A rental agreement is an agreement to rent property (commonly referred to as a lease). Rental agreements may be either written or oral.
Written Agreements
Most rental agreements are written because oral agreements can be subject to misunderstandings and are difficult to prove if there’s a dispute. A written rental agreement can be a formal contract or simply a copy of a letter stating the rights and obligations of both the landlord and tenant.
Written Correspondence
Florida law requires that notices to and from a landlord must be in writing and must be either hand-delivered or mailed, even if the rental agreement is oral. You should always retain a copy of any correspondence to and from your landlord.