Tension and excitement continue to build as we watch this year’s legislative session unfold. One of the pending bills that affects condominiums, cooperatives and homeowners associations HB 1075. The bill is over 100 pages so we cannot address all aspects of it in this article, but let’s look at some of the highlights. The bill
The ability to collect interest for delinquent assessments is found in a community associations governing documents and is also recognized in Fl. Stat. Chapters 718 for condominium associations and 720 for homeowner associations. Specifically, section 718.116(3), Florida Statutes for condominium associations provides in part that unpaid assessments shall bear interest from the due date until
A new decision out of Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal addresses whether providing a mandatory pre-suit notice of construction defect claims satisfies the requirements of Florida’s 10-year Statute of Repose in §95.11(3)(c), Fla. Stat. (2014), even if an actual lawsuit is not filed within that period. In a win for Florida homeowners, the Court
Lack of proper notice was central to the Third District Court of Appeal’s decision in Federal National Mortgage Association v. JKM Services, LLC, Case No. 3D17-370 (Fla. 3d DCA October 3, 2018) limiting a receiver’s ability to recover fees and costs incurred in his efforts to collect rent after having been appointed by a condominium
Generally, each party involved in a lawsuit is responsible for his or her own attorney’s fees, regardless of who prevails. As with any rule, there are exceptions. For example, a statute or contract can provide that the prevailing party in litigation is entitled to recover their attorney’s fees and costs. The Florida legislature has created
In 2009, during the peak of the financial crisis, the US Congress enacted the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (“PTFA”), which required the party taking title at a foreclosure sale to provide bona fide tenants with a notice 90 days before requiring them to vacate the property and allowed the tenants with leases to occupy
A community associations pools typically have prominently displayed pool rules. Beyond the typical “no diving” or “no glass container” rules, we also often see rules prohibiting children under the eighteen (18) from swimming without an adult supervision. Although these rules may have been enacted from a risk management standpoint, they must also be considered against
Many community associations’ governing documents contain pet restrictions, sometimes prohibiting them all together. Most owners residing in such communities expect they will not encounter a pet not permitted to reside in the community. However, these assumptions are quickly becoming less common with the increasing number of requests for an accommodation by owners wanting to keep
Communities and local municipalities appear to be losing the battle in Tallahassee against the powerful lobbying efforts of the home sharing companies over the power to control transient rentals in residential neighborhoods.
The Florida Legislature in 2011 passed Fla. Stat. §509.032(7)(b) restricting any city or county from prohibiting, or regulating the duration or frequency of short-term
With the 2018 hurricane season already upon us, and the National Hurricane Center predicting a near or above normal year, we can look back at the lessons learned from Hurricane Irma to ensure we are prepared this season.
Insurance
Review your policies with the association’s insurance agent to ensure that the association’s properties are properly insured. Many
