Florida residency while renting

[Natick58]

Hi everyone, will be moving down from MA in April 2025. Will rent while exploring house / village. I am assuming the owner won’t all us to use their mailbox and I will need a PO Box. Can I get a Fla license with a Box? Without residency I can’t get the Insurance we want. Otherwise I will have to work at home down there which is not ideal. Any ideas will be welcome

[Kelevision]

Hi everyone, will be moving down from MA in April 2025. Will rent while exploring house / village. I am assuming the owner won’t all us to use their mailbox and I will need a PO Box. Can I get a Fla license with a Box? Without residency I can’t get the Insurance we want. Otherwise I will have to work at home down there which is not ideal. Any ideas will be welcome

No. You need two forms of proof of residency and a PO Box doesn’t count. You also need to have FL insurance before you can register a car.

[retiredguy123]

Note that the mailbox is owned by the USPS, not by the house owner. If you have a long term lease and are a legal resident of the house, you have a right to get your mail at the mailbox. The owner doesn't. You can even change the lock and key, if you want.

[Velvet]

Note that the mailbox is owned by the USPS, not by the house owner. If you have a long term lease and are a legal resident of the house, you have a right to get your mail at the mailbox. The owner doesn't. You can even change the lock and key, if you want.

Long term means year or more, right?

[retiredguy123]

Long term means year or more, right?
I think it is a gray area, but a year lease would qualify as a resident.

[CarlR33]

Hi everyone, will be moving down from MA in April 2025. Will rent while exploring house / village. I am assuming the owner won’t all us to use their mailbox and I will need a PO Box. Can I get a Fla license with a Box? Without residency I can’t get the Insurance we want. Otherwise I will have to work at home down there which is not ideal. Any ideas will be welcomeYour assuming landlord will not let you use mailbox but most will. Second option is a PO Box from a place like St. Brendans (do a search on here for comments on them). I would not change the insurance until your permanent as your same as on vacation since your renting (IMO). Six months as permanent resident see link:
Florida Residency Requirements, Steps, and Rules - Alper Law (https://www.alperlaw.com/florida-asset-protection/florida-residency/)

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

Over the years I have rented out different homes I’ve had both seasonal and long term ,the renters always could have there mail sent to the address of the home , my mail went to wherever I was staying for the winter, having said that there are landlords who may not want to let people know there renting out the property ,if this is the case make sure you get a better deal to go along with the request , because they are most likely hiding the rental income

[blueash]

The simple answer is yes. The rules for obtaining a Florida driver's license are U.S. Citizen - Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (https://www.flhsmv.gov/driver-licenses-id-cards/what-to-bring/u-s-citizen/)

You need
1 Proof of US citizenship (if you are a citizen)
2 Proof you reside in Florida. The easiest two forms for you would be
A copy of your rental / lease agreement
A bank statement with your local address

So open a bank account here and get a statement from them. You can print the statement at home or I suppose ask the bank to print one for you. Be sure you use the rental address with the bank. You can change it later when you find a home.

Renter's insurance might or might not qualify as the webpage says homeowners.

Another option of a document would be an official declaration of domicile
HERE (https://www.sumterclerk.com/_cache/files/5/e/5eb081e6-f6f8-4cda-b286-aec95b7c5331/AC84B6DDF3D3D4FC2100FAF63A073063.declaration-of-domicile.pdf) is the Sumter County form.

Google can give you details, but it is a declaration that you intend to live permanently in Florida thus establishing residency.

[Kelevision]

The simple answer is yes. The rules for obtaining a Florida driver's license are U.S. Citizen - Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (https://www.flhsmv.gov/driver-licenses-id-cards/what-to-bring/u-s-citizen/)

You need
1 Proof of US citizenship (if you are a citizen)
2 Proof you reside in Florida. The easiest two forms for you would be
A copy of your rental / lease agreement
A bank statement with your local address

So open a bank account here and get a statement from them. You can print the statement at home or I suppose ask the bank to print one for you. Be sure you use the rental address with the bank. You can change it later when you find a home.

Renter's insurance might or might not qualify as the webpage says homeowners.

Another option of a document would be an official declaration of domicile
HERE (https://www.sumterclerk.com/_cache/files/5/e/5eb081e6-f6f8-4cda-b286-aec95b7c5331/AC84B6DDF3D3D4FC2100FAF63A073063.declaration-of-domicile.pdf) is the Sumter County form.

Google can give you details, but it is a declaration that you intend to live permanently in Florida thus establishing residency.

The answer is NO. You cannot get a driver’s license with a PO Box…. That was the OP question.

[BrianL99]

The answer is NO. You cannot get a driver’s license with a PO Box…. That was the OP question.

That's absolutely wrong.

If you prove your residency, with a lease and other documentation, you can use a Post Office Box as your mailing address in Florida and most other states.

[Natick58]

Thank you all. So much great information. Using the rental address will make things easier.

[USOTR]

Mail Forwarding Services at St Brendan's Isle (https://www.sbimailservice.com/)

The link above is not a PO box but can serve as your actual legal address..


But as others have stated your lease, bank account statement and power bill in your name with your lease address and you can get a Florida DL.

[Cuervo]

It might be easier if you go to a UPS store, they rent mailboxes, I don't know the cost, but it might be worth the price instead of jumping through hoops.

[wsachs]

Thank you all. So much great information. Using the rental address will make things easier.
So easy to go to a place like Villages Pack and Ship and rent a PO Box. Did that for years with no problem. They even forwarded mail that came after I left.

[Topgun 1776]

It might be easier if you go to a UPS store, they rent mailboxes, I don't know the cost, but it might be worth the price instead of jumping through hoops.

