Gainesville FL (alachua county imposing rental permits now)

[Daria B.]

I got this from the commission meeting held in September. Much like what the city just did so too will the county.

At their September 28 Regular Meeting, the Alachua County Commission discussed their draft Residential Rental Permit ordinance, which has a proposed effective date of March 1, 2022. It is similar to Gainesville’s Renters’ Rights Ordinance and will apply in the unincorporated county, while the smaller municipalities will be able to opt in but will not be required to participate. The permit application for landlords would include a completed self-inspection checklist certifying that the unit complies with the standards in the ordinance (including energy efficiency standards for attic insulation and attic access and efficient shower heads, faucet aerators, and toilets), documentation of maintenance of the HVAC system, and payment of a fee, which will start at around $70 per year. Units will be inspected once every four years, and complaints will trigger inspections in between. The ordinance will require the County to hire four codes officers and a licensing clerk for a recurring cost of about $345,000 per year.

As part of adopting the ordinance, the commission will also adopt a new Tenants’ Bill of Rights, which landlords will be required to provide to tenants. Commissioner Anna Prizzia said she was interested in adding “some of our human rights… maybe adding them to this Bill of Rights that is given to folks so they know both pieces of it, both the maintenance pieces and just the human rights pieces.” The commissioners decided that they had time to work on that and set it aside.