Tenant Eviction case--Ocala, FL

[Sendil Thangavelu]

Hi folks, A tenant moved into my brand new house and defaulted on two months rent within 3 months of moving in. After multiple promises of catching up on rent, they are now 3 months behind. Because they have 3 children, I waited, and have now finally filed for eviction. Now, they are contesting the eviction saying in their response to court that  I did not repair two issues because of which they are withholding rent. The issues being  1) inconsistencies in roof (dont know what this means)  2) a hole in the drywall behind stove in kitchen because of which there are spiders coming out of the wall and they had to kill two of them.

At this time, I am concerned that they will trash the house while leaving it. Is there a legal way to ensure they dont trash the place? Any experience you can share is appreciated as I am doing an eviction for the first time. This is a brand new house. 

Thank  you

Sendil