Can a Landlord Change Locks in Florida? Self-Help Eviction Laws

No. Changing the locks, shutting off utilities, removing belongings, or taking any other “self-help” action to force someone out of your Florida property is illegal — and can turn you from the victim into the defendant. Here’s why, and what to do instead.

The instinct is natural. Someone is in your property who has no right to be there. Maybe it is a tenant who has not paid rent in three months. Maybe it is a squatter. Maybe it is a former romantic partner who refuses to leave. You own the property. You have the deed. You want them out — now. The quickest solution seems obvious: change the locks, dump their belongings on the curb, shut off the water and electricity, and force them out.

Do not do it. Under Florida law, self-help eviction is illegal in every circumstance— and the consequences for a property owner who engages in it can be severe. Section 83.67, Florida Statutes, expressly prohibits a landlord from taking any action to deprive a tenant of the use of the dwelling unit, and Florida courts have applied this principle broadly — to landlords, property owners, and any person who takes extrajudicial action to remove an occupant from real property.

Table of Contents

1. The Statute: Section 83.67
2. Specific Acts That Are Prohibited
3. Legal Consequences of Self-Help Eviction
4. Who the Prohibition Applies To
5. Are There Any Exceptions?
6. The Lawful Alternatives
7. Frequently Asked Questions

1. The Statute: Section 83.67

Section 83.67, Florida Statutes, is the foundation of Florida’s self-help eviction prohibition. The statute provides that a landlord of any dwelling unit governed by Chapter 83, Part II, shall not cause, directly or indirectly, the termination or interruption of any utility service furnished to the tenant, including but not limited to water, heat, light, electricity, gas, elevator, garbage collection, or refrigeration; prevent the tenant from gaining reasonable access to the dwelling unit by any means, including but not limited to changing the locks or using or threatening to use force; or remove the outside doors, locks, roof, walls, or windows of the unit except for purposes of maintenance, repair, or replacement.

The statutory language is deliberately broad. The phrase “by any means” ensures that creative self-help methods — not just the obvious ones like changing locks — are covered. The word “indirectly” ensures that a landlord cannot accomplish through a third party what they cannot do themselves (for example, hiring someone to change the locks or instructing a utility company to shut off service).

Remedies Available to the Occupant

Section 83.67 provides that a tenant who is subjected to self-help eviction may recover possession of the dwelling unit, terminate the rental agreement and recover the prepaid rent for the period after the date the tenant moves out, and recover actual and consequential damages, including reasonable attorney’s fees. In practice, this means the occupant can sue you, get back into the property, force you to pay their attorney’s fees, and recover damages for any losses caused by your illegal action — all while you still have to go through the legal eviction process to ultimately get them out.

2. Specific Acts That Are Prohibited

Changing the Locks

This is the most common form of self-help eviction. The property owner changes the locks on the doors, preventing the occupant from entering the property. Under Section 83.67, this is illegal regardless of whether the occupant is a paying tenant, a non-paying tenant, a squatter, a former guest, or any other person — so long as the person has established some form of occupancy. The prohibition applies even if the lease has expired, even if the tenant has been served with an eviction notice, and even if the landlord has already obtained a judgment for possession but the writ has not yet been executed.

Shutting Off Utilities

Instructing the utility company to disconnect service, failing to pay the utility bill when the landlord is responsible for the account, or physically disabling the electrical panel, water main, or gas valve are all forms of prohibited self-help. Some landlords attempt to accomplish this indirectly by canceling the utility account (rather than explicitly requesting a shutoff), but the result is the same — the occupant is deprived of essential services, and the landlord is in violation of the statute.

Removing the Occupant’s Belongings

Taking the occupant’s personal property out of the unit — whether by moving it to the curb, placing it in storage, or discarding it — constitutes a self-help eviction. The occupant’s right to have their belongings in the property is an extension of their right to possess the property itself. Removing belongings before the writ of possession is executed also exposes the landlord to a separate claim for conversion (the civil equivalent of theft). For the lawful handling of belongings after a proper eviction, see: Handling Abandoned Property After a Florida Eviction.

Removing Doors, Windows, or Other Physical Components

Some landlords attempt creative self-help by removing the front door, taking down the bathroom door, removing window screens, or disabling appliances — making the property uninhabitable without technically “locking” the occupant out. Section 83.67 specifically prohibits the removal of doors, locks, roof, walls, or windows, except for legitimate maintenance and repair. Any action designed to make the property unusable is a violation.

Intimidation and Threats

Threatening to change the locks, threatening to shut off utilities, or using physical intimidation to coerce the occupant into leaving all violate the statute. The prohibition on “using or threatening to use force” covers both physical force and coercive conduct. Additionally, threats of violence may give rise to separate criminal charges (assault, stalking) and civil claims for injunctive relief.

Refusing Access to Common Areas

In multifamily properties, a landlord who bars the occupant from common areas — the laundry room, pool, parking garage, gym, or lobby — is engaging in self-help by depriving the tenant of amenities that are part of the rental arrangement. Access to common areas cannot be restricted as a pressure tactic to force the occupant to leave.

