Roberto Vazquez

Whether you are renting an apartment in a complex or renting a house from a private owner, there are certain things you should consider before taking the plunge. Apartment complexes often offer the convenience of quick repairs, common area maintenance, and certain amenities like a pool or gym. Similarly, renting from a private homeowner often allows you to develop a more personal relationship with your landlord without many of the rules and regulations that complexes force you to abide by. Each type of rental arrangement has its advantages and disadvantages; however, regardless of which option you choose there are always things that a renter should do to protect themselves and avoid future headaches. Above all else, make sure to keep detailed records and copies of any relevant paperwork or pictures.

For convenience, the term “landlord” refers to leasing agents, private homeowners, etc.

What should I do before moving into or before vacating a rental property?

DEMAND AN IN-PERSON WALKTHROUGH FROM YOUR LANDLORD PRIOR TO AND BEFORE VACATING THE PROPERTY

Most landlords will require a walkthrough prior to moving into the property. However, many complexes will simply give you a checklist to fill out before you move in. As a tenant, you want to make sure that any damaged areas, stains, or wear and tear are brought to the attention of your landlord before you move in. Going through your rental property with a fine-toothed comb and making sure that any irregularities are clearly explained and documented can help save you the expense of having to pay for those items when you move out. If at all possible take time-stamped pictures during your walkthrough as future evidence should any dispute arise.

To that end, also request an in-person walkthrough of the property with your landlord once you have decided to move out. The paperwork you completed and the pictures you took before moving into the property can be invaluable during this time. Make sure any issues with the apartment or home that were not present when you moved in are clearly documented and photographed. As a precautionary measure, you may want to consider having your carpets professionally cleaned or hiring a cleaning service before you do the walkthrough with your landlord. Some companies even offer specific cleaning packages geared toward tenants who are either moving into or out of a rental property.

What types of things should I discuss with my landlord before moving in?

MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU AND THE LANDLORD ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR IN THE LEASE.

Your lease should clearly list what you are responsible for as a tenant and what the homeowner or apartment complex is responsible for as the landlord. Who is responsible for repairing appliances, changing air-conditioning filters, etc.? Who will provide for the fumigation or maintenance of the pool or yard? Are certain utilities included as part of your rent or are you required to have renters insurance? These are all things you want to consider before moving into the property. As a renter, you want to make sure that each party’s rights and responsibilities are clearly and adequately provided for in the lease. The more detailed and unambiguous the terms of a lease are, the better off both parties will be.

How can I save money when renting an apartment or home?

DON’T BE SCARED TO TRY TO NEGOTIATE YOUR MONTHLY RENT OR SECURITY DEPOSIT. SHOP AROUND IF NECESSARY.

Do not let your emotions or excitement toward a particular property get in the way of being a smart consumer. Shop around if necessary and know what similar rental properties are going for in the area. Although you may have more success with negotiating the terms of your lease with a private homeowner as opposed to a large apartment complex, there is no harm in trying. Sometimes if a landlord is not willing to budge on the amount of monthly rent, they may be willing to waive application fees or accept a smaller security deposit. Many landlords even offer a discount for paying your rent early or pre-paying a part of the rent. If comparable properties in the area rent for 100-200 dollars less per month, let your landlord know and have the facts to back it up.

What should I look for when renting an apartment or home?

DO YOUR RESEARCH.

Comparing rental fees is not the only research you need to do as a prospective tenant. Particularly, if you are moving into an unfamiliar part of town, make sure to survey the surrounding area and nearby neighborhoods. All too often renters unknowingly move into a particular area or apartment complex that is riddled with crime or drugs. Contact the local police department and see if they offer statistics or keep records of both violent and non-violent crimes in the area. The internet can also provide you with a wealth of information concerning a particular area’s propensity for crime and/or drug activity.

• The Orlando Sentinel offers a tool that shows certain crimes throughout Orlando. To access the Orlando Sentinel’s “Orlando Area Crime Map” .
• The Florida Department of Law Enforcement offers a tool that allows you to search for sexual predators within the area of a particular address. To access the FDLE’s Neighborhood Sexual Offender Search tool .

