Repossession Removal — Florida
Florida has the strictest post-repossession notice requirements in the country under FL Statute 679.6141. When lenders or buy-here-pay-here lots cut corners — and most do — the repo becomes challengeable.
FL Statute 679.6141 — what lenders must do after a Florida repo
After repossessing your vehicle, a Florida lender must:
- Send written notice of the sale within a reasonable time (typically 10 days minimum before the sale).
- Specify the time, date, and place of any public sale, or the time after which a private sale will occur.
- Give you the right to redeem the vehicle by paying off the loan plus expenses.
- Conduct the sale in a commercially reasonable manner.
- Apply the sale proceeds in a specific order: expenses, then debt, then to you if a surplus exists.
- Provide a post-sale explanation showing the deficiency calculation in writing.
Failure to follow ANY of these voids the deficiency under Florida law. And reporting a deficiency to the bureaus that you don't legally owe is an FCRA violation that lets us demand removal.
Florida-specific repo situations we handle
- Buy-here-pay-here lots — Particularly common in Orlando, Kissimmee, and OBT-area dealers. Most don't follow 679.6141 post-sale notice requirements.
- Credit union repos — Better paperwork than BHPH, but Florida CUs (Fairwinds, Addition Financial, Suncoast) sometimes miss the deficiency calculation requirement.
- Subprime auto lenders — Credit Acceptance, Westlake Financial, Santander Consumer. These have been subject to multiple AG settlements in Florida — there's often grounds to dispute their repo reporting.
- Hurricane-related repos — Repos that happened during or after hurricane evacuation periods, when forbearance should have been offered, are challengeable.
- Out-of-state lender repos — Lenders from other states still have to comply with Florida law if the vehicle was registered in Florida. Many don't know this.
What our clients say about us!
My score improved by over 100 points in the first month! I can't believe this actually worked. Thanks so much Matt!
Kelly Rigles
Winter Park, FLWith the full refund offer, I figured there was nothing to lose. It got my score over 700 and now I'm buying my first home.
Jake Paisley
Maitland, FLI CANNOT BELIEVE THE TURNAROUND!!! It was faster than I thought and my score is still going up. Can't wait to hit 800!
Kristina Ayles
Orlando, FLRepossession Removal FAQs
Can a repossession be removed from a Florida credit report?
Often, yes. Florida has unusually specific post-repossession requirements under FL Statute 679.6141 — the lender must provide written notice of the sale, give you a chance to redeem, and provide a deficiency calculation in a specific format within a specific window. Violations of any of these requirements can invalidate the deficiency balance AND the credit reporting.
How long does a repossession stay on a credit report?
7 years from the date of first delinquency that led to the repo. Florida buy-here-pay-here repos and traditional bank/credit union repos follow the same 7-year window. Voluntary surrenders also stay 7 years but typically code slightly less severely.
What's the difference between voluntary surrender and repossession on a credit report?
Functionally similar — both stay 7 years and both are derogatory. Voluntary surrender often codes as “account closed by consumer” or “voluntary surrender” rather than “repossession,” which can be slightly less damaging to FICO. But many lenders code voluntary surrenders as full repossessions, and that miscoding is grounds for a dispute.
Florida 'buy-here-pay-here' lot repo'd my car — can you help?
Yes, and BHPH lots in Florida are some of the most common violators of FL Statute 679.6141. Lots on OBT (Orange Blossom Trail), in Pine Hills, in Kissimmee, and across the Orlando metro frequently skip required post-repo notices, miscalculate deficiency balances, or fail to credit the sale price properly. Each violation is grounds for both removing the repo from your credit and challenging any deficiency they're trying to collect.
I paid off a deficiency balance after a repo — does that improve my credit?
Marginally. The status updates from “charged off with balance” to “paid charge-off,” which some scoring models treat slightly better. But the repo itself remains for the full 7-year window. The better move: dispute the original repo reporting before paying anything, because we may be able to remove it entirely.