How to Change Your Address at Bankruptcy in Florida
There is no legal requirement that you remain in your residence after you file bankruptcy in Florida, and if you are undergoing eviction or foreclosure proceedings, you may have no choice but to find a new place to live. If you do move after filing bankruptcy in Florida, the law requires you to notify the court in writing so that you may be kept abreast of important notices in your case. Although each court may use a slightly different form, the procedure to change your address is similar in all Florida bankruptcy courts.
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Instructions
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Research to find out bankruptcy district you are in. Florida has three bankruptcy districts, representing the northern, southern and middle portions of the state. Once you have filed bankruptcy, you are still responsible for reporting to the original court where you filed your bankruptcy petition. Your county of residence is the determining factor in which district has jurisdiction over your case. You should have paperwork from the court showing which district you must respond to for items such as a change of address. However, if the stress of moving made you forget where you filed, or if you lost your court paperwork indicating the proper district, you can look up which district you are in by your previous county of residence. For example, the Florida Northern District Court has jurisdiction over 23 Florida counties, including Franklin, Dixie and Jefferson counties.
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Find your local courthouse. Each Florida bankruptcy district has a number of courts serving it, but you need to file your change of address in the same court where you filed your bankruptcy petition. If you file in the wrong courthouse, the court will most likely transfer your case to the correct location, but it could simply dismiss your case. In any event, a transfer of your case will cause a delay, and the last thing you should want is for an extension of time until your bankruptcy discharge.
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Get the correct change of address form from the bankruptcy clerk. While the change of address form is fairly standard no matter where you file bankruptcy, each court may prefer that you use a specific form. Since courts have the ability to form their own local rules, ask the bankruptcy clerk at your courthouse which is the correct form you should use to change your address.
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Complete the change of address form. Fill in your new address completely and accurately. If you miss any important correspondence from the court, you may end up with a dismissal of your case rather than a discharge.
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File the change of address form with your local bankruptcy clerk. After completing the form, return it to the bankruptcy clerk. You can usually either hand-deliver or mail your change of address form.
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