Orange County approves new ‘Tenants Bill of Rights’ ordinance to protect renters

ORLANDO, Fla. — After months of discussion about affordable housing, Orange County commissioners have approved a new ordinance, meant to protect renters.

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Work will now be focused on an office for tenant services after county commissioners unanimously passed a “Tenants Bill of Rights.”

The decision comes at a time when evictions continue to be at record levels in the community.

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The Tenant Bill of Rights is an overview of renter rights, and it adds three new requirements for landlords.

From now on landlords need to provide a copy of the bill of rights to tenants before they move in, they need to list all rental fees upfront and wouldn’t be able to discriminate against prospective renters for things like income type or based on their status as a potential victim of domestic violence.

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The office of tenant services will be a one-stop shop for renters in Orange County, providing a tenant help hotline, it will also have staff that could investigate complaints, and would offer help filing renter-related paperwork.

The county says it plans to get started on setting up the new office right away. It should be up and running by March 1.

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