Palm Beach County Landlord Legal Guide · Florida Statute §83.505 · HB 615

Florida Email Notice Rule (HB 615) — One Year In: Why Most Palm Beach County Landlords Still Don’t Have Compliant Leases

By Jean Taveras, Broker-Owner, Atlis Property Management  ·  Published July 2025  ·  Updated July 1, 2026

On April 29, 2025, Governor DeSantis signed House Bill 615, creating Florida Statute §83.505 and establishing email as a lawful delivery method for required rental notices for the first time in Florida history. The law took effect July 1, 2025. One year later, Atlis has reviewed lease files across Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, and West Palm Beach. The consistent finding: the majority of self-managing Palm Beach County landlords have no signed §83.505 addendum. They are emailing statutory notices — some legally consequential — on an invalid basis. This guide covers every compliance requirement, the addendum language, and the five most common failures.

1. What Florida Statute §83.505 Actually Requires

The statute has a single gating condition: a signed written addendum, separate from the rental agreement itself. Verbal agreement, routine email history, and lease clauses do not qualify. Four requirements apply:

• Signed by both parties with each designating a valid email address for receipt of notices.
• Conspicuously states the election is voluntary — cannot be minimized or buried.
• Advises consent is revocable at any time by written notice, effective upon delivery.
• Structured as a separate addendum — Florida Realtors advises the consent language should not appear in the lease body. The statute specifies an addendum.

Once executed, the addendum authorizes email delivery under: §83.49 (security deposit notices), §83.50 (landlord address disclosure), §83.51 (pest control vacate), §83.56 (termination), and §83.575 (end-of-lease notices). Email notices are deemed delivered when sent unless they bounce; the sender must retain proof of transmission.

Source: Florida Statute §83.505 as enacted by HB 615 (2025). Consult a Florida real estate attorney for your specific situation.

2. The Specific Lease Addendum Language Landlords Need

The Legislature wrote the statutory form directly into §83.505. The addendum must be “in substantially the following form” and must include both the landlord election (receiving tenant notices) and the tenant election (receiving landlord notices). Both sections must be present. Below is the statutory language from the Florida Senate's published version of §83.505:

Landlord Election — Tenant Sends Notices to Landlord by Email

Notices from a tenant may contain time-sensitive information about the tenant's housing.
The election to receive notices from the tenant by e-mail is voluntary.

☐  I, [landlord or landlord's agent name], the landlord or the landlord's agent,
    agree to receive notices required by the rental agreement or under part II of
    chapter 83, Florida Statutes, from the tenant by e-mail.

    Designated e-mail address for notices from the tenant:
    _______________________________________________________

    I may revoke this agreement by providing written notice to the tenant.
    Revocation is effective upon delivery and does not affect prior valid notices.
    I may update my e-mail address by providing written notice specifying the new address.

☐  I do not agree to receive notices by e-mail.

Landlord/Agent Signature: _____________________  Date: __________

Tenant Election — Landlord Sends Notices to Tenant by Email

Notices from a landlord may contain time-sensitive information about a tenant's housing.
The election to receive notices from the landlord by e-mail is voluntary.

☐  I, [tenant name], the tenant, agree to receive notices required by the rental
    agreement or under part II of chapter 83, Florida Statutes, from the landlord
    by e-mail.

    Designated e-mail address for notices from the landlord:
    _______________________________________________________

    I may revoke this agreement by providing written notice to the landlord.
    Revocation is effective upon delivery and does not affect prior valid notices.
    I may update my e-mail address by providing written notice specifying the new address.

☐  I do not agree to receive notices by e-mail.

Tenant Signature: _____________________  Date: __________

3. The 5 Most Common §83.505 Compliance Failures in Palm Beach County

Failure 1 — No Addendum At All

The most common failure. Landlords who text and email tenants regularly assume mutual communication constitutes consent. It does not. Six months of email history is not a §83.505 addendum. Every statutory notice sent by email without a signed addendum since July 1, 2025 is legally invalid.

Failure 2 — Consent Embedded in the Lease Body

Lease platforms and template services updated their standard forms to include email consent language in a notices clause or communications paragraph. This fails the statute. The addendum must be a separately signed document — a court reviewing a deposit dispute will ask to see the addendum, not a lease clause.

Failure 3 — Only One Direction of Consent Signed

The addendum has two independent sections: the landlord election and the tenant election. Many landlords execute only one section and then email in both directions. Each direction requires its corresponding signed election.

Failure 4 — No Proof of Transmission Retained

Section 83.505 explicitly requires the sender to maintain a copy of every notice sent electronically and evidence of transmission. A notice sent from a personal Gmail account with no delivery confirmation or archived proof is legally sent — but unprovable in a dispute. Timestamped email management with retained sent-folder documentation is the minimum standard.

Failure 5 — Continuing to Email After Tenant Revokes Consent

Either party can revoke consent at any time by written notice, effective upon delivery. A tenant who mails a written revocation has validly revoked. Any email notices sent after revocation are invalid. Track revocations and shift delivery method immediately.

“All five failures share a common root: treating §83.505 as a convenience upgrade rather than a compliance statute with specific procedural conditions. Email notice is only as valid as the addendum behind it.”

— Jean Taveras, Broker-Owner, Atlis Property Management · FL Broker License CQ1071712

4. What Happens If You Serve Notice by Email Without a Proper Opt-In

Security Deposit Claims — §83.49 Consequences

Section 83.49 requires a landlord to send written notice of any claim against a security deposit within 30 days of the tenant vacating, using a legally valid delivery method. A landlord who emails this notice without a signed §83.505 addendum has sent no valid notice in the eyes of Florida law. The result: full forfeiture of the security deposit, regardless of documented damage or unpaid rent. On a $4,200/month Jupiter property with a two-month deposit, that is $8,400 in forfeited deductions traceable to a missing addendum.

Lease Termination and Eviction Timeline

A non-renewal or termination notice sent by email without a valid addendum does not start the notice clock. If a landlord emails a 60-day non-renewal notice in reliance on invalid email delivery, and the tenant refuses to vacate, the landlord must restart the notice period using a valid delivery method — extending the timeline and carrying cost. At $4,200/month, one additional month of timeline extension from a notice error costs $4,200 before eviction proceedings can begin.

5. Palm Beach County-Specific Considerations

HOA Notice Requirements Are Separate from §83.505

Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens governed communities — PGA National, Abacoa, BallenIsles — impose notice requirements under Chapter 720 (HOAs) and Chapter 718 (condominiums), not Chapter 83. The §83.505 email authorization applies only to Chapter 83 notices. HOA tenant approval applications, violation cure notices, and lease compliance certifications remain subject to community-specific communication requirements. A signed §83.505 addendum does not extend to HOA correspondence.

The §83.49 Disclosure Language Was Also Updated

HB 615 updated the mandatory security deposit disclosure that landlords must provide at tenancy commencement. The revised language now references email as a permissible delivery method in accordance with §83.505. Lease move-in packages containing the pre-July 1, 2025 disclosure language are outdated and should be updated at the next lease renewal.

Oral Lease Tenancies Cannot Use §83.505

Month-to-month oral tenancies common in workforce housing submarkets in West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach cannot use email delivery under §83.505. The statute requires a written addendum to a rental agreement. An oral lease has no written agreement to attach an addendum to. Traditional delivery methods remain the only lawful option for these tenancies.

Frequently Asked Questions — Florida §83.505 / HB 615