It Does Not Matter How Bad the Tenant Is

The self-help prohibition applies regardless of the circumstances. The tenant has not paid rent in six months. The tenant has destroyed the property. The tenant is conducting criminal activity. The tenant threatened you. None of these situations — however egregious — authorize self-help. The only lawful way to remove an occupant in Florida is through a court order. If the situation involves criminal conduct or threats, report it to law enforcement, but do not take matters into your own hands.

3. Legal Consequences of Self-Help Eviction

The Occupant Gets Back In

The most immediate consequence is that the occupant can go to court and obtain an emergency order restoring them to possession of the property. If you changed the locks, the court will order you to provide new keys. If you shut off utilities, the court will order you to restore service. If you removed belongings, the court may order you to return them or pay their value. The occupant is back in your property — and you have lost weeks of time, incurred legal fees, and gained nothing.

You Pay Their Attorney’s Fees

Section 83.67 provides that the occupant may recover reasonable attorney’s fees. This means you are paying your attorney to defend the self-help claim, and you are paying the occupant’s attorney for bringing the claim. In contested cases, combined attorney’s fees can easily exceed $5,000–$10,000.

Actual and Consequential Damages

The occupant can recover actual damages — the cost of temporary housing, the cost of replacing food that spoiled when you shut off the electricity, the cost of replacing belongings you discarded, and any other out-of-pocket losses caused by the self-help action. Consequential damages may include lost wages (if the occupant missed work because they were locked out and could not access their clothing or vehicle keys), emotional distress in egregious cases, and any other reasonably foreseeable damages flowing from the illegal lockout.

Loss of Credibility in the Eviction Case

Perhaps the most underappreciated consequence of self-help is the damage it does to the landlord’s credibility in the subsequent eviction proceeding. A judge who learns that the landlord attempted to lock out the tenant before seeking a court order will view the landlord with skepticism — and may be more sympathetic to the tenant’s defenses. Self-help signals to the court that the landlord does not respect the legal process, which is not the impression you want to make when asking the court to grant you relief.

4. Who the Prohibition Applies To

While Section 83.67 is written in terms of “landlord” and “tenant,” Florida courts have applied the self-help prohibition broadly. The prohibition applies to landlords acting against tenants (the express statutory scenario); property owners acting against former tenants who have become holdover occupants; property owners acting against squatters who have established some form of occupancy; homeowners acting against family members, former guests, or other non-tenant occupants; and property managers, maintenance staff, or agents acting on behalf of any of the above.

The underlying principle is that once a person has established occupancy in a dwelling — regardless of how or why they are there — they can only be removed through the legal process. The question of whether the person is there legally or illegally, with permission or without, as a tenant or as a trespasser, is for the courts to resolve — not for the property owner to decide unilaterally.

5. Are There Any Exceptions?

The exceptions to the self-help prohibition are narrow and specific.

After the writ of possession is executed. Once the sheriff has executed the writ of possession and the occupant has been physically removed, the property owner may immediately change the locks and secure the property. At this point, the occupant has been lawfully removed by court order, and the self-help prohibition no longer applies. If the former occupant attempts to re-enter the property after the writ is executed, they are committing criminal trespass.

Legitimate maintenance and repair. Section 83.67 permits the removal of doors, windows, and other components “for purposes of maintenance, repair, or replacement.” This exception is narrow — the work must be legitimate and must not be used as a pretext to make the property uninhabitable. Replacing a broken window with a new window is legitimate maintenance. Removing all the windows and leaving the openings exposed is self-help.

The expedited squatter removal process. Under Section 82.045(the 2024 anti-squatter law), the sheriff can direct a squatter to vacate and enforce the removal — but this is a law enforcement action, not self-help. The property owner does not change the locks or remove the squatter themselves; the sheriff does. For details on this process, see: Emergency Squatter Removal.

Voluntary abandonment. If the occupant has clearly and unambiguously abandoned the property — for example, they moved all their belongings out, returned the keys, and sent a written notice that they are leaving — the property owner may re-enter and secure the property. However, “abandonment” has a specific legal meaning under Section 83.595, and property owners should exercise caution before concluding that a unit has been abandoned. If there is any doubt — for example, the occupant’s belongings are still inside but the occupant has not been seen in weeks — proceed through the statutory abandonment process rather than taking unilateral action.

6. The Lawful Alternatives

The alternative to self-help is always the same: the legal process. While it takes longer, it protects the property owner from liability and results in an enforceable court order.

Every one of these processes results in a court order that is enforceable by the sheriff. None of them require the property owner to take physical action against the occupant. And none of them expose the property owner to the civil liability, attorney’s fees, and credibility damage that come with self-help.

Tempted to Change the Locks?

We understand the frustration — but self-help will make your situation worse, not better. Let us handle the legal process while you focus on your property.

7. Frequently Asked Questions

Related Guides

• ← Back to: Remove Squatters in Florida — Unlawful Detainer (Pillar Guide)
• Emergency Squatter Removal: Expedited Unlawful Detainer
• Handling Abandoned Property After a Florida Eviction
• Florida Residential Eviction Attorney (Pillar Guide)