America's Community Management Inc.

05/06/2023

State law and the community’s legal documents dictate how a special assessment is approved and carried out.

Q: Our association will be remodeling the clubhouse, and there will be a significant assessment. We will have the option to pay off the amount in one lump sum or over 10 years. If I sell while payi…

02/22/2023

01/11/2023

Collier County Commissioners repeal 60-day rent increase ordinance

The Collier County ordinance that said landlords had to provide a 60-day notice to renters if they planned to increase the rent by 5% or more has been repealed. The board of commissioners voted Tuesday to repeal the ordinance less than a year after it was passed in October. The repeal passed 4-1. In...

12/15/2022

Condos unclear about Fla.'s new building inspection law

Florida's new building inspection requirements are prompting a lot of questions from condo experts and associations, which are calling for clarifications to the new law. Condo towers are required to undergo their first structural inspection, which can cost up to $30,000, by the end of 2024, but it's unclear what steps are required and which condos have to comply.

Government leaders are reminding Manatee County condominium associations to plan for a new state law requiring routine structural inspections. But owners have more questions than answers.

10/12/2022

Condominium owners don’t have to tell governing boards why they want to examine their associations’ financial records. And owners, not boards, are allowed to decide whether the examinations can be conducted by themselves or their authorized representatives.

A Boca View Condominium owner seeking access to the association's financial records won at trial on Tuesday when a judge shot down nearly all of the arguments raised by the governing board and its attorneys from the Becker law firm.

08/09/2022

Condo boards in Florida retain the power to enter abandoned units to carry out inspections of the dwellings and any connected common elements. Boards are also empowered to remediate such issues as mold and deterioration in order to preserve the units.

An abandoned condo unit could have problems that impact other owners, like mold, but how can a condo board find out if it can’t contact the absent owner?

07/27/2022

EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2022, COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION ESTOPPEL FEES INCREASED

In 2017 the Condominium Act, Cooperative Act, and Homeowners’ Association Act, were amended to set a maximum fee that a community association may charge for the preparation and delivery of an estoppel. The statutory amendments also provided for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to adjust the fees every five years based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average, All items.

The link to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s website setting forth the revised fees can be found here:

http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/lsc/documents/ESTOPPEL_CERTIFICATE_FEES.pdf

Effective July 1, 2022, the maximum estoppel fees are as follows:

05/31/2022

Starting in 2025, condo boards will need to set aside reserve money to cover future repairs.

Florida has approved a new law that will order boards to include proper funding for future repairs in their reserves starting in 2025. Boards would also be required every 10 years to obtain reserve studies to ensure they have enough funds to cover structural repairs.

Starting in 2025, condo boards will need to set aside reserve money to cover future repairs.

05/25/2022

If enacted, buildings three stories or higher will have to undergo structural safety inspections by the year they turn 30 and every 10 years afterward. If they were built before July 1, 1992, the first structural inspection must be performed before Dec. 31, 2024.

Buildings within three miles of the coast must be inspected before age 25 and every 10 years afterward.

Boards will be prohibited from waiving the reserve requirement or using money in the reserves for other purposes.

A condo safety bill that would require condo boards to maintain reserves to prevent catastrophes like last June's collapse in Surfside passed the Florida Legislature on Wednesday and is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk.

05/17/2022

Can HOAs legally hold virtual board meetings post-COVID?

https://www.news-press.com/story/marketplace/real-estate/2022/05/14/covid-lingers-so-do-legal-questions/9716616002/

03/06/2022

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: What new lending guidelines mean for your condominium or co-op

The leading resource for HOA managers: Practical advice and best practices for condominium and homeowners association leaders.