Section 83.56 addresses how notices are to be delivered. Your attorney should confirm the delivery method for your situation.

For your operation, the goal is a delivery record you can rely on later:

• Who delivered the notice, and in what capacity
• The date and time of delivery
• The method used, consistent with what the statute and your attorney require
• A copy of exactly what was delivered, kept with the proof of delivery
• Any relevant observations, recorded promptly

The same discipline applies to court papers if the matter moves forward. When an occupant remains and your attorney files, service of the court documents has to be handled correctly and documented properly. A reliable partner for delivery and documentation reduces the chance of a preventable problem at a stage where you can least afford one.

What To Do Now

The law is in effect as of today. Here is a practical, timeframe-based checklist.

This Week

• Read the enacted chapter text at laws.flrules.org/2026/143, or ask your attorney for a summary of the operative language.
• Send a short internal notice to all staff stating three points: the new ground exists, it is used only after attorney review, and no notice authorizes lockouts, utility shutoffs, or removal of belongings.
• Find every citation to SB 1224 in your templates, training materials, or owner communications, and flag it for correction.
• Confirm your nonpayment notices still reflect the three-day rule under section 83.56(3), excluding Saturday, Sunday, and legal holidays. Pull any "five-day" forms.

This Month

• Have your attorney review and approve updated seven-day notice templates that account for the new ground.
• Ask counsel to confirm the current text of sections 83.56 and 83.67 against Chapter 2026-143 and any other 2026 legislation.
• Write or update your escalation procedure so the new ground cannot be used without manager and attorney review.
• Prepare an owner-facing explanation that describes the change accurately and makes no promises about timing.
• Review your delivery and documentation process for notices and court papers, and decide who will handle delivery and how it will be recorded.

This Quarter

• Train on-site and leasing staff on documentation standards, especially for application and occupancy records.
• Run a tabletop exercise using a hypothetical scenario so staff practice escalating rather than improvising.
• Schedule a follow-up check with counsel to see whether any court guidance or developments on the new ground have emerged.
• Audit a sample of recent files to confirm notices, delivery records, and court documents are complete and consistently stored.

The Bottom Line

Chapter 2026-143 (CS/HB 1293), effective October 1, 2026, adds knowing-and-willful fraudulent entry as a ground for the long-standing seven-day termination notice under section 83.56(2)(a). A valid notice may terminate the tenancy, but it does not authorize physical removal. If the occupant remains, recovering possession generally requires the applicable lawful court process, and section 83.67 prohibits lockouts, utility shutoffs, and removal of belongings outside that process. Update your templates and escalation steps with your attorney, and make sure every notice and court paper is delivered and documented correctly.

Get Reliable Support for Your Eviction Documents

When your attorney gives the go-ahead, the next step is delivering and documenting notices and court papers the right way. Headley Legal Support Services, based in Hallandale Beach, Florida, helps property managers and their counsel with eviction document support so the paperwork side of the process stays organized and well recorded.

Visit headleylegalsupport.com to learn how we can support your next eviction matter.

This article provides general information about Florida law as of October 1, 2026, and is not legal advice. Laws change and every situation is different. Consult a licensed Florida attorney about your specific facts before serving any notice or taking any action to recover possession.