Short answer: if you are moving to Miami for the winter, do not sign a 3-month furnished lease until you have 12 answers in writing. They decide your real cost of living in Miami far more than the advertised rent: (1) does the building legally allow a 3-month term, (2) are transient taxes charged — a 3-month lease sits in taxable territory under Florida Statute 212.03, at roughly 12% combined outside Miami Beach when charged, and who collects them, (3) how much deposit the landlord AND the association each hold, and the Florida deadlines that govern its return, (4) what “furnished” actually inventories, and (5) what leaving early — or a storm damaging the unit — would cost you. On a typical furnished Brickell 1-bedroom at about US$4,000 a month, the season rent is US$12,000, but the cash committed before move-in routinely passes US$8,000 once first month, deposits and fees are counted.
Updated: October 15, 2026.
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Moving to Miami: the snowbird checklist — what to ask before signing a 3-month furnished lease
The literal question — snowbird checklist: what to ask before signing a 3-month furnished lease — sounds like paperwork. In Miami it is money and legality. Work through the four blocks below in order, and treat any answer a landlord will not put in writing as a no.
Block 1 — Is this lease even allowed here? (questions 1–3)
1. What is the building’s written minimum lease term, and does my 3-month term comply? Most condo associations in Brickell require 12-month minimums, so a “3-month seasonal rental” inside them breaks the building’s own rules no matter what the listing says — and it is the tenant who gets removed mid-season. I mapped which Brickell towers actually allow seasonal terms in our guide to the Brickell buildings that allow snowbird leases, and the ones that ban them. Ask for the leasing rules page, not a verbal assurance.
2. Does the association have to approve me, how long does approval take, and what does it charge? Under Florida Statute 718.112, a condo association may charge a lease-transfer fee only when it must approve the transfer and its governing documents authorise a fee — and the cap is US$150 per applicant, with spouses, or parents with dependent children, counting as a single applicant. A renewal with the same tenant cannot be charged again. If a building quotes US$300 “per person” for a couple, that answer just failed a state-law check.
3. Does the association hold its own deposit, separate from the landlord’s? The same statute lets an association, when its documents allow it, require a lessee deposit of up to one month’s rent into its own escrow. That is a second deposit, on top of the owner’s — budget for it or be surprised by it.
Block 2 — What is the true total? (questions 4–6)
4. Is transient tax charged on my lease, how much, and who collects and remits it? Florida’s 6% state transient rental tax under Statute 212.03 does not apply to a bona fide written lease for longer than six months. A 3-month lease gets no such exemption. Miami-Dade adds its own 6% — 3% Convention Development, 2% Tourist Development and 1% Professional Sports Facilities tax — so a 3-month stay outside Miami Beach can carry roughly 12% in taxes when they are charged (Miami Beach’s county share is higher, at 7%). On US$4,000 a month that is about US$480 a month, US$1,440 over the season. Collection on direct owner leases varies, which is exactly why the answer belongs in the lease, not in a text message. Our breakdown of the true cost of a 4-month snowbird season in Miami shows where this line lands in a full budget.
5. What exactly is included in the monthly figure — and what has a cap? Utilities, internet, parking, cleaning and “resort” or amenity charges are where furnished quotes quietly grow. Ask: is there a utility cap and what happens above it, is parking a named, assigned space or “subject to availability,” is a final cleaning fee fixed in the lease, and is mid-stay cleaning included or per visit? Get the all-in monthly number in writing.
6. How much deposit does the landlord hold, where is it held, and when do I get it back? Florida sets no statewide cap on a residential landlord’s deposit, so the amount is pure negotiation — one month is the working norm. What the law does fix is the handling, under Statute 83.49: you must receive written notice, within 30 days of paying, of where and how the deposit is held; if there is no claim, it must be returned within 15 days after you vacate; if the landlord claims against it, they must send written notice by certified mail within 30 days, and you then have 15 days to object in writing. A landlord who misses that 30-day notice loses the right to claim against the deposit. I explain the full mechanics in our security deposit guide on how much Miami landlords charge and when Florida law forces them to give it back — and leave a forwarding address in writing at move-out, because the deadlines run to your last known address.
