FLCAJ Magazine

Many Associations’ Declarations contain occupancy restrictions relating to the number of bedrooms in a home or unit. The standard provision reads two person per bedroom are permitted in a unit or home. However, does this occupancy restriction violates the federal and/or Florida Fair Housing Acts (“FHA”)? The short answer is, it depends. Fair Housing Acts […]

Condominium associations are limited by statute on the amount of fees which can be charged in connection with the transfer of a unit. An association in Miami just learned this lesson the hard way. A recent class action lawsuit in Miami-Dade County alleging a condominium was charging excessive fees resulted in the association settling for […]

With increasing frequency, associations are faced with owners’, tenants’ and guests’ requests for accommodations under the Fair Housing Act. Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, a/k/a The Fair Housing Amendments Act, found at 42 U.S.C. §3601 et. seq. (1968), was enacted by Congress as a means of preventing housing discrimination based upon […]

There is a lot of information on how associations can prepare for hurricanes but much less information as to what happens after the hurricane, particularly as it pertains to insurance claims. A question that managers and board members need to consider is, what is required after a hurricane to ensure compliance with your insurance policy […]

Despite statistics proving that the age of condominium owners in the Sunshine State is trending younger and younger these days, the stereotypical notion of a condominium dweller being retired and overly concerned with the lives of his or her neighbors still prevails.      With a healthy economy and new condominium construction offering more amenities […]

If you are new to your community’s board of directors, thank you for agreeing to serve in this capacity. You will learn that the “job” can be both thankless and fulfilling at different times and for different reasons. The first thing you will need to do is to ensure that you have submitted your director […]

Chances are that your community has some type of pet restrictions. It’s also a good bet that you have received one or more requests you deemed questionable with regard to a dog that does not meet those restrictions but the owner insists, nevertheless, that the dog is his or her emotional support animal (ESA). Many […]

When Shakespeare coined the phrase “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” in Hamlet, he probably wasn’t envisioning that sentiment could apply centuries later to volunteer board members. However, the Bard was opining that bad things can happen to a person, and in the present-day context, if you are serving on a community association board […]

“How much longer do you think it will be?” an owner hissed in my ear as she tapped on her oversized watch to indicate her growing impatience as we reached the three-hour mark in a 400+ unit condominium election. I told her it shouldn’t be much longer while secretly hoping my optimism was accurate. The […]