Broward Commission Passes Measure To Give Renters Some Short Term Protection

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - As rents continue to increase across Broward, the county's commission has approved a measure that offers some protections to renters.

Under a new law approved Tuesday, landlords have to give renters no less than 60 days notice prior to termination of leases for those facing rent increases of more than 5%. The sixty days notice applies to all renters, with or without a signed annual lease, and a rental increase of more than 5%.

The commission adopted the measure, sponsored by commissioners Nan Rick and Torey Alston, after hearing from many people who said they were forced to leave their rented homes because of expensive rent increases with short notice.

"There is a sense of urgency here. We've heard from people, including one person with cancer who had a rent increase from $1350 to $1950. We're going to move forward with what we can do with the restrictions that are in place from the state legislature," said Rich.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an influx of people to Florida, resulting in a surge in rental rates in Florida. The South Florida region saw the highest rent increases in the country in the past year. Realtor.com statistics indicate that the median rent in the tri-county area (Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade) increased 57% from March 2021 to March 2022.