| Item on a US$4,000/month, 3-month furnished lease | Amount | Refundable? |
|---|---|---|
| Season rent (3 × US$4,000) | US$12,000 | No |
| Transient taxes, if charged at ~12% | ~US$1,440 (US$480/month) | No |
| Landlord security deposit (commonly 1 month; no state cap) | US$4,000 | Yes — 83.49 deadlines apply |
| Association lessee deposit, if its documents require one | Up to US$4,000 (max 1 month) | Yes — held in association escrow |
| Association lease-transfer / approval fee | Up to US$150 per applicant (statutory cap) | No |
| Worst-case early-exit fee, only under a signed addendum | Up to US$8,000 (2 months, statutory cap) | No |
Block 3 — What does “furnished” and “livable” really mean? (questions 7–9)
7. Can I have the signed inventory — item by item, with photos? “Furnished” is unregulated vocabulary. A lease without an inventory annex leaves the checkout argument — was that dent, that missing pan, that stained sofa yours? — to memory. Walk the unit (or a live video walk-through with timestamps), photograph every room, and sign the same inventory at move-in and move-out.
8. Who fixes what, how fast — starting with the air conditioning? Ask who is your maintenance contact, what counts as an emergency, and the response commitment in writing. In a Miami winter the AC, hot water and plumbing are not amenities; a lease that is silent on repairs leaves you negotiating from a hot apartment in January, at peak season, with nowhere else to go.
9. What happens if the unit is damaged by a storm or a flood that is not my fault? Florida Statute 83.63 gives you a real right here: if the premises are damaged other than by your own wrongful or negligent acts so that enjoyment is substantially impaired, you may terminate the lease and vacate; if only part of the unit is unusable, your rent is reduced by the fair rental value of that part. Confirm the lease does not try to bury that right under a generic “no refunds” clause — clauses do not erase the statute.
Block 4 — How does this lease end, or extend? (questions 10–12)
10. If I have to leave early, what exactly do I owe — and did I sign a separate addendum for it? Under Statute 83.595, a liquidated-damages or early-termination fee of up to two months’ rent is only available when you agreed to it at signing by signing a separate addendum, and an early-termination fee can require no more than 60 days’ notice. So read what you are actually signing at the table: checking that box can price an emergency exit at up to US$8,000 on a US$4,000 lease; not checking it does not make leaving free — the landlord’s other statutory remedies apply — but it changes the math completely.
11. Can I extend, at what rent, and until when must I decide? Snowbird seasons slip — a late cold snap at home, a medical appointment, a grandchild’s visit. An extension option with a locked rate and a decision date, written into the lease, is worth real money in February, when the remaining furnished inventory in the best snowbird neighbourhoods in our Miami winter guide is at its thinnest.
12. What are the exact move-out terms — time, cleaning standard, elevator, holdover? Fix the checkout hour, whether the building needs an elevator reservation for move-out, the cleaning standard your deposit will be judged against, and the holdover rate if you stay past the end date. Most deposit disputes I see are born in this paragraph, not in bad faith.
What most people don’t know
- There can be two deposits, held by two different parties, under two different clocks. The landlord’s deposit follows Statute 83.49’s 15/30-day framework; an association’s lessee deposit (up to one month, only if its documents authorise it) sits in the association’s escrow. Ask for both receipts and both refund procedures before you wire anything.
- The US$150 fee cap is a lie detector. An association that tries to charge a couple US$300 each, or charge again on a same-tenant renewal, is telling you — for free, before you sign — how carefully it follows Florida law.
- A 3-month lease and a 7-month lease are different tax animals. Only a bona fide written lease for longer than six months escapes the transient tax framework. Snowbirds who genuinely stay November to April sometimes find the longer written term cheaper after tax than the “shorter” one — run both numbers before choosing.
- The platform version of your lease may not be a lease at all. A winter booked as a series of short “stays” can leave you outside the residential protections this checklist relies on. One written lease for the full term is the document that triggers 83.49, 83.595 and 83.63.
- Your forwarding address is a deadline issue, not a courtesy. The landlord’s claim notice goes to your last known address and your objection window is 15 days from receiving it. Leave the address, in writing, at checkout — snowbirds who drive north and miss that letter lose the argument by default.
