Home › Property management › Orange County
Orange County · Property management
Property management in Orange County.
Orange County prohibits refusing a tenant because of their lawful source of income, including Housing Choice Vouchers, under Chapter 22 of the county code — and that rule applies countywide, in all 13 municipalities. Owners of three or fewer rental homes are exempt, but the exemption disappears the moment you use a real estate management company or a listing service. Hiring a manager or posting on a syndicated site moves you from exempt to covered.
What Orange County rents for right now
Almost every published Orange County rent number is a multifamily number, and Orange County's apartment inventory is weighted toward recent deliveries downtown, along I-Drive and around Lake Nona, so the survey average describes newer buildings rather than the 1970s-1990s houses and townhomes that make up much of the actual lease market. The county also carries a large block of housing near the attractions that cycles between nightly and annual use, and neither portal captures that cleanly. A three-bedroom in Pine Hills and a three-bedroom in Windermere are both filed as an Orange County three-bedroom.
| Bedrooms | Typical range, houses & condos |
|---|---|
| 1 bed | $1,450 – $1,750 |
| 2 bed | $1,750 – $2,150 |
| 3 bed | $2,150 – $2,650 |
Ranges are built from RentCafe / Yardi Matrix multifamily averages for Orlando dated August 31, 2026 and the Census Bureau QuickFacts median gross rent of $1,775 for Orange County from the 2020-2024 ACS. Countywide ranges, not a valuation. We run comps on your specific address.
The county rule that changes the day you hand over the keys
Orange County's fair housing protections live in Chapter 22, Article IV of the county code, not in Chapter 83 of the Florida Statutes. That distinction is the whole story. When the Legislature passed HB 1417, effective July 1, 2023, it preempted local ordinances that regulate the landlord-tenant relationship, and Orange County's Rental Notices Ordinance 2022-27 went with it — the 60-day written notice for increases above five percent and the 60-day notice on month-to-month terminations are no longer enforceable county rules. Notice periods in Orange County are now whatever Florida law says statewide, currently 30 days to terminate a month-to-month tenancy. The source-of-income protection survived because it sits in the county's human rights and fair housing framework, which state law mirrors elsewhere, rather than in Chapter 83.
The practical shape of that protection matters more than the headline. The ordinance reaches landlords and property managers countywide and treats any lawful source of income as protected — voucher assistance, Social Security, veterans' benefits, child support, alimony, retirement income. There is a small-owner carve-out for someone renting a single room or holding three or fewer homes, but Orange County's own enforcement posture is that the carve-out lapses when the owner engages a management company or advertises through a listing service. Complaints run through the Office of Tenant Services, opened in March 2023, which has up to 100 days to investigate, and unresolved matters can move to civil court. On short-term rentals, Orange County is one of the Florida jurisdictions whose restrictions predate June 1, 2011, so they survive the state preemption in section 509.032(7)(b): in unincorporated residential zoning the county permits an owner-occupied bed-and-breakfast homestay arrangement, and prohibits whole-home rental for stays under 30 days. The City of Orlando runs its own separate pre-2011 home-share registration.
What that means if you own here: Write your screening criteria as income-to-rent ratio, not income source, and make sure the voucher payment standard counts toward the ratio — a policy that says "no Section 8" is a direct violation once a manager or a listing service is in the picture, and that is true whether you own thirty houses or two. Get your advertising copy audited for the same reason, because the ordinance reaches the listing, not just the decision. If you bought expecting to run the property nightly, confirm the parcel is not in unincorporated residential zoning before you furnish it, since the pre-2011 grandfathering means Orange County can actually enforce the 30-day floor that most Florida counties lost. And stop budgeting around the old 60-day notice rule; plan renewals on the state timeline instead.
Four things that make this county its own animal
Source of income is a protected class here
Chapter 22, Article IV of the Orange County code makes it unlawful to refuse to rent to someone because of a lawful income source, and it names Housing Choice Vouchers specifically. It applies countywide, not just in unincorporated Orange. Screening policy, advertising language and application scoring all need to be consistent with it.
The 2022 notice ordinance is no longer enforceable
Orange County Ordinance 2022-27 required 60 days' written notice to raise rent by more than five percent and 60 days on month-to-month terminations. Florida's HB 1417 preempted local landlord-tenant regulation as of July 1, 2023, and the county's own tenant rights material now cites the 30-day state standard instead. Landlord-tenant procedure in Orange County is state law, same as everywhere else in Florida.