What should I look for in a residential lease?

READ YOUR LEASE AND BECOME FAMILIAR WITH IT.

The best way to protect yourself and prevent future headaches is to read your lease! This point cannot be emphasized enough. Read every page of your lease, in detail, before you sign it. Make sure that each and every term you discussed with your landlord is clearly listed regardless of whether the landlord stated it orally. Whether your landlord said that he or she will provide for the exterior maintenance of the lawn, monthly pool service, or you are responsible for those items; make sure it is in the lease. The more familiar you are with your lease, the less likely you are to be surprised in the future. Some common issues you may want to be aware of when renting an apartment or home in Orlando include:

• When does the lease start and end? What are your renewal options?
• What are the penalties for breaking the lease early or failing to pay rent on time?
• Is there a particular way of providing important notices to your landlord?
• Are you required to provide advanced notice of your intent to not renew the lease?
• What options do you have if your landlord does not make repairs?

Florida is set to enact its new PIP laws on January 1, 2013. The Florida Legislature has enacted a new PIP Statute which severely limits your right to obtain benefits under your PIP insurance. Additionally, it gives insurance companies numerous ways of not lowering their rates. In effect, this is a huge boom for the insurance industry and a gift from the Florida Legislature and Governor Rick Scott. The following are the changes to Florida’s PIP Law that will take place on January 1, 2013. But first, a quick definition of what PIP or Personal Injury Protection is in the State of Florida.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is a type of insurance that is required under all car insurance policies in Florida. This covers 80% of any medical bills up to $10,000.00; 60% of lost wages and also provides a $10,000.00 death benefit. Florida first enacted what is known as the PIP Statute in 1971 as a way of guarantying individuals that their medical bills, whether they are at fault for the crash or not, have a large number of their medical bills paid. In exchange for that guaranteed payment, the Legislature enacted a restriction on lawsuits that would only allow individuals to seek non-economic damages (pain and suffering) if they received a permanent injury. This Law did not and has not affected somebody’s ability to recover economic damages, which are lost wages, medical bills, and loss of support and services. When this Law was first enacted, a number of the provisions were struck down as being unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court, but in effect, the system has been in place since the early 1970s and until recently has worked very well and helped a tremendous amount of individuals having medical bills paid during an auto accident.

NOTE: What I am about ready to outline does not go into effect until January 1, 2013, therefore up until that date, Florida’s current Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Laws do apply.

1. Starting January 1, 2013, the initial treatment must be obtained within fourteen (14) days from the accident.
2. That “initial services” and care must be lawfully provided, supervised, ordered, or prescribed by a licensed physician, D.O. (Doctor of Osteopath), Dentist, or Chiropractic Physicians or provided in a hospital or in a facility that owns or is wholly owned by a hospital.

Follow-up treatment: PIP will only pay for follow-up services if there were an initial treatment within fourteen (14) days and the following occurs:

• the follow-up services are on the referral from an M.D., D.O., D.C and;
• the follow-up services are consistent with the underlying medical diagnosis rendered on the initial visit.

This follow-up treatment must be supervised, ordered, or prescribed by a medical doctor, chiropractor physician, doctor of osteopath, dentist, physician assistant, or ARNP (advanced registered nurse practitioner)

• if the thresholds are met, there are two (2) levels of PIP medical benefits; 1) $10,000 for an emergency medical condition and 2) $2,500.00 for treatment that is not for any initially diagnosed emergency medical condition.

The Statute defines “emergency medical condition” as: medical conditions manifesting by acute symptoms of sufficient severity, which may include severe pain, such that the absence of immediate medical attention would be reasonably expected to result in any of the following:

1. Serious jeopardy to the patient health.
2. Serious impairment to bodily functions.
3. Serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.

Additionally, massage therapy and acupuncture are not reimbursable under the new PIP Statute.

The term “emergency” and “emergency medical condition” as it is defined in the Statute could leave enough room to allow for more than the $2,500.00 of treatment. However, this issue needs to be heavily litigated and defined and the Courts are going to have to make the final determination on that matter.