Best advice yet!!! Everything else seems to be up to other posters'interpretations, their previous experience, etc etc. etc. This is easy peasy!

[nn0wheremann]

Hi everyone, will be moving down from MA in April 2025. Will rent while exploring house / village. I am assuming the owner won’t all us to use their mailbox and I will need a PO Box. Can I get a Fla license with a Box? Without residency I can’t get the Insurance we want. Otherwise I will have to work at home down there which is not ideal. Any ideas will be welcome
A word of caution. We rented for a year an I had mail forwarded to the rental address. Since then the credit bureaus have all used that address as if it were a permanent address in my credit history, and online databases like White Pages dot com have gone nuts. They list the home owner and all his relatives as my relatives, have added other renter’s prior addresses as my prior address, and they will not correct their misinformation.

[sallyg]

Your new landlord might allow you to use his mailbox, especially if the house is strictly a rental. If you end up needing a PO box - I do not recommend Safe Ship. We needed a box for a month, their rental was a three month minimum for$120, and we never got a piece of mail delivered.

[retiredguy123]

Your new landlord might allow you to use his mailbox, especially if the house is strictly a rental. If you end up needing a PO box - I do not recommend Safe Ship. We needed a box for a month, their rental was a three month minimum for$120, and we never got a piece of mail delivered.
It is not the landlord's mailbox. The mailboxes are owned and controlled by the U.S. Postal service.

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

A word of caution. We rented for a year an I had mail forwarded to the rental address. Since then the credit bureaus have all used that address as if it were a permanent address in my credit history, and online databases like White Pages dot com have gone nuts. They list the home owner and all his relatives as my relatives, have added other renter’s prior addresses as my prior address, and they will not correct their misinformation. sorry for you but that seems like a hack problem between you and credit agencies , it doesn’t have much to do with most people who rent ,, I’ve have owned 14 homes or condos in Florida including 6 in the villages and have had so many different seasonal addresses I couldn’t even remember all of them ,not once has there ever been a problem with credit agencies ,besides people move all the time with no problems

[Justputt]

Hi everyone, will be moving down from MA in April 2025. Will rent while exploring house / village. I am assuming the owner won’t all us to use their mailbox and I will need a PO Box. Can I get a Fla license with a Box? Without residency I can’t get the Insurance we want. Otherwise I will have to work at home down there which is not ideal. Any ideas will be welcome

Becoming a resident earlier than when you own a property is irrelevant, IMO. The only reason for pushing residency before the first of the year is to get the Homestead Exemption, but since you don't yet have a home, this doesn't matter. As I remember the HE requires you to be a resident on Jan 1st of a year and have the papers filed by March. Since you won't own a home, no reason to rush. On the other hand, if this is for taxes, you'll still pay partial year taxes for the months you earned income in MA.

[Lea N]

Hi everyone, will be moving down from MA in April 2025. Will rent while exploring house / village. I am assuming the owner won’t all us to use their mailbox and I will need a PO Box. Can I get a Fla license with a Box? Without residency I can’t get the Insurance we want. Otherwise I will have to work at home down there which is not ideal. Any ideas will be welcome

Pack & Ship stores have mail boxes that people can rent, they aren't PO boxes. Mail would go directly to the pack & ship store's address. No need to put the name of the Pack & Ship store on mail, just renter of the box.

[jmaccallum]

Hi everyone, will be moving down from MA in April 2025. Will rent while exploring house / village. I am assuming the owner won’t all us to use their mailbox and I will need a PO Box. Can I get a Fla license with a Box? Without residency I can’t get the Insurance we want. Otherwise I will have to work at home down there which is not ideal. Any ideas will be welcome

Go to St. Brendan’s Isle in Green Cove Springs,, FL. - sbimailservice.com They can help you set up Florida residency while you are in transit looking for a permanent place. You can get a Florida driver’s license, voter registration, and set up as a Florida resident for tax purposes.

[Ele201]

I would ask the owner of the house if you can have your mail sent there. If it’s a longer term lease, four-to-six months or more, they would very likely give you permission.

Things could get sticky once you leave the rental though. Your mail would likely continue to be sent to the house address after you’ve checked out, and the owner may feel inconvenienced by this. They may not know what to do with it, except put it aside. By the way, my husband and I did a one-year rental in TV, and when we picked up our mail — there were bills and letters from two other former renters in the mailbox! We just put that mail aside and let the owner deal with it.

[ron32162]

6 months plus a day is long term

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

I would ask the owner of the house if you can have your mail sent there. If it’s a longer term lease, four-to-six months or more, they would very likely give you permission.

Things could get sticky once you leave the rental though. Your mail would likely continue to be sent to the house address after you’ve checked out, and the owner may feel inconvenienced by this. They may not know what to do with it, except put it aside. By the way, my husband and I did a one-year rental in TV, and when we picked up our mail — there were bills and letters from two other former renters in the mailbox! We just put that mail aside and let the owner deal with it. no that’s not what has to happen ,you put a change of address in the same way you do if you want your mail sent to the rental property your staying in , if you do this and your still receiving mail its a post office problem , your not doing anyone a favor by putting mail aside , you can just mark moved and stick in box , over the past 30 years I’ve probably rented homes I’ve lived about 25 times and rented seasonal myself the same number ,it’s not complicated

[yankygrl]

no that’s not what has to happen ,you put a change of address in the same way you do if you want your mail sent to the rental property your staying in , if you do this and your still receiving mail its a post office problem , your not doing anyone a favor by putting mail aside , you can just mark moved and stick in box , over the past 30 years I’ve probably rented homes I’ve lived about 25 times and rented seasonal myself the same number ,it’s not complicated
Over 1 year and mail will not be forwarded, I got this info from postal carrier