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<p class="MsoNormal">We have been getting several emails from landlords regarding their responsibility for repairs and maintenance that are deferable or can otherwise be postponed. The repairs/maintenance to which they are referring are ones that don’t effect
habitability (no a/c), aren’t required to correct a code violations, and don’t impact tenant safety. Think a dripping faucet, a missing/broken cabinet door handle and the other inconveniences that aren’t crucial but are fixed in the normal course of a landlord’s
daily maintenance requests. My take-away from these emails is that the landlords are trying to reduce their risk of their maintenance techs contracting Coronavirus by only responding to essential maintenance, because even the healthy looking tenant could
be a carrier that’s not sick yet.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The leases that these landlords have sent don’t really have anything that addresses emergency deferral/postponement of maintenance. Chapter 83 Part II might help. The tenant’s remedy for a landlord’s unilateral postponement of non-crucial
maintenance would be a Tenant 7Cure. But 83.56(1) requires the “landlord materially fails to comply with … material provisions of the rental agreement…. The argument is that this minor, nuisance or cosmetic maintenance is not material. And even if it is
material, under 86.56(1)(b) the unit isn’t untenable and there’s no real “loss of rental value caused by the noncompliance.”
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your thoughts.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Mike<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Michael Geo. F. Davis<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Attorney at Law<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The MGFD Law Firm PA<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Countryside Colonial Center<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2753 SR 580, Suite 209<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Clearwater, FL 33761-3351<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">P 727-726-1900<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">F 727-726-7440<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">mike@mgfdlaw.com<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Primary Eservice: eservice@mgfdlaw.com<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mgfdlaw.com/"><span style="color:windowtext">www.mgfdlaw.com</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt">The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmissions, dissemination or other
use of this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient(s) is unauthorized and prohibited. Any transmission of confidential and/or privileged material to persons or entities other than the intended recipient(s) shall not be construed
as a waiver of any privilege or confidence. If you receive this transmission in error, please contact the sender and delete the material. Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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