Short-term rental rules that actually have teeth
Because Orange County's restrictions were on the books before June 1, 2011, they are grandfathered under Florida Statutes 509.032(7)(b) and survive state preemption. Unincorporated residential zoning allows an owner-occupied homestay arrangement but not whole-home rental under 30 days. A Florida Attorney General opinion warns that amending a grandfathered ordinance can forfeit the protection for the amended provisions.
A county office that takes tenant complaints
The Office of Tenant Services opened in March 2023 and handles education, mediation and discrimination complaints, with up to 100 days to investigate. Even with the notice ordinance preempted, the office still receives and processes fair housing complaints under the county's own ordinance. Documentation habits matter more here than in counties with no equivalent office.
Cities we cover in Orange County
Each city page carries its own rent ranges, its own local rules and the thing about that market that actually changes what an owner should do. They are not this page with the name swapped.
| City | What makes it different |
|---|---|
| Apopka | Apopka's median home was built in 2002. Its systems are all reaching replacement age together. |
| Lake Nona | Almost no rental house in Lake Nona was built before the year 2000. |
| Orlando | Renters outnumber owners in Orlando. Six in ten households rent. |
| Winter Garden | Much of what is marketed as Winter Garden is not in Winter Garden at all. |
| Winter Park | City code prohibits any stay under 30 days. There is no permit that changes that. |
Where we work in Orange County
Orange County covers Orlando plus twelve other municipalities — Apopka, Winter Park, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Maitland, Windermere, Belle Isle, Edgewood, Eatonville, Oakland, Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista — alongside large unincorporated communities including Pine Hills, Horizon West, Dr. Phillips, Alafaya, Union Park, Azalea Park, Conway, Hunters Creek, Wedgefield, Bithlo, Christmas, Zellwood and Tangerine.
Encore has bought, sold and managed property across Central Florida for over a decade. We work this market the same way we work our own portfolio.
What you get
- Rent analysis on your actual address — not a countywide average
- Marketing and leasing — MLS, every major rental platform, showings handled, applicants screened against written criteria applied identically to everyone
- HOA coordination — lease approval packets started the day we list, not the week the tenant wants to move
- Maintenance — licensed, insured vendors; you approve anything over your spending limit
- Accounting — online rent collection, monthly statements, year-end financials and 1099s, owner portal
- The hard parts — late rent, violations, notices, evictions, turnovers
Backed by five written promises, including a 30-day leasing promise and a rent promise: if the tenant doesn't pay, we don't take a management commission that month. Full terms are in the management agreement.
What would your Orange County property rent for?
Send us the address. You'll get a real rent analysis and the owner packet — every service tier, what's included, and what it costs.
Orange County owner questions
- Can I say no to a Section 8 voucher in Orange County?
- Not if a management company or a listing service is involved in renting the home, and not at all if you hold more than three rental homes. Orange County Code Chapter 22, Article IV prohibits refusing to rent based on lawful source of income, and it names Housing Choice Vouchers. The safer approach is an income-to-rent ratio applied identically to every applicant, with the voucher's payment standard counted as income.
- Does Orange County still require 60 days' notice before raising the rent?
- No. That requirement came from county Ordinance 2022-27, and Florida's HB 1417 preempted local landlord-tenant ordinances effective July 1, 2023. Notice periods now follow Florida statute statewide, currently 30 days to end a month-to-month tenancy. Your lease can require more notice than the statute if you write it in.
- Can I rent my Orange County house on a nightly basis?
- In unincorporated residential zoning, generally no — the county allows an owner-occupied homestay arrangement but not whole-home stays under 30 days, and because the rule predates June 1, 2011 it survived Florida's state preemption and is enforceable. The City of Orlando has its own separate home-share registration. Check the parcel's jurisdiction and zoning before you count on nightly income, and check the HOA documents separately.
- Do the county rules change if my property is inside Orlando city limits?
- For the fair housing ordinance, no — the county's source-of-income protection applies countywide including all 13 municipalities. For short-term rentals, yes — Orlando runs its own registration program with its own fees and occupancy limits. Zoning, code enforcement and permitting are city functions inside city limits, so the practical answer depends on which rule you are asking about.