Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 362
By the Committee on Judiciary; and Senators Osgood and Garcia
590-02610-25 2025362c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to reusable tenant screening reports;
3 creating s. 83.471, F.S.; defining terms; authorizing
4 a landlord to accept reusable tenant screening reports
5 and require a specified statement; prohibiting a
6 landlord from charging certain fees to an applicant
7 using a reusable tenant screening report; providing
8 construction; providing an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Section 83.471, Florida Statutes, is created to
13 read:
14 83.471 Reusable tenant screening reports.—
15 (1) As used in this section, the term:
16 (a)1. “Consumer report” means any written, oral, or other
17 communication of information by a consumer reporting agency
18 bearing on a consumer’s credit worthiness, credit standing,
19 credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal
20 characteristics, or mode of living which is used or expected to
21 be used or collected in whole or in part for the purpose of
22 serving as a factor in establishing the consumer’s eligibility
23 for credit or insurance to be used primarily for personal,
24 family, or household purposes; employment purposes; or any other
25 purpose authorized under 15 U.S.C. s. 1681b.
26 2. Except for the restrictions provided in 15 U.S.C. s.
27 1681a(d)(3), the term “consumer report” does not include:
28 a. Subject to 15 U.S.C. s. 1681s-3, any report containing
29 information solely as to transactions or experiences between the
30 consumer and the person making the report; communication of such
31 information among persons related by common ownership or
32 affiliated by corporate control; or communication of other
33 information among persons related by common ownership or
34 affiliated by corporate control, if it is clearly and
35 conspicuously disclosed to the consumer that the information may
36 be communicated among such persons and the consumer is given the
37 opportunity, before the time that the information is initially
38 communicated, to direct that such information not be
39 communicated among such persons;
40 b. Any authorization or approval of a specific extension of
41 credit directly or indirectly by the issuer of a credit card or
42 similar device;
43 c. Any report in which a person who has been requested by a
44 third party to make a specific extension of credit directly or
45 indirectly to a consumer conveys his or her decision with
46 respect to such request if the third party advises the consumer
47 of the name and address of the person to whom the request was
48 made, and such person makes the disclosures to the consumer
49 required under 15 U.S.C. s. 1681m; or
50 d. A communication described in 15 U.S.C. s. 1681a(o) or 15
51 U.S.C. s. 1681a(x).
52 (b) “Consumer reporting agency” means any person who, for
53 monetary fees, dues, or on a cooperative nonprofit basis,
54 regularly engages in whole or in part in the practice of
55 assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other
56 information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer
57 reports to third parties, and who uses any means or facility of
58 interstate commerce for the purpose of preparing or furnishing
59 consumer reports.
60 (c) “Reusable tenant screening report” means a report that:
61 1. Includes all of the following:
62 a. The applicant’s full name.
63 b. The applicant’s contact information, including mailing
64 address, e-mail address, and telephone number.
65 c. Verification of the applicant’s employment.
66 d. The applicant’s last known address.
67 e. The results of an eviction history check in a manner and
68 for a period of time consistent with applicable law related to
69 the consideration of eviction history in housing.
70 f. The date through which the information contained in the
71 report is current.
72 g. The applicant’s consumer report.
73 2.a. Is prepared within the previous 30 days by a consumer
74 reporting agency at the request and expense of an applicant.
75 b. Is made directly available to a landlord for use in the
76 rental application process or is provided through a third-party
77 website that regularly engages in the business of providing a
78 reusable tenant screening report and complies with all state and
79 federal laws pertaining to use and disclosure of information
80 contained in a consumer report by a consumer reporting agency.
81 c. Is available to the landlord at no cost to access or
82 use.
83 (2) A landlord may accept reusable tenant screening reports
84 and may require an applicant to state that there has not been a
85 material change to the information in the reusable tenant
86 screening report.
87 (3) If an applicant provides a reusable tenant screening
88 report to a landlord who accepts such reports, the landlord may
89 not charge the applicant a fee to access the report or an
90 application screening fee.
91 (4) This section does not:
92 (a) Affect any other applicable law related to the
93 consideration of criminal history information in housing,
94 including, but not limited to, local ordinances governing the
95 information that landlords may review and consider when
96 determining to whom they will rent; or
97 (b) Require a landlord to accept reusable tenant screening
98 reports.
99 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.