My Thoughts on My Rights as a Property Owner

Well since I use to be a landlord I have gone through a few issues with renters. I rented two bedrooms to two girls in my house in Florida. Needed to do this because my adjustable rate mortgage was about to come to fruition and the extra income was needed to sustain my lifestyle. Anyway, I allowed both of them to move in without a lease and a small down payment because I knew them and thought they were trustworthy but after a few months I found out that was not the case.
I collected rent for the first 3 months but on the forth I started getting excuses from one and to make matters worse she decided to quit her job. 2 months passed and no money and no job. Three months passed and not even effort to pay.
At this point I tried to kick her out but she had no place to go and refused. I talked to my friend and he basically told me that since I allowed her to move her stuff into my house and had no written contract or lease agreement, I was screwed.
A few months passed and this girl was always at the house, took about 3 showers a day, stole my food, and was a drain on any positive energy I had when I was at home. I dreaded being at home…
Finally, out of the blue I came home from work and all her stuff was moved out, no explanation. Still to this day I have no idea where she went or what has happened to her. Don’t really care.
Morel to the story is get everything in writing and a hefty deposit. The laws to evict someone are loose and take forever if not in a contract. As a landlord read the laws in your state that apply to rentals and be careful who you let rent because if you let someone live in your property the owner seems to lose many rights.