When it is worth notarizing
- Long leases, or leases with an option to buy.
- Commercial premises, where the sums are larger.
- Rent-to-own arrangements and lease purchases.
- Leases between relatives or friends, where nothing else is written down.
- Any lease a lender, a consulate or an agency has asked to see notarized.
Formalities in Florida
Florida does not require most residential leases to be notarized. Longer terms and certain kinds of agreement can carry extra formalities, and those are questions for an attorney, not for me.
What I can tell you is this: if your lease has witness lines, bring witnesses. I can be the notary or a witness, not both on the same document.
Signing at the property
Handing over keys is the natural moment to sign, so that is usually where I go: the apartment, the house, the unit or the office. Landlord and tenant sign in front of each other, each with identification, and everyone leaves with a clean copy.
If the landlord is out of state, an online session covers their side and the tenant can sign in person.
What I do not do
I do not draft leases, review clauses, or tell you whether a deposit or an eviction clause is enforceable. That is legal advice. Bring the lease ready and I will handle the signatures.
Frequently asked questions
- Does a Florida lease have to be notarized?
- Usually not. Many landlords ask for it anyway because it makes the signatures much harder to dispute.
- Can you notarize for both landlord and tenant?
- Yes. I notarize each signature separately, in the same appointment or in two.
- Can I be a witness as well as the notary?
- No, and neither can I. If the document needs witnesses, bring people who are not named in it.
- Do you travel to the property?
- Yes, anywhere in Lakeland and nearby towns, including evenings and weekends.