Community Association Industry Legal Blog

Due to poor mid-2000’s construction, the area of construction defect litigation is booming. Across the country, numerous owners are grappling with issues of shoddy construction and defective building materials. One of the most common reasons for defect litigation, aside from shoddy construction and poor workforce supervision, results from defective building […]

The Florida Condominium Act provides that an association has “the irrevocable right of access to each unit during reasonable hours, when necessary for the maintenance, repair, or replacement of any common elements or of any portion of a unit to be maintained by the association.” Fla. Stat. § 718.111(5)(a). It is tempting for an association to interpret that language too broadly, possibly subjecting itself to liability if a unit owner’s objection to an association’s demand for access to his or her unit leads to legal action. That was the situation in the recently decided case, Small v. Devon Condo B Ass’n., Inc., No 4D10-2302 (Fla. 4th DCA April 2, 2014). This Blog post will discuss that case in which Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal made clear that a condo association’s demand for unit access must be “reasonable and necessary.” Id.

Our first post, the first of a three part series, discussed the differences between homeowners association and condominium association law in Florida pertaining to basic board operations. The second post discussed the differences between homeowners association and condominium association law in Florida pertaining to records inspections and alterations to property. […]

The Florida Condominium Act provides the process for a condo association to file a foreclosure action for recovering a unit owner’s unpaid assessments. That process includes sending the required statutory notices to unit owners and recording a claim of lien for those unpaid assessments in the county’s official records. Once those pre-suit actions are satisfied an association may move forward with a foreclosure action if a unit owner has not paid the past-due amount owed.

Our previous post, the first of a three part series, discussed the differences between homeowners association and condominium association law in Florida pertaining to basic board operations. This post, the second of a three part series, discussed the differences between homeowners association and condominium association law in Florida pertaining to […]

Under Florida’s association laws, each type of community association differs from each other type of community association primarily in the manner in which each association and the association’s members own real property within the community. For example, with Condominiums, a member owns in fee simple a “unit” for the member’s […]

Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal issued an opinion in March of 2014 concerning properties governed by an association that are sold at a tax sale. The court, in A to Z Properties, Inc. v. Fairway Palms II Condo. Ass’n, Inc., held that when property with unpaid association assessments is purchased at a tax sale, the purchaser is not liable to the association for those unpaid assessments. No. 4D13-1267 (Fla. 4th DCA 2014). The court’s reasoning is that an assessment lien is extinguished by the issuance of a tax deed. Id. This post will analyze that case, including the ramifications that decision has on Florida’s community associations and what associations can do to avoid finding themselves on the wrong end of this situation.

A condominium is created by recording a declaration in the public records of the county where the land is located, executed and acknowledged with the requirements for a deed. Fla. Stat. § 718.104 (2). All persons who have record title to the interest in the land being submitted to condominium […]

Any classification of the condominium begins with the declaration of condominium, which sets forth the boundaries of an individual’s unit. In addition, an owner owns an undivided share of the common elements, i.e., “portions of the condominium property not included in the units.” Fla. Stat. § 718.103(8). According to section. […]

The newest development concerning independent tort claims and causes of action arising from a breach of contract manifests as a result of Tiara Condo. Ass’n., Inc. v. Marsh & McLennan Co. and is exemplified through the holding of Marian Farms, Inc. v. SunTrust Banks, Inc. Marian Farms, Inc. v. SunTrust […]