Guide · November 9, 2026
Selling a rental house or a duplex to fourplex with the tenants still living there
You can sell a rental with the tenants still in it. Each state sets its own rules for visits, ending a month-to-month lease and passing on the deposits.
Key points
- You can sell a rented house or a 2 to 4 unit building with the tenants still living there.
- In both states, a tenant may not unreasonably refuse to let you show the unit to a buyer.
- Arizona asks for at least two days' notice before you enter. Florida defines reasonable notice for repairs as at least 24 hours.
- To end a month-to-month lease, both states ask for at least 30 days' written notice, counted in different ways.
- In Florida, deposits and advance rent move to the new owner with an accounting. In Arizona, the owner at the end of the lease answers for the deposit.
- BIMINIO buys rentals and duplexes to fourplexes with tenants in place, with one visit after you accept.
Sell with tenants in place, or empty first?
A landlord who wants out has two paths. You can end the leases, wait for the tenants to leave, fix the units and sell an empty building. Or you can sell the building as it is, with the tenants and their leases, to a buyer who wants to keep renting it.
Selling empty opens the sale to buyers who want to live there, but you carry the mortgage, taxes and insurance with no rent while you wait, and a tenant who does not leave on time delays the sale. Selling with tenants in place keeps the rent coming until closing and ends your landlord work on one date. This guide explains the rules in Florida and Arizona for each step. It gives no legal advice, so check your leases with a lawyer in your state.
| Question | Sell with tenants | Sell empty |
|---|---|---|
| Rent while you sell | Yes, until closing | No, once the tenants leave |
| Who buys | Buyers who want a rental | Buyers who want a home, and rental buyers |
| Repairs before sale | None needed | Often needed to show well |
| Main risk | Fewer buyers, and visits need notice | A tenant who stays past the date |
Showing a rented unit: notice and consent
Florida Statutes section 83.53 lets a landlord enter to show the unit to a buyer, and says the tenant shall not unreasonably withhold consent. For repairs, the statute defines reasonable notice as at least 24 hours, with entry between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Giving the same notice for a buyer's visit keeps you inside those terms.
Arizona Revised Statutes section 33-1343 also says the tenant shall not unreasonably withhold consent to showing the unit to buyers. The landlord gives at least two days' notice, except in an emergency or when notice is not practical, and enters only at reasonable times.
Fewer visits mean fewer problems with tenants. A buyer who needs one visit is easier on everyone than a listing with weekend showings.
Ending a month-to-month lease
Read each lease before you set a closing date, because a lease with a set end date may say what happens on a sale. A lease with no set term can be ended with written notice.
Florida Statutes section 83.57 asks for not less than 30 days' notice before the end of a monthly period, 7 days for a week-to-week lease, and 60 days before the end of a year-to-year lease. Arizona Revised Statutes section 33-1375 asks for written notice at least 30 days before the rent date named in the notice for a month-to-month lease, and at least 10 days for week to week.
| Kind of lease | Florida (section 83.57) | Arizona (section 33-1375) |
|---|---|---|
| Month to month | Not less than 30 days before the end of a monthly period | At least 30 days before the rent date named in the notice |
| Week to week | 7 days before the end of a weekly period | At least 10 days before the end date in the notice |
| Year to year | 60 days before the end of an annual period | Not set in this section; read the lease |
Security deposits and advance rent
The tenants' deposits must follow the building. Florida Statutes section 83.49(7) says that when a landlord sells, the deposits and advance rent are transferred to the new owner, with any earned interest and an accurate accounting. Once the money, the records and a written receipt are handed over, the old owner is released from holding it.
Arizona Revised Statutes section 33-1321(H) says the owner who holds the landlord's interest when a tenancy ends is bound by the deposit rules. Arizona caps a deposit, with prepaid rent, at one and a half month's rent, and the landlord returns it within 14 business days after the tenant leaves and asks for an accounting. Section 33-1322 says the duty to give tenants the owner's and manager's names and addresses passes to the new owner.
Bring a list of every deposit to the closing, so the title company can show on the closing statement what passes to the buyer.
Telling the tenants, and who collects rent after closing
Tell the tenants about the sale yourself, in a short letter. Say that the building is being sold, that their leases and deposits pass to the new owner, and that visits will come with notice as the law asks. Keep the letter calm and factual, and keep a copy.
After closing, the tenants need to know where to send rent. Florida Statutes section 83.50 asks the landlord to give each tenant, in writing, the name and address of the landlord or the person authorized to receive notices, and says that person keeps that authority until the tenant is told otherwise. Arizona Revised Statutes section 33-1322 asks for the names and addresses of the manager and an owner or agent, and says that duty passes to the new owner. Agree with the buyer on one letter to every tenant, signed by both of you, that gives the new owner's name and where to pay.
- Before you sign: read each lease and make the rent roll
- After you sign: write to the tenants about the sale and the visit
- One visit, with written notice as each state asks
- At closing: hand over the deposits, the leases and the keys you hold
- After closing: one letter to every tenant with the new owner's details
Papers a buyer will ask for
A buyer of a rented building is buying the leases and the rent as well as the building. Gather these before you ask for offers, so the offer is right the first time.
- A copy of every lease, with any changes signed later
- A rent roll: unit, tenant, rent, due date, lease end date
- The deposit held for each tenant, and where it is kept
- Who pays power, water and trash for each unit
- Rent owed by any tenant, and any notices you have served
- Repairs you know about in each unit
Tenants who do not pay, or a case in court
A tenant who has stopped paying, or an eviction case that is open, can make buyers walk away. Tell every buyer about it on the first call. A buyer who takes the building as is can take over the problem, and the price will reflect it.
Do not lock a tenant out or cut off utilities to make them leave. Florida Statutes section 83.67 forbids interrupting utility service and changing the locks, and Arizona Revised Statutes section 33-1367 covers removing a tenant or cutting essential services. Both states have court steps for an eviction, and a lawyer can tell you where your case stands.
Tired landlord, problem tenants →
Taxes when you sell a rental
The tax on selling a rental follows different rules from the tax on selling the home you live in. Ask a tax adviser before you sign a contract, because BIMINIO gives no tax advice. Our post on 1031 exchanges explains one set of rules some owners use when they sell an investment property and buy another.
1031 exchange when you sell a rental →
Selling a rental to BIMINIO
BIMINIO buys rental houses and buildings of two to four units with the tenants in place, in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Lakeland, Phoenix and Glendale. You do not need to empty the units or repair them. You get a written cash offer within 24 hours, with the comparable sales we used. If you accept, there is one building inspection of under 30 minutes, with notice to your tenants as the law asks.
You pick a closing date from 7 to 35 days out, and we pay the closing costs. A cash offer is below full market value, so compare it with what you would keep after emptying, fixing and listing the building.
Selling a rented house: tenant notice →
Want a number for your house? BIMINIO buys in Florida and Arizona, as is. A written offer comes within 24 hours.