Electronic Delivery of Notices Between Landlords and Tenants:
HB 615 creates a new statutory framework allowing landlords and tenants in Florida to agree to receive required notices by email. To use electronic delivery, both parties must sign a rental-agreement addendum that specifically authorizes email notices, provides valid email addresses, and clearly states that the election is voluntary and may be revoked or updated. The bill also sets rules for when an emailed notice is considered delivered, requires the sender to keep a copy of the notice and proof of transmission, and preserves the ability to serve notices by other lawful methods.
The bill also amends several existing landlord-tenant statutes to conform them to the new email-notice option. These changes update notice provisions for security deposits, disclosure of the landlord’s address, landlord maintenance obligations, termination notices, and notice requirements tied to fixed-term leases and liquidated damages. In several places, the bill replaces or supplements mail-based notice language with notice by email in accordance with the new section 83.505, while leaving the underlying rights and deadlines largely intact.
The bill primarily affects Florida’s residential landlord-tenant law in chapter 83, part II, by adding electronic notice as an authorized delivery method when both parties opt in. It changes how landlords and tenants may communicate legally significant notices, including security-deposit claims, termination notices, and maintenance-related notices, and it imposes recordkeeping requirements on the sender. The bill does not eliminate traditional notice methods; instead, it creates an optional email-based alternative and makes conforming technical changes across related statutes.
The available record shows no committee transcripts or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the provided materials. Based on the bill’s structure, the measure appears to be a procedural modernization effort rather than a substantive policy shift, suggesting generally neutral or practical support. The absence of recorded contention in the supplied context indicates that the bill likely moved without notable public controversy in the materials provided.
The main potential point of contention is the use of email for legally important landlord-tenant notices, especially because those notices can affect security deposits, lease termination, and housing rights. Concerns would likely center on whether tenants and landlords fully understand the voluntary nature of the election, whether email delivery is reliable, and how disputes over delivery or undeliverable messages would be handled. The bill addresses some of these concerns by requiring a signed addendum, allowing revocation and address updates, and deeming delivery effective when sent unless the email is returned as undeliverable.