Please note: that doctors’ offices will generally take what is known as a “Letter of Protection” for any services that are not covered under PIP. Just because an item is not covered under PIP is only a way for these Laws to save the insurance companies money, and increase their profits and has nothing to do with whether the service is reasonable, necessary, and related to an injury someone received in an auto accident.

Lane splitting is riding a motorcycle between lanes or rows of slow-moving or halted traffic, all going in the same direction. If you are injured in a traffic accident caused by lane splitting, ask an Orlando car accident attorney to help you recover compensation.

Lane splitting is illegal in Florida.

Florida motorcyclists should know that if they cause a crash by lane splitting, the motorcyclist will be deemed at fault and will not be able to recover compensation from the other driver. No compensation will be available beyond what the motorcyclist’s own insurance will cover.

How Can You Avoid a Collision With a Motorcycle?

Auto, truck, and bus drivers can reduce the possibility of an accident with a motorcycle by following these safety guidelines:

• Look both ways at intersections, and always use turn signals.
• Give motorcycles adequate space. Motorcycling requires motorcyclists to watch for obstructions that automobile drivers don’t notice; trash, potholes, or objects in the road. Always leave enough space for a motorcyclist to maneuver.
• Leaving enough space includes not following motorcycles closely. Stopping distances for a motorcycle may vary with road conditions and even among different makes and models of motorcycles. Keep plenty of space in front of you.
• Watch for lane splitters. A court may find a motorcyclist at fault for lane splitting, but if an automobile driver was negligent or careless in an accident with a lane-splitting motorcyclist, a share of the liability for the accident may be assigned to that driver.
• If an Accident Happens

These tips can help, but motorcycle accidents cannot be entirely prevented. They happen every day. If you’ve suffered personal injuries in an accident that involved a motorcycle, seek medical treatment first, and then contact an Orlando motorcycle accident attorney at once.

Even if you feel perfectly healthy, have a medical exam within 24 hours of an accident. That exam will detect any latent injury you may have sustained, and it also protects you legally.

Without an immediate medical examination, it may be difficult to tie your injury directly to the accident, and the other party’s auto insurance company could claim that your injury happened elsewhere.

Under Florida’s “14-day rule,” you must have a medical exam within the first 14 days after a traffic accident, or you will be disqualified from recovering compensation for your injuries.

What Else Should You Know?

Motorcyclists have the same rights as every other driver on Florida’s streets and highways, but lane splitting is not one of those rights. It’s dangerous and against the law.

If you are injured because a motorcyclist was lane-splitting, and if you and your attorney can prove it, the law will be on your side. We can review the details of your case and help you win the monetary compensation you are entitled to by Florida law.

You may be awarded compensation for your current and future medical expenses, your current and projected future lost wages, personal pain and suffering, and related damages.

To learn more, or to begin the legal process, you can contact our offices in Orlando by calling 407-426-7222. You will pay no attorney’s fee until and unless we recover compensation on your behalf.

If you are injured by a negligent driver in a central Florida car accident, as soon as you have been treated by a healthcare provider, arrange to discuss your legal rights and options with a top-rated law firm for auto accident claims in Orlando.

It isn’t difficult to be injured in a Florida car accident. In 2021, more than 400,000 traffic accidents were reported in Florida, resulting in more than 250,000 reported injuries. Those numbers include more than 3,700 fatalities.

Those were reported accidents, but what can happen if you don’t report a car accident in Florida? If you keep reading, you’ll learn the answer to that question, and you’ll learn more about your rights if you’ve been injured by a negligent motorist.

What Does the Law Require?

Florida requires drivers to report accidents if anyone has been injured or killed. Additionally, if the property damage appears to exceed $500 worth of damage, the accident must be reported. The law requires the report to be made immediately or as quickly as possible.

You probably know that even minor bodywork can cost more than $500, and most car crashes easily exceed the $500 legal threshold.

If the police conduct an investigation at the scene of the accident, a driver is not required to file a written accident report, but if no investigation was conducted, a driver has ten days to submit a written report to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

In Florida, the failure to report an accident that you are required to report is considered a non-moving traffic infraction rather than a crime, and the penalty is a $30 fine.

