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

Section 16-8 of the Code of Ordinances folds the Village's general property-maintenance rules into the rental-license program: a rental dwelling unit and the structure and land around it must be maintained to the standards of the Code of Ordinances, the Wellington Land Development Regulations, and the Florida Building Code, which Wellington administers through the Planning, Zoning and Building Department under Chapter 5. That cross-reference pulls in Sections 13-2 and 13-3's exterior standards, requiring buildings kept free of mold, staining, and peeling paint, fences and walls kept vertical and repainted once ten percent of a surface is discolored, and yards free of accumulated litter.

Section 16-8(B) adds a rental-specific duty: if Wellington notifies an owner that garbage cans and recycling bins must be labeled with the property address and unit number, the owner has 30 calendar days from that written notice to comply. Section 16-8(C) makes the owner, not the tenant, legally responsible for violations connected to the rental unit, specifically the timing of setting out and retrieving garbage, bulk waste, and recycling bins for pickup, and the location and screening of those containers from the street. Because these duties run through the rental-license framework, a Code Compliance inspector checking maintenance during the Section 16-7 annual inspection can flag a Section 16-8 violation, and Section 16-14 routes enforcement through Chapter 2's special magistrate process the same as any other Chapter 16 violation.