ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County renter says his landlord did not give him enough notice before raising his rent more than 5%.
Calvin Kimble said his rent was increased by $300 without being provided the proper notice required by the county.
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The county put an ordinance in place two months ago that protects tenants by requiring landlords to give a 60-day written notice for rent increases of more than 5%, or if they plan to terminate their lease.
County officials say the measure also provides protections for both residents and landlords who do not have a written lease agreement in place, or who pay rent on a quarterly or monthly basis.
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Kimble paid $1,200 a month to live in his apartment last year, but he said his landlord told him 30 days before his lease was up that he’d have to pay $1,500 a month to stay.
Despite the complaint, Kimble remained in the apartment paying the $1,500.
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Record requests to the county show in the two months since the ordinance passed, at least 14 people have filed complaints like Kimble’s.
The county said enforcing the ordinance begins with the tenant filling out a complaint form, and then landlords have a chance to send their response to the county before the matter can escalate to a potential civil citation.
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