ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – Stanley Lerner and his wife hoped their hardships were over after moving into Altamonte Terrace using a homeless diversion grant. But last week, they received a letter saying they need to be out by Friday.
“Now less than six months later, our lease is broken,” Lerner said. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We’re right back in the same situation again.”
Last month, News 6 reported that Lerner and other tenants were temporarily moved to a hotel while engineers assessed structural problems in the 50-year-old buildings.
The property owner’s engineer found several issues with the roof and other areas. The property now says those repairs will take longer than expected.
[WATCH: Residents forced out of Altamonte Springs apartments over construction]
On Monday, the landlord sent a letter to residents citing their lease and Florida law, explaining that the landlord can terminate the agreement if the apartment is uninhabitable and beyond their control, as long as reasonable efforts are being made to fix it.
“The landlord’s word is final. It’s the landlord’s election,” said landlord-tenant attorney Jesse Clark, who has spoken with several impacted residents and reviewed their leases.
Clark says it’s a landlord-friendly agreement — one many tenants have no choice but to accept because they’re receiving rental assistance grants.
“This is true of any rental agreement I’ve ever seen,” Clark said. “If you want to rent from this apartment complex, these are the terms — take it or leave it.”
According to the notice, upcoming rent has been waived and deposits will be refunded. But Lerner believes it’s unfair. He says he plans to start a GoFundMe to raise money for legal representation for himself and other affected tenants.
When News 6 visited the property’s on-site office to ask management why tenants are being asked to leave, what damage is being repaired and whether those repairs have even started, the manager was not there.
We also emailed those questions. In response, Altamonte Terrace Apartments sent us the following statement, which was dated Oct. 10:
The City of Altamonte Springs issued a mandatory evacuation order for Buildings 3 and 6 of Altamonte Terrace Apartments in Altamonte Springs, Florida on September 3, 2025 for certain Code Violations and a Notice of Unsafe Building on September 10, 2025. There is substantial structural damage to areas of these two buildings that are in need of repair. All leases in these buildings will be terminated as stipulated in the lease agreements and according to Florida Statutes 83.56. To assist the Residents in Buildings 3 and 6 in this situation the management of the property has agreed to:
1. Waive all rent for September and October;
2. Forgive all past due balances for any rent or fees that may be owed by these Residents prior to September 1, 2025 after applying the Security Deposit to the past due balance (any remaining Security Deposit, if any, will be returned to Resident);
3. Return all Security Deposits to all Residents with a zero balance prior to September 1, 2025;
4. Provide free Hotel accommodations from September 3, 2025 through October 17, 2025 (which is not required by law);
5. Assist Residents with moving their personal property to another location when possible (which is not required by law).
The management of Altamonte Terrace Apartments appreciates the Residents’ understanding and patience during this time.