Osceola County, FL Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

1, the door that provides primary access to a dwelling unit, rooming unit, or housekeeping unit that is rented, leased, or let must carry a deadbolt lock openable from the inside without a key or special knowledge, with a minimum lock throw of one inch, installed to the manufacturer's specifications and kept in good working order; a sliding bolt does not count as a deadbolt for this purpose. 1 (Code § 5-60(d)(2)): the exterior of a structure must be kept in good repair, structurally sound, and sanitary, and both owner and occupant share responsibility, with the owner-occupant answering for the whole structure and any occupant of a rented unit answering for the part they occupy and control.

2 (§ 5-60(d)(3)) adds that exterior surfaces, including doors, frames, trim and siding, must be protected from decay, repainted when paint peels or flakes, and kept weathertight at every joint. These maintenance and lock rules are enforced by the county administrator as building official, with general violations of the adopted codes punished under § 1-6 (§ 5-59). The rules were carried into the current code by Ordinance No. 2016-64, which folded the 2015 IPMC amendments into Article III.