Can Landlords Ever Legally Disclose Tenant Information?

Landlords and tenants can interact with each other in many different ways, and have many different types of relationships. However, there are certain responsibilities that landlords and tenants have to each other, and one of them involves privacy rights. A landlord has an obligation to preserve the privacy rights of their tenants, and only rare exceptions to this rule exist.

Trusted With Personal Information

By the very nature of the transaction between them, tenants must trust landlords with a great deal of personal information once they agree to a rental contract. Data like phone numbers, Social Security numbers and financial information must be given to the landlord in order for the contract to be fulfilled – but because of this trust, the duty to protect the tenant’s privacy weighs heavily on the landlord at both common and statutory law. For example, the Florida Information Protection Act (FIPA) covers landlords in most cases.

It is important to keep in mind that this only applies to truly protected information. A landlord is generally permitted to talk about other things, such as a tenant’s name or length of residence in the building, but the division is clear. Regardless, there are only three specific exceptions under which a landlord can divulge confidential information: to process the rental application; with the consent of the tenant; or if a legal obligation to do so becomes apparent.

Balancing Interests

As one might imagine, a landlord is required to provide tenant information when requested from a legitimate law enforcement authority with the appropriate paperwork to do so. This may happen during a criminal investigation, or in response to a court order – but the law does not allow a landlord to volunteer more information in response to a court order than what is requested. This scenario is a balancing act between the landlord’s duty to comply with law enforcement and the landlord’s duty to protect their tenants’ privacy.

Sometimes, this can be particularly difficult. In July 2025, agents purporting to be from Immigration & Customs Enforcement began to blanket communities in Georgia and Florida with “immigration enforcement subpoenas” seeking information contained in rental applications from tenants and prospective tenants. These ‘subpoenas’ were administrative in nature, and were not signed by a judge – but experts were divided on whether landlords were required to comply, or whether compliance would land them in hot legal water.

Contact A Tampa Landlord-Tenant Attorney

Tenants have certain privacy rights under law, and a failure to uphold them can leave a landlord open to lawsuits. A Tampa landlord-tenant attorney from the Seward Law Office can clarify the rights and responsibilities of both parties involved. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation.

Source:

leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599/0501/Sections/0501.171.html