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Worth Getting Lawyer Over A Notice To Evict And Pay?

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Location: Florida

I hope this isn't as obvious of an answer as it sounds lol, but I'm a guarantor for someone else's rental but I don't live there. We're all in Florida, I recently got back from being away for a couple of weeks and found a "7 Day Notice to Evict" in my mailbox, with neither tracking number on the paper showing it as being delivered to an individual, only being left in the mailbox. The paper notes that the tenants have violated the lease agreement based upon negligence and damage, and have 7 days to vacate; and, she's asking for close to 4k in rent for the remaining months alongside nearly 15k for damages to the property.

While stupid in hindsight, I called her when I found it in my mailbox and asked what it was because no one had told me about it, not even the renters. Long story short, she says that the renters have caused damages bc of leakage and failing to tell her, and now we need to go through her lawyer who would be calling me today. She also said she'd update the lawyer and let them know I only received it today and haven't been back.

The landlord has always been very particular about maintenance and such, which I had always tried my best to inform him of anything when the renters (who don't really speak English) have any issues in the condo etc. Recently there was a water issue which we called her for and I even helped work on, but apparently it had escalated. According to an inspector and maintenance worker he sent out, there was water damage going into the first floor; he says he has pictures of everything, but won't show me. Also, the landlord had seen the renters taking measures to catch the water in buckets which had been dripping from leaks.

Since I'm the guarantor, I assume that I'm equally fucked in this since she named me in that notice to vacate, but how fucked am I at this point? Should we go ahead and vacate, or should we wait and see if she pursues legal action even though I don't think I have been served with any actual legal paperwork to indicate court proceedings. I don't have the money to pay the supposed damages and neither do the renters.

More importantly, should I lawyer up before her lawyer calls me today, or should I just talk to her lawyer before doing anything else?

submitted by /u/dat_classy_lynx
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