Doral, FL Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Hot water minimum
- 120°F at every outlet (§ 5-151)
- Required fixtures
- Kitchen sink, toilet, tub/shower, lavatory
- Applies to
- Every dwelling, regardless of construction date
- Landlord penalty
- Automatic forfeiture of rental rights
- Vacant units
- Cannot be occupied until fully compliant
- Enforced by
- Code compliance department, per-day violations
Summary
Every dwelling in Doral, rented or owner-occupied, has to meet the city's Minimum Housing Code. City Code § 5-61 sets minimum standards for sanitation, utilities, and safe occupancy, backed by hard numbers like 120-degree hot water and required plumbing fixtures, enforced by the code compliance department.
The purpose of this article is to protect the public health, safety, morals and welfare of the people of the city by establishing minimum standards governing the condition, occupancy, and maintenance of dwellings, dwelling units, roominghouses, rooming units and premises; establishing minimum standards governing utilities, facilities, and other physical components and conditions essential to make dwellings, dwelling units, roominghouses, rooming units, and premises safe, sanitary, and fit for human habitation; fixing certain responsibilities and duties of owners, operators, agents and occupants of dwellings, and dwelling units, roominghouses, and rooming units, and the condemnation and vacating of those dwellings, dwelling units, roominghouses, and rooming units unfit for human habitation; and fixing penalties for violation of any of the provisions of this article; and to authorize the charging of a fee for the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 5, Article III establishes minimum standards for the condition, occupancy, and maintenance of every dwelling in the city, and Section 5-63 makes clear this applies to all dwellings 'irrespective of when such building shall have been constructed, altered or repaired' and regardless of any permit or license issued before the article took effect. The standards are specific: Section 5-151 requires every dwelling to have an adequate hot water supply capable of delivering water at a minimum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit at each outlet; Section 5-154 requires a kitchen sink, toilet, bathtub or shower, and lavatory connected to both hot and cold lines; Section 5-155 requires properly connected electric service; and Section 5-156 requires installed cooking facilities or the utility connections for them.
Section 5-150 bars anyone from occupying or renting out a vacant dwelling unit until it is in good repair, clean, sanitary, and in full compliance with the article. In buildings of three or more units, Section 5-147 puts the owner on the hook for keeping shared hallways and common areas clean and sanitary, and Section 5-145 requires the owner to supply adequate garbage and rubbish containers. Section 5-60(d) gives the rule real teeth against landlords specifically: an owner of leased premises who fails to comply automatically forfeits any rental rights, and continuing to rent the unit out is itself treated as a separate Code violation.
Violations & Fines
Violations are enforced by the code compliance department, and Section 5-60 makes each day a dwelling stays out of compliance a separate offense. An owner of leased premises who fails to comply forfeits the right to rent that unit under Section 5-60(d), and any further renting after that point is itself an additional violation of the Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Doral's housing code apply only to rental units?
What if my landlord in Doral won't fix the hot water heater?
Can I be evicted while my unit is under a housing code violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Doral
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Doral to another location·View the Florida rental property rules overview
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