Landlord Retaliation Laws in Florida

Florida law makes it unlawful to discriminatorily raise rent, cut services or sue for possession to retaliate against a tenant who acted in good faith, with no presumption period.

Last checked October 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Retaliation banned by statute: Yes
Presumption period: No presumption period; Retaliation is a defense to eviction, but the landlord wins if the eviction is for good cause such as nonpayment.
Protected tenant actions: Code complaints, tenant groups, notices to landlord, fair housing; Examples include complaints to a code agency, tenant organizations, notices to the landlord under 83.56(1), servicemember lease termination, paying rent to an association, and fair housing rights.

Sources

Fla. Stat. 83.64 (Online Sunshine, 2026)

Last checked October 2026

The rules in Florida

Does Florida law prohibit landlord retaliation against tenants?

Yes. Retaliation banned by statute in Florida: yes.

How long after a tenant complaint is retaliation presumed in Florida?

Presumption period in Florida: No presumption period. Retaliation is a defense to eviction, but the landlord wins if the eviction is for good cause such as nonpayment.

Which tenant actions are protected from retaliation in Florida?

Protected tenant actions in Florida: Code complaints, tenant groups, notices to landlord, fair housing. Examples include complaints to a code agency, tenant organizations, notices to the landlord under 83.56(1), servicemember lease termination, paying rent to an association, and fair housing rights.

Where do the Florida landlord retaliation laws come from?

The rules above come from Fla. Stat. 83.64. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The tenant must show discrimination, meaning the tenant was treated differently from other tenants.

What this means in practice

Keep a written record of every complaint, repair request and report to a government agency, with dates. A presumption period usually runs from the date of the protected action, so proof of that date can matter.

Retaliation protection does not usually excuse unpaid rent or lease violations. Statutes commonly allow a landlord to raise rent, end a tenancy or evict for a good-faith reason, such as nonpayment, damage to the unit or a rent increase applied to all tenants.

If a rent increase, service cut or eviction notice follows a complaint, read the statute for your state and any local ordinance. Cities and counties may add protections, and a local legal aid office or tenant union can explain how they apply.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.

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