The lease is part of what you are selling
A buyer of an occupied Brevard rental is often buying the lease along with the house unless you have a lawful path to deliver it vacant. Month-to-month is a different clock than a year lease that runs past your hoped-for closing. Read the document you signed, not the story you remember.
Showings are notice, not a lockbox free-for-all
Florida’s landlord-tenant statute sets notice rules for entering a dwelling. A listing that ignores the tenant is how you get refused access, angry reviews, and photos of a house that was not picked up. Put showing windows in writing. Pay for a cleaner after the photographer if the house is truly a rental, not a staged vacant.
- Give the notice the lease and the statute require.
- Do not promise a buyer “anytime access” you cannot deliver.
- Decide whether you are selling occupied or delivering vacant, and put that on the contract.
This is not the short-term rental conversation
A year-round tenant in a Viera or Merritt Island house is not a Satellite Beach vacation-rental file. Keep those rules on their own page. This page is long-term occupancy during a sale.
What sellers should bring to the listing conversation
The lease, the deposit accounting, any notices already given, and whether you want the buyer to assume the tenant. Amanda McKnight will not give legal advice about eviction. She will not list the house as vacant if it is not. Compass, SL3511173. Call 904.599.1468 with the lease in hand, then see why list with Amanda.
What this is not
This is not a primer on how to remove a tenant, a guarantee of vacant delivery, or a quote of what an occupied house is “worth.” A Florida attorney handles the lease questions that are actually legal. Pricing still starts with comps for the property type, then a discount for access and condition if the showing file is ugly.
Sources
Quick answers
Can I list while the tenant is there?
Often yes, if you give proper notice and the lease allows the sale. Access will be slower than a vacant house. Price and calendar should admit that.
Does the buyer have to keep the tenant?
It depends on the lease, the contract, and timing. Do not advertise vacant delivery unless you can actually give it.
What if the tenant will not allow showings?
That is a lease-and-statute problem, not a photography problem. Get legal advice. Amanda will not force a door.
Is this the same as selling an inherited house?
No. An inherited house may be vacant, occupied by family, or rented. The inherited-home guide is a different file.