Under Florida landlord-tenant utility laws, a landlord who rents out an apartment or other multi-unit dwelling has to provide working heat, running water, and hot water, cannot shut off or interrupt a tenant’s utility service for any reason, and faces liability of three months’ rent or actual damages (whichever is greater) plus attorney’s fees if they do. Beyond that core rule, the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act sets out who pays for what, how costs can be divided in a multi-unit building, and what a tenant can do when service fails.
What the Landlord Has to Provide
For apartments and other multi-unit dwellings, meaning anything other than a single-family home or duplex, the landlord must supply functioning heat during winter, running water, and hot water for the entire tenancy unless the lease says otherwise in writing.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 83.51 – Landlords Obligation to Maintain Premises The landlord also has to comply with applicable building, housing, and health codes.
In single-family homes and duplexes, the landlord’s baseline obligations are narrower, focused on structural components and plumbing in reasonable working condition. The lease itself can expand those duties to include utility services, and often does.
When the landlord holds the utility account for the building, paying the bill on time is their job. Letting an account lapse into disconnection is a breach of the lease and can also violate the shutoff prohibition described below. A tenant who loses service because the landlord didn’t pay has remedies that include rent withholding and lease termination.
What the Tenant Has to Do
Florida law requires every tenant to use electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems in a reasonable manner.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 83.52 – Tenants Obligation to Maintain Dwelling Unit That means not overloading circuits, not tampering with plumbing, and treating the systems as designed.
When the lease requires the tenant to open utility accounts in their own name, not doing so is a material lease violation. The landlord can deliver a written seven-day notice to cure, and if the tenant still hasn’t complied, the landlord can start eviction.3Florida Senate. Florida Code 83 – Landlord and Tenant – Section 83.56 Termination of Rental Agreement Set the accounts up right after signing.
How Utility Costs Get Divided in Multi-Unit Buildings
Landlords use two main approaches to split utilities in buildings with a master meter.
Submetering
Each unit has its own meter installed behind the utility company’s master meter, and each tenant pays for actual usage. Florida Statutes 366.8260 governs how utility services are provided in certain master-metered buildings, including cost pass-throughs to individual tenants.4Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 366.8260 – Utility Services
Ratio Utility Billing (RUBS)
RUBS divides the building’s total bill among tenants using factors like unit square footage, number of occupants, or both. It’s legal in Florida, but tenants can’t independently verify their share against actual consumption. A landlord using RUBS should put the allocation formula in the lease and provide itemized breakdowns with each bill. A RUBS charge with no explanation of how it was calculated is worth challenging.
Whichever method a landlord uses, they cannot mark up utility costs for profit. Charges passed through should reflect actual cost. If the lease allows an administrative fee, that fee has to be disclosed upfront rather than buried in an inflated bill.
Utility Deposits
Utility providers usually require a deposit before starting service. Florida Power & Light calculates its deposit based on two months of expected electric use at the property, determined by the prior occupant’s usage history.5Florida Power & Light. How Is the Deposit Amount Determined A home that averages $100 a month in electricity would carry a $200 deposit. Tenants with strong credit may qualify for a reduced deposit or a waiver.
When the landlord (not the tenant) holds the utility account, some landlords charge a separate utility deposit on top of the standard security deposit. These landlord-held utility deposits don’t automatically get the protections that Florida Statutes 83.49 gives security deposits, which requires landlords to hold security deposits in a specific manner and give the tenant written notice of how the money is held.6Justia. Florida Statutes 83.49 – Deposit Money or Advance Rent; Duty of Landlord and Tenant Whether a utility deposit gets the same treatment depends on the lease. Either way, the landlord has to return any unused portion after the tenant moves out and outstanding utility charges are settled.
