{"id":2784,"date":"2025-05-10T11:09:42","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T15:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/?p=2784"},"modified":"2025-05-10T11:09:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-10T15:09:42","slug":"tenants-and-landlords-in-florida-can-now-exchange-certain-legal-notices-by-email","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/tenants-and-landlords-in-florida-can-now-exchange-certain-legal-notices-by-email\/","title":{"rendered":"Tenants and Landlords in Florida Can Now Exchange Certain Legal Notices by Email"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\"><strong>Email can replace mail or hand delivery for rental notices\u2014but only with mutual written consent.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Starting July 1, 2025, Florida is modernizing how landlords and tenants send and receive certain legal notices in a long overdue update to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.leg.state.fl.us\/Statutes\/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&amp;URL=0000-0099\/0083\/0083.html\">Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (\u201cFRLTA&#8221;)<\/a>. Thanks to House Bill 615, <a href=\"http:\/\/laws.flrules.org\/2025\/16\">House Bill 615 (HB 615<\/a>), signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on April 29, 2025, tenants and landlords can now choose to exchange important legal notices\u2014like rent demands and repair requests\u2014via email, as long as both parties give written consent in a residential lease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This long-awaited change modernizes the landlord-tenant relationship by aligning Florida law with how people already handle rent payments, maintenance requests, and lease documents\u2014<strong>digitally<\/strong>. It\u2019s a welcome move for convenience, documentation, and efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>One-Way vs. Two-Way: Know What You\u2019re Signing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The new law (Florida Statutes \u00a7\u202f83.505) gives each party the&nbsp;<strong>option<\/strong>&nbsp;to receive legal notices by email\u2014but&nbsp;<strong>it\u2019s not automatic or mutual<\/strong>. The landlord must opt in, and the tenant must opt in,&nbsp;<strong>separately<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">A landlord can agree to receive notices by email, but the tenant doesn\u2019t have to.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">A tenant can agree to receive notices by email, but the landlord doesn\u2019t have to.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Each party\u2019s choice only affects what they receive\u2014not what they can send.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">So, if a tenant agrees to receive notices by email, but the landlord does not, then the landlord can email things like&nbsp;<strong>3-day notices to pay rent or vacate<\/strong>, while the tenant still has to mail or hand-deliver legal notices\u2014like a&nbsp;<strong>7-day notice to request repairs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tip for Tenants: Make It Mutual<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If your landlord presents you with an electronic notice addendum, review it carefully. Make sure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">The landlord is also agreeing to receive notices by email.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">A valid email address is listed for each party.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">You understand how to revoke or update your email at any time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If only one box is checked\u2014yours\u2014it means you\u2019re giving the landlord more flexibility without gaining any in return. Email communication should be a&nbsp;<strong>two-way street<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Text Messages Not Included<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A key detail:&nbsp;<strong>Text messages do not count<\/strong>&nbsp;as proper notice under the new law. Only&nbsp;<strong>email<\/strong>&nbsp;is authorized for electronic notice, and only when both parties consent in writing using the statutorily required form. So even if you and your landlord often text, those messages are not legally valid for notices like lease termination, rent demands, or repair requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Notices Can Be Sent by Email?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Once both the landlord and tenant have signed the required email delivery addendum under Florida Statutes \u00a7\u202f83.505, a wide range of legally significant notices can be sent by email\u2014by either party, depending on who opted in. Here\u2019s what tenants need to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83d\udce9\u00a0<\/strong> <strong>Notices a Tenant May Send by Email (if Landlord Opted In):<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If your landlord agreed in writing to receive notices by email, you may legally serve important tenant notices electronically, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\"><strong>7-Day Notice to Landlord to Make Repairs<\/strong>(Required before you can withhold rent under Florida law)\ud83d\udc49\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.floridabar.org\/public\/consumer\/consumer004\/\">Download the Florida Bar\u2019s 7-Day Notice to Landlord for Repairs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Notice of Lease Non-Renewal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Notice of Termination of Tenancy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Notice of Intent to Vacate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Any other legal notice required under Chapter 83<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83d\udce8\u00a0Notices a Landlord May Send by Email (if Tenant Opted In):<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If&nbsp;<em>you<\/em>, the tenant, agreed in writing to receive notices by email, your landlord can email you things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\"><strong>3-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Notice of Lease Violation (7-Day Notice to Cure)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Notice of Non-Renewal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Notice of Termination of Tenancy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Notice of Entry (e.g., for inspection or repairs)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Notice of Rent Increase<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Notice of Changes to Lease Terms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This change is a major step toward modernizing rental relationships in Florida\u2014but it\u2019s only as fair and effective as the agreement you sign. Email notices work best when&nbsp;<strong>both sides benefit<\/strong>&nbsp;from the clarity, speed, and record-keeping they provide. Before signing, make sure your landlord is committing to the same standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If you\u2019re a tenant who has received a notice by email, or if you\u2019re planning to send a notice and want to make sure it\u2019s legally effective, it\u2019s a good idea to have it reviewed by a legal professional. Our firm represents tenants across Florida and can help ensure your rights are protected under the new law.\u00a0<strong>Reach out to us if you have questions or need legal guidance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Email can replace mail or hand delivery for rental notices\u2014but only with mutual written consent. Starting July 1, 2025, Florida is modernizing how landlords and tenants send and receive certain legal notices in a long overdue update to the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (\u201cFRLTA&#8221;). Thanks to House Bill 615, House Bill 615 (HB [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2784"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2789,"href":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2784\/revisions\/2789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.landersandsternberg.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}