The Florida constitution exempts a person's primary residence from forced sale to satisfy a judgment debt. Can you exempt as homestead a commercial building with a second-floor apartment used as your primary residence? Under Florida law, the answer is that you can only exempt part of the commercial property.
Typically, the tenant pays the equivalent of one month's rent to the landlord when signing a lease. This covers any incidental costs, damages or missed rent payments in the event of a lease default.