For landlords
Hurricane prep and storm repairs for Florida landlords
Decide who puts up the shutters before June and write it into the lease, because Florida's repair statute doesn't name shutters. After a storm, you can enter at any time to protect or preserve the property, and if the damage makes the home substantially unusable, section 83.63 lets the tenant end the lease or pay less rent. Fast written updates and dated photos protect you with the tenant, the insurer and, if it comes to it, a judge.
Updated Last checked 3 min read
Quick answer
- Assign shutter duty in the lease, and store the panels where the tenant can find them.
- Section 83.53 lets you enter to protect or preserve the property without the usual notice.
- Serious storm damage: the tenant can end the lease or pay less under section 83.63.
- Other damage follows section 83.51 and the 7-day notice.
- Give your insurer notice of the claim within one year.
On this page
Before June
- Write the shutter plan into the lease: who installs, who removes, and how much warning you give
- Label every panel and keep the hardware with them
- Photograph the home, inside and out, with the date, as your before picture
- Trim trees that overhang the roof
- Check your hurricane deductible in dollars and your loss of rents coverage
- Give the tenant a phone number and an email that someone answers during a storm
For a single-family home or duplex, section 83.51(1) lets the lease change the landlord's repair duties in writing, so a clear shutter clause holds. In an apartment or condo, check what the association handles before you promise anything in the lease.
Getting in before and after
Section 83.53 normally requires at least 24 hours' notice to enter for repairs, between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. It also lets a landlord enter at any time to protect or preserve the property. A storm on the way, or a roof open to the rain afterward, is that situation. Text and email the tenant anyway, before you go, so nobody is surprised.
When the damage is serious
Under section 83.63, when damage the tenant didn't cause substantially impairs the use of the home, the tenant chooses. They can end the lease and leave right away, or leave only the unusable part and pay rent reduced by its fair rental value. If they end the lease, the deposit goes back under section 83.49(3), on the usual 15- and 30-day clocks. Since 2025, you also have to let the tenant collect their belongings once it's safe, or set a date within a reasonable time.
- Rent
- $2,800, three bedrooms
- Unusable after the storm
- One bedroom, ceiling down
- Agreed reduction
- $650 a month until repaired
- Rent during repairs
- $2,150
Illustrative. Put the amount and the end date in an email both of you confirm.
Damage the tenant can live with
When the home is still livable, say a leaking window or a dead AC compressor after a surge, ordinary repair rules apply. If the tenant gives written notice of a material problem under section 83.51(1) and it isn't fixed within 7 days, section 83.56(1) lets them end the lease, and section 83.60(1)(b) can cut the rent in court. After a big storm, contractors are booked for weeks. Write the tenant with the plan, the contractor's name and the dates, and keep doing it. That record is what shows you acted.
The insurance claim
Step 1: Stop further damage
Tarp the roof and board openings. Your policy likely requires reasonable emergency steps and pays for them. Keep receipts.
Step 2: Document
Dated photos and video, matched against your before pictures.
Step 3: Notify
Give notice within one year of the loss, per section 627.70132. Sooner is better.
Step 4: Track the lost rent
If you carry loss of rents coverage, keep the lease, the ledger and the dates the home was unusable.
The tenant's belongings are their insurer's job, not yours. That's one more reason to require renters insurance in the lease.
Questions people ask
Is a Florida landlord required to put up hurricane shutters?
Chapter 83 doesn't name shutters, so the lease decides. For a house or duplex, a written lease clause can assign the job to the tenant.
Can I enter my rental before a hurricane without notice?
Section 83.53 lets a landlord enter at any time to protect or preserve the property. Tell the tenant anyway.
Does the tenant keep paying rent after hurricane damage?
If the home is substantially unusable, the tenant can end the lease or pay reduced rent for the part they still use, under section 83.63. Otherwise rent stays due.
For owners
Away for storm season? Let a licensed agent handle the leasing.
A licensed agent prices your rental from signed leases, lists it on the MLS and answers your questions within 1 hour, 8am to 9pm.
Questions first? Call 888-601-8344 or email hello@rentvana.com.
Words in this guide
Sources
- Florida Statutes, section 83.51: Landlord's obligation to maintain premisesleg.state.fl.us
- Florida Statutes, section 83.53: Landlord's access to dwelling unitleg.state.fl.us
- Florida Statutes, section 83.63: Casualty damageleg.state.fl.us
- Florida Statutes, section 83.49: Deposit money or advance rent, duty of landlord and tenantleg.state.fl.us
- Florida Statutes, section 83.56: Termination of rental agreementleg.state.fl.us
- Florida Statutes, section 83.60: Defenses to action for rent or possession, procedureleg.state.fl.us
- Florida Statutes, section 627.70132: Notice of property insurance claimleg.state.fl.us
- Florida Department of Financial Services: Natural disasters, are you prepared? (May 2025)myfloridacfo.com
Checked against these sources on by Rentvana Editorial. If something has changed, email hello@rentvana.com and we'll fix it.
Questions?
Call 888-601-8344 to talk to a licensed agent, or email hello@rentvana.com and one gets back to you within 1 hour, 8am to 9pm.