Q: Until recently, I was the president of my condominium association. However, certain unit owners were unhappy with the decisions I had made and pushed through a recall. While I do not dispute that they obtained recall agreements signed by …
Boot Camp for Board Members: Army Vet, PCAM and Becker Shareholder, Howard Perl, Discusses the Benefits of Rigorous Board Member Education
This week, our guest and Becker Shareholder, Howard Perl, sits down with host Donna DiMaggio Berger to share his experiences as both an army veteran as well as a successful PCAM before going to law school later in life. Howard recounts …
New HOA Fining Law Take Effect October 1
Q: You had previously written about some new changes that are coming up about how to handle fines in homeowners’ association. Can you give a brief summary of what we need to do? (M.J., via e-mail)
A: Several new …
New HOA Law Addresses Storage
Q: At a recent event I attended, someone mentioned a new rule that prohibits sheds on a single-family property in a HOA. I could not find any reference for that in your 2023 legislative reviews. It seems someone may have …
Are Those Under Age 18 a Protected Class?
In 1988, Congress added “familial status” – defined to include those family groups with children under 18 – to the list of protected groups under the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”). Since that time, condominiums and homeowner’s associations have been discovering …
Navigating the Complex World of HOA Architectural Control
What does a Homeowners Association, under Chapter 720, Florida Statutes, need to bear in mind when evaluating architectural modification requests from its members?
In the case, Young v. Tortoise Island Homeowners Association, Inc., the court …
Checking In On Background Checks: What’s In, What’s Out and What’s Questionable? with Robert E. Sanchez of Sarma
Does your community perform background checks on potential purchasers and potential renters? Do your community residents expect their neighbors to be screened for safety and financial capacity purposes? Join Donna DiMaggio Berger and guest Robert …
Borrowing Money
As one of a handful of Becker attorneys who assists condominiums, cooperatives, and homeowners associations in obtaining bank loans on a regular basis, I’ve noted a few mistakes that boards make when deciding to obtain a loan.
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Backyard Storage Woes: Does the New Backyard Storage Statute Apply to Your Homeowners Association?
While there has been a lot of buzz about changes made in the 2023 Florida Legislative Session to laws affecting our Association clients, one potentially important change has been largely overlooked. The seemingly innocuous flag bill – House Bill (HB) …
Voting Requirements After Merger Questioned
Q: In your previous column from 2022, it clearly addresses which documents control in the example of when a sub-association’s documents are stricter than the master. Which documents prevail in the following situation? My community had a master association and …