JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Renters across Northeast Florida keep reaching out to the News4JAX I-TEAM with the same frustration: problems in their homes that don\u2019t get fixed fast enough\u2014or at all. <\/p>\n
In the station\u2019s ongoing \u201cJustice 4 All\u201d series, we\u2019re looking at the question: What are your rights under Florida law if your landlord won\u2019t address serious issues?<\/p>\n
WATCH: Press play above to see attorney Millicient Daniels\u2019 full interview with Jennifer Waugh<\/p>\n
Local attorney Millicent Daniels says Florida tenants do have protections, starting with the condition of the home itself, what she called \u201cthe right to be living in habitable\u2026 spaces.\u201d <\/p>\n
That means rental units must meet legal standards and \u201cbe in compliance with the codes and law\u201d for basics like \u201cplumbing, heating, locked doors, windows,\u201d Daniels said.<\/p>\n
Daniels also emphasized that renters are protected from discrimination under state and federal law. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey have the right to make sure that they\u2019re not being discriminated against,\u201d she said, noting categories protected by fair housing laws, including \u201crace, sexual orientation, disability, religion.\u201d<\/p>\n
A critical issue raised in the I-TEAM\u2019s reporting was utilities. <\/p>\n
Daniels said tenants \u201chave a right to ensure that there\u2019s no interference or interruption or termination of their utility services,\u201d including \u201cyour gas, your water, your electricity.\u201d <\/p>\n
She added that those services \u201ccannot be interrupted or terminated\u201d due to a landlord\u2019s direct or indirect actions.<\/p>\n
Beyond repairs and utilities, Daniels said renters also have the right to \u201cquiet enjoyment,\u201d meaning the right \u201cnot to be disturbed and to live private and peacefully.\u201d <\/p>\n
If a landlord needs to enter for repairs or inspections, she said they must \u201cnotify the tenant in writing within 24 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
So what should renters do if they\u2019ve reported a problem and nothing changes? <\/p>\n
Start with documentation, Daniels said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing that you need to do is to go ahead and put it in writing, detail your complaint,\u201d she said. \u201cSend pictures of the particular condition that needs to be repaired.\u201d <\/p>\n
She recommends photos that are \u201ctime and date stamped,\u201d and then sending a \u201ccertified\u2026 notice directly to the landlord\u201d to create a clear paper trail.<\/p>\n
If that still doesn\u2019t resolve the issue, Daniels suggests escalating to local authorities. <\/p>\n
\u201cI would recommend to go ahead and get code enforcement involved,\u201d she said, explaining that code enforcement can inspect properties \u201cto make sure that they\u2019re in compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n
And if conditions remain unsafe or unresolved, she advises renters to get legal guidance. <\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely you need to go ahead and contact a landlord-tenant lawyer\u201d to discuss options such as \u201cpossibly withholding rent and getting out of your lease,\u201d Daniels said.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Renters across Northeast Florida keep reaching out to the News4JAX I-TEAM with the same frustration:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199400,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29,10316,5435,40653],"class_list":["post-199399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-i-team","tag-justice-4-all","tag-news4jax-at-10-a-m"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}