Rent shooting up? A lot of the stress of sudden mobile home rent increases could go away if bills filed for the 2026 Florida legislative session become laws. The session begins Tuesday, Jan. 13.
HB 703, filed in December by Rep. Paula Stark, R-St. Cloud, and the identical SB 1550, filed on Friday by Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis, D-Ocoee, both take aim at several landlord practices such as refusal to take checks, give renters more avenues to file complaints, require park owners to prove why rent increases are needed, and amend the Florida statute that defines what factors a court may use to determine if rent increases are “unreasonable.”
“This bill updates how lot rental increases are determined, improves billing and payment transparency, and enhances enforcement,” Stark said in a statement provided to News 6. “Mobile home owners are a critical part of our communities, and this bill helps ensure fairness and accountability in lot tenancies.
“This should be a bipartisan issue for the benefit of all of our citizens who need to maintain the opportunity of affordable housing.”
Here’s what to know.
What does HB 703 / SB 1550, Mobile Home Park Lot Tenacies do?
The biggest change for renters is an expansion of what courts may consider when determining if a rent increase or lot rental amount is unreasonable. Currently, Florida statutes allow courts to consider increases or decreases in the consumer price index, operating costs or taxes, and prior disclosures.
Under the new bills, courts would also look at:
The bill also makes a number of renter-friendly changes, including:
Other mobile home bills in Florida Legislature
Other bills under discussion this session aren’t quite as homeowner-friendly:
SB 652 would add requirements for mobile home owners to keep registration stickers on their homes and maintain their home and lot with all applicable codes, and require mobile home park owners to maintain records on all homeowners and provide those to local code enforcement upon request.
HB 853 would crack down on code enforcement, allowing counties and municipalities to adopt and enforce local laws, codes and ordinances at mobile home parks and requiring the removal of any exterior modifications, additions or construction on a lot that was built without written approval of the mobile park owner or the required building permits.
Homeowners would be required to keep their home and lot to code and correct any violations and mobile park owners could be penalized if they do not enforce it.
When would the mobile home bills take effect?
If passed by the Florida Legislature and approved by the governor, HB 703 / SB 1550 would go into effect on July 1, 2026.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Will Florida mobile home rent rules change? What to know about SB 1550
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