When Should You Report an Accident to Your Auto Insurance Company?

Most auto insurance policies require drivers to notify the company as soon as possible after an accident happens. A failure to inform your auto insurance company about an accident could trigger a denial of your property damage or injury claim or even the cancellation of your policy.

You are not obligated to speak with the other motorist’s insurance company or to inform that company of the accident. If you’ve been injured, refer all of that company’s inquiries to your Orlando personal injury attorney, who will do all of the talking and negotiating on your behalf.

What Constitutes Leaving the Scene of an Accident?

Don’t leave the scene of an accident until a police officer dismisses you. Even if no one has been injured, leaving the scene of an accident that involves property damage is a misdemeanor in Florida that may be penalized upon conviction with a jail term and a fine.

If you leave the scene of an accident that resulted in an injury or a fatality, it’s a serious offense – a felony that can send you to prison if you are convicted.

What Else Should You Know?

Report every accident. Never leave the scene. If you’ve been injured because the other driver was negligent, you are entitled by Florida law to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, personal pain and suffering, and related damages and losses.

If you’ve been injured by a negligent driver, as soon as you’ve received medical treatment, call a dedicated Orlando auto collision law attorney at 407-426-7222. As a victim of negligence, compensation is your right. We will fight for the compensation – and for the justice – you need and deserve.

After a person passes away in Florida, probate begins. The probate process must be considered when you plan your estate. Our law firm has considerable experience with the probate courts in central Florida.

If your loved ones need legal assistance with the probate process after your death, an Orlando probate attorney knows how to resolve the most complicated probate disputes. We will make sure that the process is conducted as fairly and as smoothly as possible.

What is probate? Can its cost be reduced, or can probate be entirely avoided? What else should you know about probate in Florida? If you keep reading, these questions will be answered below.

What Happens in the Probate Process?

During probate, a probate court inventories and evaluates the assets and properties in a decedent’s estate, sees that the estate’s taxes and debts are paid, and distributes the remainder of the estate to the parties named as heirs in the decedent’s will.

If you can, you should make sure that your estate will not be subject to probate for at least two reasons. The probate process takes months and, in some cases, longer than a year, and probate is expensive. The legal costs can substantially reduce the value of your estate.

That’s why probate must be considered in the estate planning process, and it’s also one of the reasons why you should seek estate planning guidance from an estate planning attorney who has substantial experience in Florida’s probate courts.

How Should You Choose an Estate Planning Attorney?

Probate is exceedingly complicated in Florida. When someone’s probatable estate is evaluated at $75,000 or less, or if the decedent’s death was two or more years ago, the estate is subject to “summary” administration. Other Florida estates go through “formal” probate administration.

Probate is even more confusing if you own assets in other states. For instance, if you reside and pass away in Ohio but you were the owner of an Orlando condominium, the condominium will be subject to probate in Florida, while the remainder of the estate will be probated in Ohio.

Consulting an Orlando probate attorney will help your estate’s executor – when the time comes – avoid the probate costs and delays that reduce what your loved ones inherit. By preparing your estate plan properly, you can lower the cost of the probate process – or avoid it entirely.

Can Probate Be Avoided?

Probate can be avoided by establishing a living trust. Assets and properties that you move into a living trust legally belong to the trust and are no longer part of your probatable estate. A trustee you’ve named – and not a probate court – will manage and close out your estate.

An Orlando probate attorney will discuss your estate planning needs, review your circumstances, and prepare a living trust that will protect your estate – and your loved ones – from the costs and other difficulties of the Florida probate process.

To learn more about the probate process or to prepare a living trust, you can reach our offices in Orlando by calling 407-426-7222. We can’t know what tomorrow will bring, so you should make the call today.

When you work with a real estate agent to sell a property, the agent prepares a purchase agreement, but if you sell your property on your own (For Sale By Owner or “FSBO”), ask an Orlando real estate lawyer to prepare an FSBO purchase agreement on your behalf.

