Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Florida

I have lived in an Florida apartment complex for many years. The latest management has adopted a policy of giving notice for certain actions and then threatening random fees for not complying. For example, I will receive a notice on my door for a fire extinguisher inspection where we must place our extinguishers outside our door in the morning of a certain day and bring them in after inspected by the fire department. The notice also threatens a $75 fee if this is not done, with �no exceptions.� I don�t think this is legal. Sometimes the notice will be placed on the door the afternoon before. There is nothing in the lease that I can find about being subject to such fees, only that I must allow access to my apartment for inspections.
I also saw a notice lately on the garbage compactor claiming a $50 fee for leaving your trash outside the compactor. The problem is that the single compactor is sometimes full and garbage piles up in front of it. I�m not going to take my garbage back to my house!
Please tell me what you think of these fees. Thank you.

Asked on 4/22/10, 8:35 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

Lucreita Becude Lucreita D. Becude, P.A.

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The new management probably sent you something in writing as to the new policies. It would appear that these are for you safety. I suggest you contact the landlord as to the trash notice and state that if they can not supply sufficient receptacles for disposal of trash, that you will report them to the health department. Otherwise, move.

Answered on 4/28/10, 7:30 am

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