The answer is yes. You can have two separate houses that both qualify for the Florida homestead exemption so long as the land is contiguous and under the 160-acre limit.
In most cases where a debtor owns adjoining buildings, one of the buildings is the debtor’s residence and the other is a rental or other investment property.
A debtor can only have one house as their primary residence. Houses that are physically connected, even nominally connected by, for example, a fence, are usually considered to be a single connected structure.
On the other hand, a debtor with buildings on a single lot, which are all used for residential purposes by the debtor’s family, would usually qualify all as a single homestead.
When you have two houses on a single contiguous plot of land, you can protect both of them under the Florida homestead exemption as long as they are both being used by the debtor or their family. Homestead protection is generously construed in favor of the homeowner;.
About the Author
Jon Alper is a nationally recognized attorney specializing in asset protection planning. He graduated with honors from the University of Florida Law School and has practiced law for almost 50 years.
Jon and the Alper Law firm have advised thousands of clients about how to protect their assets from creditors.
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