An FSBO agreement is a legally binding document used in the sale of For Sale By Owner properties. In a For Sale By Owner transaction, this document is usually provided by the seller, who may reach out to a real estate attorney for help with preparing the agreement.

What Should FSBO Agreements Include?

Because it is an enforceable legal document, an FSBO agreement should include provisions that protect your rights. If an FSBO agreement is not clearly and properly written, the entire real estate transaction could fall through, and you could lose a considerable sum of money or both.

An FSBO agreement in the State of Florida must provide a great deal of precise and accurate information, including:

1. your name and the buyer’s name
2. the property’s address
3. the property’s sale price
4. the property’s description
5. a list of every item included in the sale, such as kitchen appliances
6. how the buyer will pay
7. property tax details
8. closing cost amounts
9. conditions and terms for the transaction
10. how a default will be handled
11. the responsibilities of the seller and buyer

An FSBO agreement can be quite detailed and lengthy, and it must be accurate. Do not even consider using a “do-it-yourself” kit. As mentioned previously, any mistakes in an FSBO agreement could cost you dearly. Have the FSBO agreement prepared by a real estate lawyer.

When Is an FSBO Agreement Legally Binding?

Even when it has not been notarized, an FSBO agreement may be considered legally binding – and difficult to back away from – after the seller and buyer have both signed the document.

Take your time considering an FSBO agreement, and go over every detail of the agreement with an attorney. You need to understand clearly any legal obligation or responsibility that an FSBO agreement places on you.

What Else Should You Know About FSBO Agreements?

If you sell your home without a real estate agent (to avoid paying the commission), you can’t jeopardize your best long-term interests to achieve a short-term gain. Real estate transactions require familiarity with contract law, Florida real estate law, and the actual transaction process.

Our firm provides quality legal advice and services at an affordable rate to our Orlando-area clients. We will work both with you and with your home’s buyer to bring the sale of your central Florida home to a satisfying conclusion.

Selling a home FSBO can be risky and complicated, but if an Orlando attorney handles the sale, you can be assured that it will be handled properly. If you are selling your home FSBO in the Orlando area, contact us as quickly as possible by calling 407-426-7222.

If you are seeking to purchase a home in central Florida – and especially if you may be interested in buying a home that is “For Sale By Owner” – you should retain the advice and services of an Orlando real estate attorney.

Some real estate agents in Florida will work with for sale by owner (FSBO) home buyers, but if you are the buyer, you should also have guidance and insights from a lawyer who will give you sound, reliable legal advice regarding your prospective FSBO purchase.

What Should a Buyer-Broker Contract Include?

If you work with a real estate agent, you must have a buyer-broker contract that spells out the details of your arrangement, including the fees you will pay the agent for handling an FSBO purchase. Your real estate attorney should review a buyer-broker contract before you sign it.

You may think that FSBO transactions are simpler, but they’re not, and some real estate agents in Florida will not handle FSBO properties. If the purchase of an FSBO property is an alternative you want to retain, ask your real estate agent directly if he or she handles FSBO transactions.

Why Should You Have an Attorney’s Help?

Buying a home is complicated, and FSBO transactions entail even more complexities. You may not find a real estate agent willing to handle an FSBO transaction, and you may be dealing with an owner/seller who is not a real estate professional and may have no real estate training.

These additional complications mean that even more will be riding on the pertinent legal documents, which must be both accurate and compliant with the law. An Orlando real estate attorney can:

• protect your best long-term interests
• review and, if necessary, negotiate the sales contract
• accompany you to the closing
• ensure a clear title transfer
• handle any other legal matters that may emerge in an FSBO purchase

The purchase of a home may be the single largest purchase or investment a person ever makes. With so much at stake, you cannot overlook any details or make any mistakes, especially if you are purchasing an FSBO home in central Florida.

What Else Should You Know About FSBO Purchases?

An Orlando real estate attorney will explain your options as a home buyer, prepare or review the necessary legal documents, anticipate potential difficulties, and give you honest legal advice throughout the transaction process.

Our team works with prospective homebuyers who are seeking to purchase residences in the Orlando area and throughout central Florida. Whether or not your real estate agent handles FSBO transactions, we will work on your behalf.

