Writer: Joshua Andino
2 min read September 2022 — Orlando has begun exploring a tenant bill of rights, with the Orange County Commission having directed staff to begin creating the document after a meeting held Tuesday.
With housing prices in Florida continuing to rise, a number of cities and counties across the state have considered a tenant bill of rights to help formalize the aspects of the rental process and make information more readily available to tenants of what they can and cannot do. Miami-Dade, Broward and Hillsborough County, alongside Tampa and St. Petersburg, have similar documents, which outline requirements for landlords to provide notices of rental increases, under what conditions certain fees can be levied against either tenants and landlords, as well as provide more details on eviction processes and under what circumstances evictions may begin.
The tenant bill of rights is the latest step in Orange County’s fight to ease the burden on renters amidst a national housing shortage. In July, the county voted to require landlords give 60-days written notice of rental increases over 5%, and in August provided renters with $15.9 million in federal aid.
Part of the decision to draft the tenant bill of rights also includes more thoroughly defining the duties of the new taxpayer-funded Office of Tenant Services, which would provide educational materials and resources to tenants. Legal services would not be included, however.
While the county begins to compile the document, voters in November will face the choice of whether or not to implement rent control measures for multifamily buildings. The ordinance would cap rent increases to the local area’s consumer price index, and it is the first to challenge the state’s prohibition on local government control of rents. Under current Florida law, rent control ordinances can only be implemented by county-wide referendums approved by the state itself, and they can only be renewed by a second referendum after a year’s time.
Orlando, like many communities across Florida, has seen skyrocketing rents as new residents from outside the state continue to arrive. “Our county is estimated to grow by 1,000 people each week and the region is growing by 1,500 people each week. All of that puts pressure on our infrastructure and social services,” explained Mayor of Orange County Jerry Demings in an interview with Invest:. Rents across the city and wider region have grown exponentially over the last few years. Orlando alone has seen its rent grow by 10% compared to this time last year, with the median rents for one and two bedroom apartments currently standing at $1,427 and $1,683, respectively.
While the county formulates the tenant bill of rights and voters weigh whether or not to impose a rent cap, landlords have filed a lawsuit claiming that the proposal is illegal and would cause “irreparable harm,” while Lee Steinhauer, speaking for the Apartment Association of Greater Orlando, told the Orlando Sentinel that, “The organization doesn’t think a lot of what’s being proposed is necessary.”
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