Highlands County Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit Form (Florida)

All Highlands County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit Form

Highlands County Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit Form

Fill in the blank Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit form formatted to comply with all Florida recording and content requirements.
Included Highlands County compliant document last validated/updated 4/21/2025

Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit Guide

Highlands County Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit form.
Included Highlands County compliant document last validated/updated 6/13/2025

Completed Example of the Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit Document

Highlands County Completed Example of the Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit Document

Example of a properly completed Florida Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit document for reference.
Included Highlands County compliant document last validated/updated 5/19/2025

When using these Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Highlands County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Highlands County Clerk of Courts

590 South Commerce Ave, Sebring, Florida 33870-3867

Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm M-F

Phone: (863) 402-6596

Local jurisdictions located in Highlands County include:

  • Avon Park
  • Lake Placid
  • Lorida
  • Sebring
  • Venus

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Highlands County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Highlands County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Highlands County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Highlands County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Highlands County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Highlands County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Florida or Highlands County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Highlands County Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

Decedent's interest in homestead affidavit

Under Florida law, real estate that is identified as a homestead but is not included in a deceased owner's will passes to beneficiaries in the same manner as other intestate property. If the decedent is survived by a spouse and one or more descendants, however, the surviving spouse has three main options as set out in section 732.401 of the Florida Statutes:

- take a life estate in the homestead, with a vested remainder to the descendants alive at the time of the decedent's death per stirpes (according to Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., "proportionately divided between beneficiaries according to their deceased ancestor's share").

- take an undivided one-half interest in the late spouse's homestead as a tenant in common, with the remaining one-half interest held by any descendants per stirpes.

- disclaim the interest as directed in chapter 739.

When a surviving spouse chooses to take the one-half interest in the property, he/she files a decedent's interest in homestead affidavit. This document allows the spouse to waive the marital rights to a life estate in the property. Instead, the surviving spouse and any descendants hold title as tenants in common. As tenants in common, each party can independently sell his/her interests to the property without notice or joinder from the others.

In most cases, the affidavit must be filed within six months of the decedent's death. The affidavit can be made by the surviving spouse him/herself or, with the court's approval, an attorney in fact or guardian of the property of the surviving spouse. The document is then filed in the county or counties in which the homestead property is located. Once recorded, the surviving spouse's decision is irrevocable.

Each case is unique, so contact an attorney with specific questions or for complex situations.


Product description:
Use this document when the owner of homestead property dies without including the real estate in the will and the surviving spouse elects to forego his/her life estate interest in favor of one-half share and convert his/her interest in a life estate to a tenancy in common with the descendants.

(Florida Decedent Interest in Homestead Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Highlands County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Highlands County Decedent Interest in Homestead Affidavit form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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