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
In light of the tragedy at The Champlain Towers in Surfside last year, The Florida Legislature, to its credit, passed massive condominium reform regarding safety, inspections and reserves. These laws are confusing to those who work in the industry every day, never mind to those who serve on condo Boards…
Read: IF THERE EVER WAS A TIME TO GET EDUCATED → Iam getting swamped lately with requests from both condos and HOAs as to how to limit the number of homes or units that are being rented. People are getting real tired of Air BNB type scenarios and want to know how they can put a stop to it. Some background on this topic is necessary. In the landmark case of…
Read: CAN YOUR ASSOCIATION PROHIBIT OR LIMIT RENTING? → Afew weeks ago on the Condo Craze and HOAs radio show, I was sent a chart by a listener that showed that just under 50% of condominiums were funding a reserve account in full each month. As I was broadcasting this information, I felt that it sounded a little high. It turned out that I was referring to a…
Read: LET’S GO TO THE NUMBERS → It seems that for week after week we have been blogging about condominiums for the obvious reason that condo laws have undergone an absolutely dramatic change this year. Not only is the change dramatic, but it will no doubt lead to foreclosures of countless units when unit owners cannot pay the special…
Read: BACK TO HOAs THIS WEEK → Iknow that the intent of Memorial Day is to honor those who have previously fought and died for this country. I certainly proudly honor all of these brave men and women. This Memorial Day however, I feel that the 98 victims at Surfside need to be remembered as well. You can’t tell me that they didn’t die…
Read: A DIFFERENT KIND OF MEMORIAL DAY – AT LEAST FOR ME → The term “proxy” is often thrown around incorrectly. In simple English, if you can’t make it to a meeting to actually cast your vote or appear in person, you sign a document called a “proxy” which allows someone else to appear on your behalf. They act in your place. The proxy form may give the proxy holder…
Read: PROXIES: WHAT ARE THEY AND WHEN CAN WE USE THEM? → Ireally hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I have never been more afraid of an economic collapse in Florida, especially South Florida, as I do now. I couldn’t care less about the statistics that get reported about whether foreclosures are going up or not. I’m telling you that they are. I know because process…
Read: THE HOUSING NUMBERS JUST DON’T ADD UP → Iremember as a kid growing up in Brooklyn, Red Buttons would do a commercial that aired in New York, promoting Century Village. You were promised beautiful spacious apartments, amazing views, golf courses, endless entertainment and simply the perfect dream place to retire to. So forty years later, we learn…
Read: WERE WE SUCKERED IN BY FALSE ADVERTISING? → We got three extra days this year to pay up. Three extra days to turn in our income tax forms and pay Uncle Sam. Instead of April 15th being the day, it is April 18th. We see it come out of our paycheck each week, we complain. We fill out the necessary forms during tax season and we hope we don’t receive a…
Read: THE TAX MAN COMETH TODAY → When I started practicing law in 1992, condominiums and HOAs had it a lot easier when it came to collecting their unpaid dues. If someone was thirty days late, you were able to file a lien on their home or unit right away. And if they didn’t pay within thirty days, foreclose on their unit. I don’t remember…
Read: IT’S GETTING TOUGHER TO COLLECT THOSE UNPAID ASSESSMENTS → As if condos didn’t have enough problems, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have just come out with new guidelines that condos must follow. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government-sponsored agencies that purchase large quantities of home loans to keep money circulating throughout the home mortgage economy. They…
Read: IT MAY BECOME IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A NEW MORTGAGE IN MANY CONDOS → The Florida Legislature is in full swing. Each year lots of bills get filed, but few make it to the finish line and become law. Here’s an update on two bills that are moving towards becoming law: SB 394: This is my mandatory education bill, requiring directors to get certified by attending a course. Senator…
Read: LEGISLATIVE UPDATE → I mean no disrespect to anyone who suffered from Covid or who had a family member suffer from Covid over the last two years. My sympathies are with you wholeheartedly. However, in terms of having unit owners participate in the affairs of their communities by way of telephone or ZOOM, Covid was the kick start…
Read: SO DO WE NEED IN PERSON MEETINGS OR NOT? → Ifirst want to give you some good news. On the more broad scale, I want you to know that the listeners and viewers of this show, along with yours truly, really count in the eyes of The Florida Legislature. There have been many times when I drafted legislation and I asked each of you to call your local…
Read: WHERE WE ARE AT FOR THE MOMENT AND THANK YOU SENATOR BRADLEY → So, I get a call a few weeks ago from a reporter at The New York Times. He was doing a story about the incredible number of condominiums in Miami and how fast they were all built. How the entire skyline on the coast changed dramatically in the past 40 years or so and if it,s possible that The Champlain…
Read: HOW IN THE WORLD DID WE GET HERE? → Most community associations have their budget meeting in the month of November for the upcoming year. By doing it in November there is plenty of time to print new coupon books and let the community members know what the new monthly assessments will be for the coming year. In terms of notice, in a…
Read: IT'S NOVEMBER – AND THAT MEANS IT'S BUDGET TIME → When the original bill was filed that required condominiums to have a website, the statute was only going to apply with condominiums of 500 units or more. In effect, the statute would have applied to less than one percent of all condominiums in the state. I met with the legislator who drafted the bill and…
Read: NO ASSOCIATION WEBSITE? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? → This is such an important topic that is often times difficult to teach. In a nutshell however, assume the following: Your condominium or HOA was created in the year 2000. That was when your declaration of condominium or declaration of covenants was recorded. Your declaration only adopts The Florida…
Read: SUPPOSE YOUR DEC DOES NOT HAVE KAUFMAN LANGUAGE? →Read it. Then watch it.
