Q. My question is on the ethics of awarding contracts to relatives or those vendors who are getting preferential treatment because they are familiar to board members. What happens when a board president creates a landscape contract specif…
The building blocks of all homeowner’s associations are the community's respective bylaws, administrative documents and house rules. Equally important are legal documents that define critical information and other action items, such as ter…
It happens in business, government, and industry every day: employees learn the rules of a new job, and very shortly thereafter, they start taking shortcuts to circumvent them. Rarely is this done with malicious intent. More often, it is s…
In most instances, the board or management team of a condo or HOA is equipped to handle the wide variety of issues that arise day-to-day, from a leaky roof to dealing with municipal bureaucracy. There are other, bigger issues—things like e…
People buy into condo and HOA communities for many different reasons. Some are attracted by the amenities that common spaces can offer, and many in Florida seek a vacation-style environment that doubles as a smart real estate investment. I…
Gone are the days when a treadmill and a set of dumbbells in a fluorescent-lit basement room passed for athletic amenities in condo buildings and HOAs. Today, the size and scope of sporty offerings—be it basketball courts, pools or saunas—…
Q I live in a condo community where owners tend to be apathetic and not get involved. The board consists of three people who serve because no one els e will. At issue is the property manager, who does not believe in communication or fo…
Taking care of a co-op or condo building’s budget and finances is a big job. Handling such large sums of money is an important responsibility, and not every shareholder or unit owner has the expertise to do the job well. Sure, most people …
Q Our association recently hired a new management company. An announcement was sent to the homeowners announcing the change. A new board initiated this action with no input from the homeowners and no discussion. I have specifically reques…
When you’re up to your earlobes in alligators, it’s hard to recall that your initial objective was to drain the swamp. —Old Florida Proverb A long-standing annual rite in the Florida Legislature is passage of an omnibus shared-owners…