Our law firm maintains the highest ethical standards; offers quality legal services to clients at affordable rates, and works with both the buyer and the seller to bring the purchase of your central Florida home to a successful conclusion.

Purchasing an FSBO home is complicated and risky, but if an Orlando real estate attorney from our law firm is handling your purchase, you can know the transaction is being handled properly. If you are buying a home in central Florida, you can reach our law offices by calling 407-426-7222.

If you or your company in central Florida has been injured or has suffered losses – or if another party accuses you of causing injury or losses – you should be advised and represented by an Orlando personal injury attorney.

“Tort law liability” is the liability a party faces for causing damage or injury either negligently or intentionally. A “tortfeasor” is the party deemed liable for a civil offense that injures another party. Specifically, a tortfeasor is the party that has inflicted an injury or loss on another party.

If a tortfeasor is found liable in a civil court, the tortfeasor (called the “defendant”) must compensate the wronged or injured party (called the “plaintiff”) for losses and damages.

The civil offenses a tortfeasor may have committed include but are not limited to fraud, trespassing, negligence, and emotional harm. Corporations, for instance, may be deemed liable for manufacturing and selling defective or faulty products that harm the users.

What Can an Injured Party Recover?

As you would imagine, the amount that a plaintiff can recover from a tortfeasor depends on the type and extent of the injury or damage the plaintiff suffered. Personal injuries may require a tortfeasor to compensate a defendant for:

• current and projected future medical expenses
• current and projected future lost wages
• personal pain and suffering
• all related losses and damages arising from the personal injury

When the tortfeasor is a business deemed liable for harassment or discrimination, the tortfeasor may be ordered to compensate the defendant for lost wages, emotional pain and suffering, legal fees, and even for treatment and psychological counseling.

What Can an Injured Business Recover?

When a business is “injured” or suffers losses, a tortfeasor may be ordered to compensate the business for lost earnings and lost earnings opportunities. Lawsuits brought by a business against a tortfeasor may be triggered by contract disputes or intellectual property disputes, for example.

When a tortfeasor acted intentionally and/or egregiously in a personal injury case or any other civil case, a court may also order the payment of punitive damages to the defendant.

When Should You Contact a Civil Liability Lawyer?

A civil liability lawyer handles almost any type of case that is based on one party’s non-criminal complaint against another party. Civil cases include personal injury, product liability, premises liability, wrongful death, and medical malpractice cases.

But civil liability lawyers also handle contract disputes, discrimination and harassment cases, wage and hour lawsuits, intellectual property claims, and most business, real estate, and insurance disputes.

You would need a civil liability lawyer, for example, if your business is damaged in a hurricane and your insurance company rejects your damage claim or if another company is using your company’s trademark without authorization. If you are not sure whether or not you have a civil liability claim, ask an Orlando civil liability attorney.

When Should I Contact a Lawyer?

With years of legal experience in central Florida, our team represents clients in virtually every type of civil liability case. We have an impressive record of success on behalf of our clients, and we have established a reputation for legal excellence.

To learn more, or to begin the legal process in your own case, contact our law offices in Orlando by calling 407-426-7222.

You shouldn’t think that estate planning is exclusively for the elderly or the affluent. If you have a home or a business, or if you provide for your family in central Florida, speak promptly with an Orlando estate planning lawyer about establishing a will or a trust.

There is no one-size-fits-all estate planning strategy. No trust, will, or plan will be appropriate for every person in Florida. The specifics of your own estate plan will depend on your assets and properties, your business, your family, and your overall financial situation.

For many Floridians, a trust provides substantial, practical advantages. Others may gain no real benefit from a trust. Instead, those persons should prepare a will for their loved ones. How do trusts and wills differ? What’s best for you and your family? Keep reading for some answers.

What Is Probate?

Trusts are not subject to probate. Wills, however, are subject to this expensive and lengthy process. Probate is a judicial process, and the details of a will become available to the public. Trusts protect your privacy.

