Year: 2014

It seems as if the foreclosure crisis is certainly not as bad as it once was, even though Florida is still the worst state in the nation, with approximately one in every 346 homes in foreclosure.  The percentage of delinquencies in our community associations are certainly down from where they were just a year or…

The summer is here and in Florida that often times equates to lots and lots of empty condominium units because the owners have returned up north.  Just because you leave your Florida condominium for a few months however does not mean that your responsibility to maintain your unit stops once you hit the Georgia border.…

Sometimes, a unit owner will take the position that the association can’t take certain action against them because they have “vested rights.”  At least in their mind, the owner thinks that a certain right they have can’t be taken away from them, can’t be modified and can’t be messed with in any manner.  Here what…

Two years ago, you may remember that a Miami Dade Grand Jury issued a scathing report about condominium board members  in Miami Dade County.  In sum, the report concluded that they’re basically all a bunch of thieves who get on the board with evil intentions including purposely diverting the association’s funds to their own businesses…

The right to rent your unit has undergone some change over the years.  It all started in a landmark case called Woodside v. Jahren which was ruled upon by The Florida Supreme Court in 2002.  A condominium in Clearwater amended its declaration of condominium to suddenly prohibit the rental of your unit to no more than…

In the world of community associations, this is a pretty important time of year.  In most associations, the fiscal year ends on December 31st.    The condo, HOA and co-op statutes provide: Within 90 days after the end of the fiscal year, or annually on a date provided in the bylaws, the association shall prepare and…

We have blogged before about the battle brewing in Tallahassee between Community Association Managers and The Florida Bar.  In fact, we are awaiting a decision from The Florida Supreme Court concerning what activities a community association manager can perform and which actions go too far and constitute the unauthorized practice of law.  In the mean…

Insurance payments may be the single largest expense of an association’s budget.  Typically, and to over-simplify, the association pays for general liability insurance should someone get injured while on the association’s property.  In addition, the association pays for windstorm insurance which covers damages to the common areas should a storm hit and the property is…

Insurance payments may be the single largest expense of an association’s budget.  Typically, and to over-simplify, the association pays for general liability insurance should someone get injured while on the association’s property.  In addition, the association pays for windstorm insurance which covers damages to the common areas should a storm hit and the property is…

In  a post 9/11 world, big brother is watching us like never before.  Walk into any business and you can bet you’re on camera being video taped.  Same thing goes while walking down any city street for that matter.    Indeed, many of us live in communities where there are security cameras all over the place…