Can a Landlord Change the Locks in Florida? What the Law Says

We get this call from both sides. A landlord whose tenant has stopped paying wants the locks changed today. A tenant comes home to a key that no longer turns. Florida law answers both of them the same way, and it's one of the clearest rules in the state's landlord-tenant code. This is a plain-English summary from a locksmith, not legal advice — but it's built on the statute text itself, which is short and worth knowing.

What Florida law says about landlords changing the locks

Residential rentals in Florida are governed by Chapter 83, Part II of the Florida Statutes. Section 83.67 lists what a landlord is not allowed to do, and subsection (2) is direct: a landlord "shall not prevent the tenant from gaining reasonable access to the dwelling unit by any means, including, but not limited to, changing the locks or using any bootlock or similar device."

Subsection (5) closes the obvious workaround. A landlord can't remove the outside doors, locks, roof, walls or windows of the unit except for maintenance, repair or replacement, and can't remove the tenant's belongings unless the tenant has surrendered or abandoned the unit, or there has been a lawful eviction. The same section also bars shutting off utilities to force a tenant out.

It doesn't matter how far behind the rent is or what the lease says. A clause that lets the landlord change the locks for nonpayment doesn't override the statute.

What an illegal lockout costs a landlord

Under 83.67(6), a landlord who violates the section is liable for the tenant's actual and consequential damages or 3 months' rent, whichever is greater, plus court costs and attorney's fees. Repeat violations that aren't part of the original incident are subject to separate awards.

Subsection (7) adds that a violation "constitutes irreparable harm for the purposes of injunctive relief" — in practice, a tenant doesn't have to prove extra harm before asking a court to order them back in. For a landlord, a lockout to recover one month's rent can easily end up costing three months' rent and both sides' legal bills.

When a landlord can legally change the locks

• After a lawful eviction. The landlord wins an eviction case, the court clerk issues a writ of possession, and the sheriff posts a 24-hour notice on the property before putting the landlord back in possession (Florida Statute 83.62). At that point the locks can be changed, and the landlord can ask the sheriff to stand by and keep the peace while it's done.
• Between tenants. Once a tenant has moved out and returned possession, changing or rekeying the locks before the next tenant is normal practice — and good practice, since nobody knows how many copies of the old key exist.
• After the tenant surrenders or abandons the unit, as those terms are defined in the statute (83.59).
• To repair or replace a broken lock — as long as the tenant gets a working key straight away. Subsection (5) allows replacement for maintenance; subsection (2) still bars keeping the tenant out.

Can a tenant change the locks in Florida?

The statute doesn't directly address a tenant changing their own locks, so the lease decides. Many Florida leases require the landlord's written permission and a copy of the new key. Even where the lease is silent, the landlord keeps a legal right of entry under Florida Statute 83.53: at any time to protect or preserve the premises, and for repairs with at least 24 hours' notice, between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Refusing the landlord a key makes those rights hard to use, and that can become a lease dispute of its own.

In apartment buildings and other rentals that aren't a single-family home or duplex, 83.51 also makes the landlord responsible for "reasonable provisions for locks and keys" unless the lease says otherwise. So if you're worried about who else has a key, the best first step is often to ask the landlord to rekey. Rekeying keeps the existing hardware, which matters because the locks usually belong to the property, and it means every old key stops working.

Locked out by your landlord? What to do

• Don't force your way in. Breaking a door or window gives the landlord a damage claim against you and muddies a situation where the law is on your side.
• Document everything: photos of the changed lock, any notice posted on the door, and the date and time, plus texts or emails from the landlord.
• Call the sheriff's office or police non-emergency line. Officers can sometimes resolve an illegal lockout on the spot, though some will treat it as a civil matter for the courts.
• Talk to a lawyer or your local legal aid office. If you can't get back in, a court can order the landlord to restore access, and 83.67(7) treats the lockout itself as irreparable harm.

Can a locksmith let you back in? Before opening any home, a legitimate locksmith asks for a photo ID showing your name and the home's address. In an active dispute with a landlord, expect the locksmith to point you toward the sheriff or the courts instead. Opening a door in the middle of a legal fight rarely settles it, and the court route is the one that does.

For landlords: doing lock changes the right way

Most of the trouble we see comes from turnovers handled loosely rather than from lockouts. A few habits keep a rental on the right side of the law and keep the next tenant safe:

• Rekey at every turnover, after the old tenant has returned possession and before the new one moves in.
• Keep a written key log: how many keys exist, who has them, and when the locks were last rekeyed.
• For several units, consider a master key system or interchangeable cores so a turnover becomes a quick core swap instead of a full rekey.
• If you're evicting, wait for the writ. The lock change is the last step of the eviction, not the first.