Category: Blog

Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1084, which seeks to curb growing abuses of emotional support animal (ESA) certificates.

Patients must now establish the need for an ESA through a licensed medical practitioner with whom they have an established professional relationship. Additionally, the law creates a civil penalty for the falsification of documentation used to support the need for an ESA.

Other changes in the law  include the need for separate supporting documentation for each emotional support animal in a household, liability for any damages done to a person or property where an ESA resides, and a housing provider’s ability to ask for supporting documentation if the disability is not readily apparent.

Finally, the law allows a housing provider to deny an ESA if they believe the animal will cause harm to people or the property of others. The effective date is July 1, 2020.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – On Monday, Florida’s restaurants and retail stores will be allowed to reopen, but only at 25% of full capacity and only if a local government allows it, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced at a press conference on Wednesday. It’s the first phase of a three-phase process he named “Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step.”

However, short-term vacation rentals will be banned during Phase 1 of the governor’s drive to reopen the state’s businesses. The ban went into effect on March 27 and has been extended by Executive Orders.

While the governor hopes that Phase 1 will last only a few weeks before the state moves to Phase 2, there is no timeline, and the vacation-rental ban remains in effect. Florida Realtors continues to advocate for the ban to be lifted.

Just a PSA for our Tenants with furry little friends. You must have your pet on some kind of Flea Prevention Medication such as Advantage, Revolution, Frontline, etc. We had a property become fully infested with fleas from 1 cat. They used a flea collar. Flea collars do not work! It will cost the tenant $500 to eliminate the problem. I have heard of people having to replace entire carpet from a property because of fleas. I love pets. I have a dog and a cat myself. Please be responsible.

Every owner knows that you should always take before and after photos when renting out your house. We take it to the next level. Every property manager should also be taking before and after videos

Irma is fast approaching central Florida. If you are a tenant and plan on evacuating the area you must inform your property manager that your property will be vacant during the storm.
Please make sure you secure all outside objects and empty out food from your refrigerators should you decide to evacuate.

Make sure your agent uses a professional photographer or has the right equipment and know how to do it themselves. At Orlando Property Management Realty, we use wide angle lenses to capture the right shot. But having a nice wide photo is not enough, it’s got to look right and that’s when post-production comes into play.

With the right software you can take a good photo and take it to the next level.

Question: Our lease ends soon and I’m worried that our landlord won’t return the security deposit. We have since found out he has had several judgments against him for not returning security deposits to previous tenants. We have taken excellent care of the house. Can I use that deposit as my next-to-last month’s rent? We already paid last month’s rent when we moved in. – James

Answer: The simple answer is that neither you nor your landlord can use the security deposit as rent unless you both agree to do so. In Florida – and in many other states – the security deposit must be held in a separate bank account from the rent, and there are specific rules about how the landlord can make a claim against it.

At the end of your lease, the deposit must be returned within 15 days unless the landlord makes a claim against it for damage, and then he or she must send you a certified letter within 30 days. After you get the letter, you have 15 days to object. If you don’t, the landlord may deduct for the damage and return the rest to you.

If your landlord breaks the rules and just keeps the money – or if you object – the situation will end up in court. If you win the suit, you will get a judgment that you can “execute,” or turn into money, if the landlord does not pay you.

You’ve heard it all before, you have to have a Wide angle photography online presence in today’s world. However, what is sometimes overlooked is the importance of taking the right photo. A cell phone camera is good for a quick selfie, but when it comes to taking interior photos of your large living room, you better have something a lot better than your camera phone.

Here we have a room that was shot with a Samsung smartphone, we then shot the same room using our Canon wide-angle 11mm lens with a Speedlite flash. You can quickly see that the photo that was taken with the smartphone is darker and cuts out part of the door and fireplace making this room seem small and dark. If you are thinking of renting your property, make sure that you hire a property management company here in Orlando that has the right equipment to make your home look as good as possible.

Are you are a home owner in Orlando Florida? Do you manage your own rental ? If so, you will inevitably be faced with a tenant that fails to pay his or her rent. The best thing that you can do is hire a professional attorney to handle the eviction and of course hire Orlando Property Management Realty to manage the property once the tenants is out.

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In Orlando Florida about 20% of all foreclosures are occupied by tenants. These tenants are oftentimes overlooked or ignored in the foreclosure process. They pay their rent and suddenly one day they are notified that the property they have been renting is in foreclosure.

However; tenants rights were strengthened considerably in 2009 by the enactment of the federal law known as the Protection Tenants at Foreclosure Act. Now tenants with a long term lease agreement are entitled to continue renting the home for the duration of their lease. Should the bank take back the house the bank must honor the terms of the existing agreement. The Act also protects tenants from any rent increases or other changes to the current lease.

There is one exception: If the new owner intends to live in the property as a primary residence, tenants can be required to vacate the property before the end of their lease term; However, the new owner must still provide them with a 90-day notice.

If you are thinking of renting a house in the Orlando area you should always ask if the owner is current with their mortgage and you should always ask for a one year lease.