Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026
SB 1626
By
Senator Bracy Davis
15-01267-26 20261626__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to rent reporting to credit reporting
3 agencies; creating s. 83.684, F.S.; defining the terms
4 “credit reporting agency” and “rent reporting
5 service”; authorizing a landlord to report a tenant’s
6 rent payment history to credit reporting agencies
7 under certain circumstances; requiring a landlord to
8 obtain written consent from a tenant to report rent
9 payments; providing requirements for such written
10 consent; requiring a landlord to inform a tenant that
11 he or she is authorized to opt out of rent reporting
12 at any time without penalty; requiring a landlord to
13 provide written notice under certain circumstances;
14 providing notice requirements; authorizing a landlord
15 to charge a specified fee for providing rent reporting
16 services; providing an exception; prohibiting a
17 landlord from taking certain actions; authorizing a
18 landlord to stop reporting a tenant’s rental payments
19 under certain circumstances; prohibiting a tenant from
20 participating in rent reporting for a specified amount
21 of time under certain circumstances; prohibiting a
22 landlord from taking retaliatory actions if a tenant
23 refuses, declines, or opts out of rent reporting;
24 providing applicability; providing an effective date.
25
26 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
27
28 Section 1. Section 83.684, Florida Statutes, is created to
29 read:
30
83.684
Rent reporting.—
31
(1)
As used in this section, the term:
32
(a)
“Credit reporting agency” means an agency that, for
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monetary fees or dues or on a cooperative nonprofit basis,
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regularly engages, in whole or in part, in the practice of
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assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other
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information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer
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reports to third parties and that uses any means or facility of
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interstate commerce for the purpose of preparing or furnishing
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consumer reports. The term includes agencies such as Equifax,
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Experian, and TransUnion.
41
(b)
“Rent reporting service” means a third-party service
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that collects, verifies, and reports rent payment information to
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a credit reporting agency.
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(2)
A landlord may report a tenant’s rent payment history
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to one or more credit reporting agencies. Rent reporting must be
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conducted through a rent reporting service, or the landlord may
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report directly to one or more credit reporting agencies if the
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landlord complies with all applicable state and federal
49
regulations.
50
(3)(a)
A landlord must obtain written consent to report
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rent payments from a tenant when a rental agreement is executed
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or renewed.
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(b)
The written consent must clearly outline the potential
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benefits and risks associated with rent reporting, including the
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possibility of negative reporting if rent payments are not made
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on time.
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(c)
A landlord shall inform a tenant that his or her
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consent for rent reporting is voluntary and that the tenant may
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opt out of rent reporting at any time without penalty by mailing
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or delivering to the landlord a true copy of a written notice to
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opt out.
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(d)
A landlord must, in accordance with s. 83.56(4),
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provide a tenant with at least 30 days’ written notice if the
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landlord decides to start or stop reporting rent payments.
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(4)(a)
If a landlord elects to engage in rent reporting,
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the landlord may require the tenant to pay to the landlord a fee
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for such service. The fee may not exceed the lesser of the
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actual cost to the landlord to provide rent reporting services
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or $10 per month. If the landlord does not incur actual expenses
70
relating to rent reporting, the landlord may not charge the
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tenant a fee under this subsection.
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(b)
A landlord may not do any of the following:
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1.
Report the payment or nonpayment of the fee to a credit
74
reporting agency.
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2.
Terminate a tenant’s rental agreement because the tenant
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did not pay the fee.
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3.
Deduct the amount of the fee from the tenant’s deposit
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money or rent.
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(c)
If the fee is unpaid for 30 days or more, the landlord
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may stop reporting the tenant’s rental payments to the credit
81
reporting agency or rent reporting service.
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(5)
If a tenant opts out of rent reporting or the tenant
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fails to pay a fee for rent reporting services under subsection
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(4), the tenant may not elect to again participate in rent
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reporting for at least 6 months after the date on which the
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landlord received the written request to opt out or the date on
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which the fee under subsection (4) first becomes due.
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(6)
A landlord may not terminate a tenant’s rental
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agreement, increase a tenant’s rent, or engage in any other form
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of retaliation solely because a tenant refuses, declines, or
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opts out of participating in rent reporting.
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(7)
This section does not apply to a landlord of a
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residential building that contains 15 or fewer dwelling units
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unless both of the following apply:
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(a)
The landlord owns more than one residential building,
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regardless of the number of dwelling units in each building.
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(b)
The landlord is:
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1.
A real estate investment trust;
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2.
A corporation; or
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3.
A limited liability company in which at least one member
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is a corporation.
102 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.