The Florida Senate

The bill makes numerous changes to the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Specifically, the bill makes the following changes: 

•            Authorizes the use of the eviction procedures under the Florida Landlord and Tenant Act, instead of foreclosure procedures, to apply to a person who occupies a dwelling pursuant to a lease-purchase agreement in some circumstances.

•            Provides that the right of a prevailing party to attorney fees for enforcing a rental agreement may not be waived in the rental agreement.

•            Provides that the right to the statutorily required notices before a landlord or tenant may terminate a lease may not be waived in the lease.

•            Provides that attorney fees may not be awarded in a claim for personal injury damages based on a breach of duty to maintain the rental premises.

•            Revises the notice that a landlord must provide a tenant which describes how advance rent and security deposits will be held and used by the landlord or returned to the tenant.

•            Allows landlords to withdraw advance rents when the advance notice period commences without notice to tenants.

•            Creates a rebuttable presumption that a new owner of a rental property receives the security deposits paid by a tenant to the previous owner, but limit’s the presumption to 1-months rent.

•            Lessens the duty of landlords of single-family homes and duplexes to maintain screens on windows. A landlord must ensure that screens are installed in reasonable condition at the beginning of the tenancy and repaired once annually thereafter.

•            Provides that a right or duty enforced by civil action under the Florida Landlord and Tenant Act does not preclude prosecution for a criminal offense related to a lease or leased property.

•            Eliminates a landlord’s obligation to make certain disclosures regarding fire safety to tenants.

•            Provides that upon the re-occurrence within 12 months after the initial notice of tenant actions constituting noncompliance under a lease, the landlord is not required to provide an additional notice before initiating an eviction action.

•            Provides that a lease must require a landlord to give advance notice of the intent to nonrenew the lease if the lease requires a tenant to give advance notice to a landlord of the intent to vacate the premises at the end of the lease.

•            Revises procedures for restoration of possession of a rental property to a landlord to provide that Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays do not stay the applicable notice period.

•            Specifies additional grounds for which a landlord may not retaliate against a tenant.

If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect July 1, 2013.

Vote: Senate 27-10; House 92-25