Shutoffs and Other Prohibited Practices
A landlord cannot cause the termination or interruption of any utility service furnished to a tenant, directly or indirectly. The statute lists water, heat, light, electricity, gas, elevator service, garbage collection, and refrigeration, and the prohibition applies whether or not the landlord controls or pays for the service. A landlord who violates the rule is liable for actual and consequential damages or three months’ rent, whichever is greater, plus court costs and attorney’s fees.7Justia. Florida Statutes 83.67 – Prohibited Practices
The same statute forbids changing locks, using bootlocks, or removing outside doors, windows, or walls to pressure a tenant into leaving. A landlord with a nonpaying tenant still has to go through the formal eviction process. There’s no shortcut through the electricity panel.
Florida law also prohibits retaliation. If a tenant reports a code violation, joins a tenant organization, or complains to the landlord about maintenance, the landlord cannot respond by raising rent, cutting services, or threatening eviction.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 83.64 – Retaliatory Conduct A tenant can raise retaliatory conduct as a defense to eviction. The landlord can overcome that defense by proving good cause unrelated to the complaint, such as genuine nonpayment.
Withholding Rent When Utilities Fail
When a landlord fails to maintain required services in a multi-unit dwelling, including heat, running water, or hot water, rent withholding is a real option. But the procedure matters. Skipping steps turns a legitimate complaint into grounds for eviction.
The tenant delivers written notice to the landlord identifying the specific problem and stating the intent to withhold rent because of it. The landlord then has seven days to fix the issue. If seven days pass without a repair, the tenant can raise the landlord’s noncompliance as a defense in any action the landlord brings for unpaid rent.9The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 83.60 – Defenses to Action for Rent or Possession The defense only applies to violations of the landlord’s maintenance obligations under Florida Statutes 83.51(1).1The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 83.51 – Landlords Obligation to Maintain Premises
A service interruption caused by the utility company or by severe weather generally isn’t the landlord’s fault, unless the landlord was negligent, such as failing to repair a private utility line the landlord is responsible for maintaining.
Higher Bills From Medical Equipment
Tenants who use oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines, powered wheelchairs, and similar equipment often see noticeably higher electric bills. Under the Fair Housing Act, a tenant with a disability can request a reasonable accommodation when a disability-related need drives up utility costs. If the landlord includes utilities in the rent and imposes a usage cap, the tenant can ask for an exception. The landlord has to grant the request unless it creates an undue financial or administrative burden.10U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Joint Statement on Reasonable Accommodations Under the Fair Housing Act
The landlord cannot charge extra fees or require additional deposits as a condition of granting a reasonable accommodation.10U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Joint Statement on Reasonable Accommodations Under the Fair Housing Act The tenant does need to show a connection between the disability and the accommodation, but does not have to disclose a specific diagnosis. A letter from a healthcare provider confirming the need for the equipment is typically enough.
Help Paying Utility Bills
Florida tenants who can’t keep up with utility bills may qualify for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federally funded program administered through FloridaCommerce and local community action agencies. Eligible households can receive payments made directly to the utility company on the tenant’s behalf.11FloridaJobs.org. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
To qualify, a household’s total income has to be at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. For 2026, that’s $23,475 for a single person and $48,225 for a family of four.12The LIHEAP Clearinghouse. Federal Poverty Guidelines for FFY 2026 Applicants also need to be Florida residents, responsible for paying their own heating or cooling bills, and U.S. citizens or qualified permanent residents.11FloridaJobs.org. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Applications go through local agency providers, not the state directly.
For water and sewer bills specifically, the federal Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) once provided similar help, but funding expired in 2022. As of mid-2025, Congress was considering legislation to re-establish the program permanently, though no new funding had been enacted.
When You Have a Billing Dispute
Most utility disputes start with a surprise bill or an unexplained charge. Start with written communication to the landlord that describes the problem and asks for an explanation or correction. That written record matters if the dispute escalates.
If the landlord won’t resolve it, options depend on the amount at stake. Florida’s small claims court handles claims up to $8,000. Claims between $8,000 and $50,000 go to county civil court. A tenant who believes the landlord engaged in deceptive billing may also have a claim under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, which broadly prohibits unfair or deceptive acts in any commercial transaction.13The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 501.204 – Unlawful Acts and Practices Many Florida counties also offer low-cost or free mediation, and a mediated agreement is enforceable in court.