Florida House Bill 837 (HB837): How Can Property Managers Prepare?

Starting in 2025, a new law will require Florida property managers to adhere to certain security requirements in their multifamily properties. Learn more about Florida House Bill 837, its legal requirements for property owners or managers, and how you can prepare for it to go into effect.

If you’re a Florida apartment complex owner or multifamily property manager, you need to know about Florida House Bill 837 (HB837).  Beginning on January 1, 2025, this new law will require property owners to follow specific security measures to help prevent crime and boost safety. 

Ignoring HB837 could lead to legal and financial issues, so now is the time for property managers to start looking at their current security needs and taking required actions.

Read on to learn more about Florida House Bill 837 and how to stay compliant.

What is Florida House Bill 837 (HB837)?Title

Florida House Bill 837 is a new law that gives property managers some added protections to help guard them from legal challenges.

This bill applies to you if you’re a Florida owner or principal operator of Florida multifamily properties with five or more units — apartments, townhouses and condominiums all qualify. The bill requires owners and operators’ properties to undergo a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) assessment by January 1. 

Here is how Florida House Bill 837 may impact property managers:

• Makes changes to reduce pointless lawsuits and aggressive tactics from trial lawyers.
• Adjusts the rules around bad faith claims to create a fairer legal process for everyone involved.
• Remove one-way attorney’s fees and extra fees, easing financial pressure on property owners from lawsuits.
• Protects Floridians from being held responsible for damages if the person suing is found to be more at fault for their injuries.
• Gives more protection to property managers facing lawsuits related to criminal acts, as long as they follow a safety checklist.
• Sets clear guidelines for juries when deciding medical damages, promoting fairness in legal cases.
• Reduces the time someone has to file a general negligence lawsuit from four years to two, encouraging faster resolutions.

What does HB837 mean for property managers?Title

In short, the new law will protect multifamily property managers from liability if an individual is injured while lawfully on the premises — but only if they ensure that their properties meet adequate safety standards.

Come January 1, all property managers will be required to pass a CPTED assessment. This step is essential to ensuring a presumption against liability for any third-party crimes that occur on the premises of your Florida apartment complex, townhouse, or condominium units. 

In other words, if you don’t want to be liable for third-party crimes on your multi unit properties, it’s critical to understand CPTED and take several key steps before 2025 arrives.

FREE DOWNLOAD: The Ultimate Guide to Multi-Family Security for Property Managers & OwnersA

How should property managers prepare for Florida House Bill 837 to go into effect?Title

Starting January 1, 2025, your property must be in compliance with a range of new requirements. Depending on your property’s current security measures, this may require some preparation. 

Step One: Get familiar with the basics of CPTED.Title

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)A is an approach that makes properties less appealing for crime while boosting community safety in a sustainable way. This might mean incorporating well-lit areas, clear signage, and nicely maintained landscaping.

By designing environments thoughtfully, CPTED (pronounced SEP-TED) creates spaces that naturally help deter crime. In some spaces, CPTED is known as “designing out crime” or “defensible space.” But all aim for the same thing: using key strategies to reduce victimization, deter offender decisions that precede crime, and build a sense of community among residents. 

What does CPTED for apartments, townhouses, condos or other multi-unit properties look like? It is a matter of embracing five principles: 

• Natural access controlsA means it provides clear entrances and exits. This may include gates, well-placed landscaping, signage, lighting and more. 
• Natural surveillanceA occurs through lighting, window placement and landscaping that allows for “eyes” on a location. In addition to using proper lighting, it includes maintaining landscaping to project a message of care and upkeep.
• Territorial reinforcementA entails creating a sense of belonging and ownership in a given space. A well-cared-for space signals to potential offenders that people will likely notice suspicious behavior.
• Activity supportA refers to use of a given space for key activities, such as a playground or street activities like neighborhood get-togethers, fairs, or farmer’s markets.
• MaintenanceA reflects the upkeep of common areas. Lights work, landscaping is maintained, and there is no visible trash or graffiti. This signals that the property is cared for.

Step Two: Create and implement your CPTED strategy before 1/1/25.Title

Complying with HB 837 requires several steps that focus on physical security measures, implementation assessments and employee training. 

Under the new law, the following physical security controls are required to be in place starting January 1, 2025:

• A security camera system: Cameras must be installed at all entrances and exits to record and maintain retrievable video footage for at least 30 days.

• Lighting requirements: Parking lots must be well-lit, with lighting of at least 1.8 foot-candles per square foot at 18 inches above the surface. This needs to occur from dusk until dawn or controlled by a photocell. In addition, walkways, common areas such as hallways and laundry rooms and porches, must be illuminated from dusk to dawn or controlled by a photocell.

• Door and window locksA: There must be a one-inch deadbolt on all dwelling unit doors. In addition, locking devices must be installed on each window, exterior sliding doors, and all other doors that aren’t used for community purposes.

• Peephole or window next to unit doors: Every dwelling door also needs to feature a window in it or next to it. If it doesn’t, then a peephole must be installed. Most peephole devices cost about $20, and your maintenance team can easily install them.

• Pool safety: Properties with swimming pools must have locked gates requiring key or fob access along pool fence areas. This is a smart safety if your complex has children living in it.

• Secure entrances: Pedestrian security gates must be equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) readers. These gates are a visible reminder to criminals that they aren’t welcome there. 

Step Three: Perform employee training on crime deterrence and safety.Title

Florida multifamily property owners need to provide proper crime deterrence and safety training to employees by January 1, 2025. For all employees hired after 1/1/25, that same training needs to be provided within 60 days of hire date.

As part of the safety training, be sure to educate employees on the security principles laid out in the law. This training should be conducted every three years, so make sure to incorporate it into your current employee training and assessment schedule.

The bill requires the Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute of the Department of Legal Affairs to develop proposed curriculum or best practices for owners or operators. This curriculum will provide more specifics you can embrace in your training.

Step Four: Schedule a CPTED security assessment for each property before 1/1/25. Title

Your property must have a CPTED assessment performed by a law enforcement agency or a Florida CPTED practitioner before January 1, 2025. 

This assessment will evaluate the property’s current safety features and identify areas for improvement to align with CPTED standards. These assessments are important for spotting vulnerabilities and making the necessary improvements to lower potential crime risks.

How can property managers ensure they stay compliant with CPTED requirements?Title

Incorporating the required elements of the bill and the assessment are two strides you can take as a multi unit property owner to ensure you’re not held liable for any potential crimes that occur there. Contact your local law enforcement office as soon as you have all of the above-mentioned items in place to schedule property assessments.

Property managers might also consider investing in a tech-enabled security solution like Deep SentinelA. These systems make use of advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence and real-time surveillance, to provide an added layer of protection. Implementing such technologies can help to deter criminal activity even further by offering instant notification of suspicious behavior to security personnel or law enforcement.

Not only does Deep Sentinel security help fulfill the camera requirement, but our unique approach also melds AI-powered tech with human intervention for enhanced accuracy in threat detection. By integrating these systems, property managers can ensure that their premises are not only compliant with the latest security regulations but are also equipped to effectively prevent crime.