DeSantis signs into law industry-backed bill allowing Florida landlords to charge 'junk fees' ...

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https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/desantis-signs-into-law-industry-backed-bill-allowing-florida-landlords-to-charge-junk-fees-instead-of-security-deposits-34328262

DeSantis signs into law industry-backed bill allowing Florida landlords to charge 'junk fees' instead of security deposits

An Orange County attorney says it's 'not designed to protect the tenant at all'

By McKenna Schueler on Fri, Jun 2, 2023 at 4:20 pm

As the nation dunks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for not knowing how to pronounce his own last name, it may be distracting from more important things. To wit: Friday DeSantis signed into law a controversial bill that critics say is “ripe for abuse” by bad landlords.

The bill, HB 133, allows landlords in Florida to charge tenants a nonrefundable, limitless, recurring fee in lieu of a security deposit, or what's been dubbed “junk fees.”

Supporters of the bill — including corporate lobbying interests that stand to turn a profit from it — say it offers tenants an alternative to paying lump-sum security deposits that can often cost upward of one or maybe two months’ rent.

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There are no limits to the fees that landlords can charge as part of this alternative security deposit arrangement, so they could theoretically charge $25 per month, or they could charge $200 per month. “There’s no cap on the fees,” said Mobley.

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