Florida bill would ban these rent hikes for affordable housing. What to know
Have you ever had a landlord tell you your rent was going up in the middle of your lease? If a bill working its way through the Florida Legislature passes, they may not be able to, but only for low-income households.
House Bill 365 blocks landlords who receive federal, state or local incentives for affordable housing from raising rents mid-lease. The restriction applies only to rental agreements of 13 months or less that begin on or after July 1, 2026.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Debra Tendrich, D-Lake Worth, has been approved by the House Housing, Agriculture & Tourism and Civil Justice and Claims subcommittees. It now goes to the House Commerce Committee and then the floor. The Senate version, SB 382, from Sen. Mack Bernard, D-by West Palm Beach, is in the Community Affairs committee.
Rents and home prices in Florida have shot up in the last decade, although they have stabilized somewhat in the last couple of years, and housing remains a problem.
"Affordable housing" is defined in Florida statutes as housing where monthly rents or mortgage payments — including taxes, insurance, and utilities — do not exceed 30% of area median annual adjusted gross income for low-income households within the state. These rates are determined annually by HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) by county or Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).
In Florida, the current statewide area median income (AMI) for a family of four is $88,600.
Over 2.4 million low-income Florida households pay more than 30% of their incomes towards housing, according to a 2024 report from the Florida Housing Coalition. Over half of them — or 1.3 million low-income households — spend more than 50% of their income toward housing costs.
"This makes it difficult for those households to save for retirement or emergencies and difficult to afford other necessities such as food and childcare," read an analysis of the bill.
Under HB 365, which is only two pages, landlords of units that qualify as affordable housing who have received federal, state, or local funding or tax incentives because of that are prohibited from raising the rent during the term of a rental agreement.
Landlords may still raise the rent if:
A tenant is renewing their rental agreement
The increase is required for compliance with federal laws, rules, or regulations
If the Legislature passes it and Gov. Ron DeSantis signs it, the law would go into effect July 1, 2025 for rental contracts that begin on or after July 1, 2026.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Rent-hike ban in Florida for certain leases may become new law
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