If you ask any rental company staff member they can tell you about the many instances they experience of overcrowding in a rental condo or home. Several have spoken about renters asking for four parking permits, though they were renting a 2 or 3 bedroom unit. This is not just a local issue. The overcrowding of rental vacation homes is a nationwide problem.

In recent years the act of renting a vacation home or condo has become automated. Renters can complete the whole process online and never have to visit an office. While this has reduced the rental company staffs and streamlined the process, it has also lead to a nationwide problem of overbooking the occupancy of a unit.

Owners, online software and rental companies alike have allowed the industry to overbook the number of guests to a dangerous level. The insurance companies and Fire Inspectors have taken notice. Vacation communities across the nation have begun to introduce laws with financial penalties to owners and management companies who abuse the system.

Rental laws are typically created and passed at a city government level for resort communities. Due to the excessive overcrowding problem, the State of Florida is proposing a blanket law to limit the amount of renters by the number of bedrooms.

Florida Senate Bill 280 (SB 280) regulates short-term rentals and takes effect July 1, 2024. The new law still allows most community ordinances, but it gives power to the State to inspect and enforce vacation rental records. Even those of large internet booking companies. The new law states that five or more violations on five separate days during a 60-day period would generate a suspension. The State of Florida has also budgeted for State Inspectors who will audit the records for online services and community adherence.

The State of Alabama and coastal communities do audit rental units but their focus is on tax collection for the rentals. Florida's new law is an attempt to stop the "Party House" and "Multi-Family" bookings in homes and condos designed and licensed for less occupancy.

The new Florida law already has some controversy but rental owners and businesses in the State are already implementing new online standards. Other coastal States are closely watching Florida for implementation and results from the law. A summary of the legislation can be found on the State's website.