My SETTLE verdict: sign the answers, not the photos
A furnished winter lease in Miami is a good product when its paper is as good as its pictures: a building that legally allows your term, a total that includes the tax answer, both deposits receipted with their refund clocks named, an inventory you signed, an exit whose price you chose knowingly, and an extension option for the week winter refuses to end at home. If any of the 12 answers will not be put in writing, that is your answer — walk, while walking is still free. For the season as a whole — neighbourhoods, timing and budgets — work through our SETTLE guides to moving to Miami and the best neighborhoods in Miami before you shortlist units, not after.
Frequently asked questions
How much deposit can a Miami landlord charge for a 3-month furnished lease?
Florida law sets no statewide cap on a residential landlord’s security deposit, so the amount is negotiated — one month’s rent is the working norm. Separately, a condo association whose documents authorise it may require its own lessee deposit of up to one additional month’s rent. What the law does control is the handling: written notice of where the deposit is held within 30 days, return within 15 days if there is no claim, and a certified-mail claim notice within 30 days if there is one, under Statute 83.49.
Do I pay hotel or tourist taxes on a 3-month furnished lease in Miami?
Possibly — and it is a question to settle in the lease itself. A 3-month term is not covered by the Statute 212.03 exemption, which applies to a bona fide written lease for longer than six months. When transient taxes are charged, the combined load outside Miami Beach is roughly 12% (6% state plus Miami-Dade’s 6%), about US$480 a month on a US$4,000 rent. Who collects and remits on a direct owner lease varies, so get the amount and the collector in writing.
What happens if I have to break a 3-month furnished lease early?
It depends on what you signed. If you signed the separate early-termination addendum contemplated by Statute 83.595, the fee is capped at two months’ rent and the notice required cannot exceed 60 days. Without that addendum, that specific fee remedy is not available in that form and the landlord’s other statutory remedies apply instead. Either way, leaving early is never free — which is why question 10 belongs before signing, not during a family emergency.
Can the condo association charge whatever application fee it wants?
No. Under Statute 718.112, if the association must approve your lease and its documents authorise a fee, the lease-transfer fee is capped at US$150 per applicant (adjusted periodically for inflation), spouses count as one applicant, and no fee may be charged on a renewal with the same tenant. A higher quote is a reason to ask for the document that authorises it.
This article is general information about relocation planning, not legal advice. Confirm the current rules of any building and the terms of any lease in writing before signing, and consult a Florida attorney for advice on your specific contract.
Yara Coker — SETTLE, relocation services in Miami.
Want help with your move to Miami?
Send me the lease before you sign it — I will run these 12 questions against the building’s rules, the deposits and the tax treatment, and flag what is missing while changing it is still free.
Sources
Florida Statutes (Florida Senate, official text, summarised): s. 83.49 deposit handling — written notice of where the deposit is held within 30 days, return within 15 days when there is no claim, certified-mail claim notice within 30 days, tenant’s 15-day written objection, forfeiture of the claim right if the notice deadline is missed, no statewide cap on the deposit amount; s. 212.03 transient rental tax — exemption only for a bona fide written lease for longer than 6 months; s. 718.112 lease-transfer fees — only when approval is required and authorised in the governing documents, cap US$150 per applicant, spouses/parents with dependent children count as one applicant, no fee on a same-tenant renewal, association lessee deposit of up to 1 month’s rent when authorised; s. 83.595 early termination — liquidated damages / early-termination fee up to 2 months’ rent only under a separate addendum signed at lease execution, notice for an early-termination fee no more than 60 days; s. 83.63 casualty damage — tenant may terminate when enjoyment is substantially impaired by damage not caused by the tenant, or receive a rent reduction for the unusable part. Miami-Dade County official tourist tax page and Florida Department of Revenue local-option transient rental tax table: Miami-Dade county taxes total 6% (3% Convention Development, 2% Tourist Development, 1% Professional Sports Facilities), 7% in Miami Beach and 4% in Surfside and Bal Harbour. Building minimum-lease rules and furnished Brickell seasonal rents (1-bedroom about US$4,000/month, 2-bedroom US$4,550–5,800): SETTLE’s verified research, October 12–14, 2026. Worked totals computed from those figures for this article, October 15, 2026.
Versión en español: Vivir en Miami: checklist del snowbird — qué preguntar antes de firmar un arriendo amoblado de 3 meses
