In all my years of practice, I can tell you that the debate over whether emotional support animals should be entitled to occupy a no-pet condominium ranks as high as any other issue in terms of how hard people are willing to fight for their beliefs. I also learned that some dog owners would spend…
Year: 2016
DO YOUR GOVERNING DOCUMENTS CONTAIN THE MAGIC LANGUAGE?
Basically, every year, The Florida Legislature passes laws that effect condominiums and Homeowner Associations. You may be surprised to learn however that just because these laws are passed by The Florida Legislature, it doesn’t mean that these laws automatically apply in your community association. The best way for me to teach this issue is to…
TRANSFER FEES – WHY ALL THE CONFUSION?
Great article by The Miami Herald this week regarding the fact that condo associations across the state are ripping people off by charging illegal and excessive transfer fees when someone is trying to sell or rent their unit. For those of you who missed it, here is the link: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article81430117.html Here is what The Florida…
HAVING THE COURAGE TO VOLUNTEER
Today is Memorial Day so I’ll start by simply thanking those who gave their lives while serving in our Armed Forces so that the rest of us continue to enjoy our freedoms and privilege that it is to live in the United States of America. Today, this blog is dedicated to you. Think of how…
ORDER IN THE COURT! OR THE BOARD ROOM…. OR ANYWHERE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER
I’ve been to some crazy board meetings over the years. And one I attended Thursday night ranks right up there with the loudest, craziest and meanest of all time. And this happened even though two police officers attended the meeting. It is frightening to think what would or could have happened had they not been…
ACCESS TO RECORDS – SO IS THERE A COST OR NOT?
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 and HOAs. For condominiums: One way…
THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF REASONS TO BE HOPEFUL
Week in and week out, we are always hearing about the negatives in our Florida community associations. Whether it’s stealing money, taking kick-backs, rigging elections, management companies on the take, crumbling properties or the like, there is always something in the news which makes our Florida community associations often times the brunt of jokes and…
THAT’S NOT MY TENANT ---- THAT’S MY FAMILY!
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 documents contain clauses that require leases to…
RESTRICTING RENTALS? CAN IT BE DONE?
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. Jahren 806 So.2d…
WELL WHAT ABOUT HOAs and WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT VOTER FRAUD?
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 HOAs. Are…