The probate process inventories and evaluates an estate’s properties and assets, pays the estate’s outstanding taxes and debts, and transfers what remains of the properties and assets to the decedent’s heirs based on the instructions in the will.

Probate entails paying an executor’s fee, an attorney’s fee, an appraiser’s fee, court costs, and sometimes other expenses. However, it’s not difficult to avoid probate in Florida. You can avoid probate by preparing a trust with the help of an Orlando estate planning lawyer.

How Do Trusts and Wills Work?

In some ways they’re alike, but in other ways, wills and trusts are quite different documents. A living trust, for instance, can be used to manage and distribute your property and assets not only after you’ve passed away but also while you’re alive – and as soon as you put it into effect.

The property you transfer into a trust legally belongs to the trust and no longer is a part of your estate. After you’re gone, a trustee you have named – and not a probate court – can easily and quickly pay your debts and taxes, transfer what remains to your designated heirs, and close your estate.

What’s best for you? You may decide to own your assets in your name and distribute the assets with your will, or a trust can own the assets, and the trust document will govern their distribution.

Let Us Advise You

Wills usually cost less to prepare than trusts, but after you sign either type of document, it should be periodically reviewed and updated. Estate planning requires serious time and consideration.

A will or a trust that is drafted in haste could cause a long, noisy, and bitter legal dispute after your death. No one wants that.

Our law firm offers practical guidance and valuable estate planning insights. You might not know about some of the estate planning options available to you, but our team will clearly explain all of your options and alternatives.

We cannot know what tomorrow may bring, but you can plan wisely, beginning today. To learn more about wills and trusts or to prepare either of these documents, contact us in Orlando by calling 407-426-7222.

A “zombie” title is the result of a bank not completing a foreclosure. A zombie title leaves a homeowner “in limbo” and may cause a number of financial difficulties. If you are dealing with a zombie title in central Florida, take your concerns to an Orlando real estate attorney.

If you are struggling with debts in this state – and almost everyone is – you may have trouble making a regular monthly mortgage payment, and you may be forced into foreclosure or bankruptcy. In this situation, you should know about zombie titles and the risks they may pose.

What is a zombie title, and what steps should you take if you are dealing with a zombie title? If you keep reading, you will learn the answers to these questions below.

What Is a Zombie Title?

When homeowners are notified of imminent foreclosure, the response of some homeowners is to move out. But if the bank subsequently dismisses the foreclosure, the lender does not take over the title, and the title remains in the homeowner’s name.

These titles are called zombie titles. Frequently, a homeowner is unaware that he or she still holds the title to the home. After initiating a foreclosure, a bank may choose not to continue pursuing the foreclosure.

Banks must inform homeowners when a foreclosure begins, but a bank isn’t obligated to notify a homeowner if it chooses not to continue pursuing a foreclosure. Even if you’ve left your home after foreclosure begins, you should stay apprised of the status of the title to the home.

Who Is Liable for the Property Taxes?

The owner of a zombie title home remains liable for the property taxes on the home. A failure to pay those property taxes may trigger a wage garnishment or some other legal action. If a home is abandoned, it could fall into disrepair, or squatters could take advantage of the property.

If local housing codes are violated as a result of abandoning a home, the homeowner may be held liable. Combined, all of these possibilities may trigger substantial fines and costs for homeowners who are already struggling financially.

These costs will affect a homeowner’s credit and could even force the homeowner into bankruptcy. Before that happens, schedule a consultation with an Orlando real estate attorney. If you’re like many homeowners dealing with zombie titles, we can help you.

What Other Problems Can Zombie Titles Cause?

When a bank begins but does not complete a foreclosure, the homeowner could take some serious financial hits – thousands of dollars in some cases – for property taxes, clean-up fees, personal injury liability, and fines from municipalities or homeowners’ associations.

When does a property owner learn about this? A homeowner may not realize that he or she owns a zombie title property until someone wants to be paid and a lawsuit is filed, or wage garnishment is imposed.

If you’re a central Florida homeowner and you’ve been notified of a foreclosure, call a real estate attorney as quickly as possible at 407-426-7222. We can help you deal with foreclosure and ensure that the title to your home does not become a zombie title.