Florida condo & HOA news
Plain-English Florida condo and HOA law updates for owners, volunteer board members, managers, and everyone navigating community-association life.
Read the latest articles ↓From the front lines
Written by Eric M. Glazer · Florida attorney
Despite the fact that legislative progress has been made in getting owners access to association records, there is still confusion as to whether or not associations and/or management companies can charge an owner for such access and for photocopies of the records. Let’s address the law for both condominiums…
Read: ACCESS TO RECORDS – SO IS THERE A COST OR NOT? → Last week we blogged about the association’s ability or perhaps inability, to limit the number of rentals in the community. We also discussed the differences between the condominium statute and the HOA statute regarding same. This week, let’s focus on a related topic, short term rentals. Most governing…
Read: THAT’S NOT MY TENANT ---- THAT’S MY FAMILY! → I’m always asked what can be done to prevent our community from completely turning into a rental community. The answer differs depending upon whether or not you live in a condominium or an HOA. Here is the case that settled the issue in a condominium: In Woodside Village Condominium Association, Inc. v.…
Read: RESTRICTING RENTALS? CAN IT BE DONE? → The three of us were certainly flattered by how many people read and participated in our blog discussion last week regarding The Miami Herald’s expose’ into condo fraud in South Florida. Those of you who live in HOAs must be wondering why the findings were limited to condominiums and not expanded to include…
Read: WELL WHAT ABOUT HOAs and WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT VOTER FRAUD? → Over the past week or two, The Miami Herald has been running a few articles about wrong doing in certain condominium associations in South Florida. The writer almost seems amazed that there are apparently ballots being cast with fake signatures and that in some condominiums voter turn-out exceeds 100%. Now…
Read: HOW MUCH MORE PROOF DO YOU NEED? → Last week we discussed how Board members can be removed from the Board for failing to pay their assessments. We also know that unit owners can be prevented from voting for failing to pay their assessments. They can also be banned from using portions of the common areas and can be prevented from running for…
Read: THE AS AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME LANGUAGE REVISITED → We all know that there are no professional qualifications that are required in order to become a Board member. You don’t need any type of degree or license. You don’t need any prior experience of any kind in business. There are no tests to take. However, there are still some provisions of the Florida…
Read: ARE YOU QUALIFIED TO BE A BOARD MEMBER? → Last week we discussed the minimum requirements to serve on your Board of Directors. In sum, you can’t even run for the Board if you have a prior felony conviction unless your rights were restored, you can’t owe the association money, and you have to be the owner, not just married to the owner. Let’s assume…
Read: DO YOU STILL QUALIFY TO SERVE ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS → It’s no secret that I always thought it was unfair that condominium owners had the protection of the DBPR in their corner while owners in an HOA did not. For a lousy $4.00 per unit per year, the DBPR provides condominium owners access to arbitrators, free forms, investigators, a question and answer hot…
Read: LET'S CAUSE SOME CHAOS → It’s amazing how dangerously uninformed some people are. Over the years I have heard time and again owners of condominium units and homes in HOAs take the position that even if they don’t pay their assessments, it makes no difference because it’s their “homestead property” and “homestead property” is…
Read: CAN THEY REALLY TAKE MY HOME? → Happy New Year to everyone. In the condo and HOA world, with a few exceptions, the new year certainly means one thing; the annual meeting is almost here. I’m often asked whether or not I recommend that an attorney be present at the annual meeting or if the association should simply allow the community…
Read: DO I NEED A LAWYER AT MY ANNUAL MEETING? → So last week we blogged about the fact that your right to display religious symbols on your own property is limited. In a condominium, you only have the right to display a small religious object on the frame or mantle of your door. In an HOA, there is no statute whatsoever which gives you the right to…
Read: YOUR RIGHT TO PRACTICE YOUR RELIGION MAY NOT BE AS STRONG AS YOU THOUGHT IT WAS → It has been a long time since we blogged about whether or not officers and directors of our Florida community associations should get paid for their service to the community. I certainly don’t know if payment to directors would cut down on theft of association funds and get more people to participate in the…
Read: IS IT TIME TO RE-THINK PAYMENT TO DIRECTORS? → As if there wasn’t enough to worry about in your condo or HOA, now we need to be concerned about flying objects that can take pictures of us while we are sitting in our back yard or even inside of our homes or condo units. About two years ago, a client of the firm called up and swore that a flying object was…
Read: DRONES IN YOUR COMMUNITY? DON'T FORGET TO DUCK → You won’t hear an attorney say this too often, but I’ll say it today. I got lucky. About seven years ago, I simply wanted to do some advertising for my law firm on the radio. Instead, I was somehow talked into doing my own radio show. It happened real quick and I’ll admit it was real scary. We had…
Read: CENTRAL FLORIDA, SPACE COAST AND TREASURE COAST --- HERE WE COME! → Each year your condo association or HOA is required to pass an annual budget that in theory should pay all of the bills of the association. The statutes require this. Then a storm hits, or balconies start deteriorating and many Associations suddenly find themselves in desperate need to repair the common…
Read: TO BEG OR BORROW → This is the time of year that my family starts to see less and less of me. I’m writing this column from a hotel room in Bradenton, Florida. Tomorrow morning I have the honor of kicking off the L&L Condominium and HOA Expo by teaching our Condo Craze and HOAs Board Certification Course for both condominium…
Read: THERE'S LOTS OF RESOURCES OUT THERE → Everyone knows that whether you live in a condominium or an HOA, your association has an obligation to provide the unit owners access to the association’s records. What is an association to do however with the owner that won’t stop asking for access? Week after week, month after month, year after year, the…
Read: THE NEVER ENDING RECORDS REQUESTS →Read it. Then watch it.
