Whether due to economic hardships, mismanagement, unforeseen circumstances, or even fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, a condo or homeowners association may find itself in desperate need of help. Additionally, properties that have been neglected may also be running afoul of local code compliance regulations or may be so far […]
In Florida, one of the most attractive and desirable features of waterfront property is the incredible view. Concerning waterfront property ownership, it can be difficult to distinguish where your private land rights cease, where your neighbor’s private land rights begin, and the rights of the State with sovereign submerged land […]
Ownership of waterfront property is particularly desirable in Florida and often involves unique real property considerations. It is often difficult to distinguish where the private land rights cease and the sovereign land ownership begins. As a result, a subset of real property law has emerged to address what is called […]
“Who is going to fix this?” and “Who is going to pay for this?” These are common questions facing unit owners and associations when condominium property needs repair. The answer will most likely be found in the condominium declarations, which typically describe the boundaries of each unit. But sometimes the declarations fail to adequately describe those boundaries; and the fine line delineating who is obligated to repair becomes indiscernible and worse, debatable. This is especially true when describing windows, doors, sliders and skylights in the associated with the condominium unit. Because the materials used are exposed to both the inside and outside of each unit; the condominium declarations must be very clear where the unit owner’s interest begins, and also where it ends. This post provides a brief overview of the Florida condominium association’s obligation to repair and maintain windows under Florida law.
By: Brandon C. Meadows, Esq.
Lenders take heed: the Florida Supreme Court recently amended the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure governing mortgage foreclosures. Additionally, the high court promulgated several standard forms, which reflect the amended rules. The recent rule amendments and forms are in response to the recent legislation regarding mortgage foreclosures, including the new Section 702.015, Florida Statutes, which set forth the new pleading requirements for foreclosure complaints. The purpose of the statute is to “expedite the foreclosure process by ensuring initial disclosure of a plaintiff’s status and the facts supporting that status, thereby ensuring the availability of documents necessary to the prosecution of the case.”
Association assessment collection is every day business for Florida community associations. Often times, the unit owner will file bankruptcy to avoid this legal obligations. The law governing condominium and homeowners association assessments with regard to bankruptcy actions is found at 11 USC § 523 (a)(16). This law which generally states […]
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.
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.
The Florida Legislature, in 2014, amended the section of the Florida Condominium Act concerning liens for unpaid condominium assessments and who shoulders that liability. Specifically, Section 718.116(1)(a) was amended to make clear that an association’s temporary ownership of a certain unit does not wipe out the unpaid assessment balance which existed on that unit prior to the association’s ownership. This change was the legislature’s strong reaction to the 2013 case, Aventura Management, LLC v. Spiaggia. This Blog post will discuss how that case prompted this amendment to the Florida Condominium Act and explain how this revised statute greatly benefits and protects condominium associations going forward.
Representing real estate developers, we are often asked how damages are calculated when the State of Florida takes a building in eminent domain. The answer is that it depends (don’t you love lawyerly answers?), but for the most basic scenario, we’ll analyze a taking that will require destruction of the entire building and for round numbers, we’ll say that the building has a fair market value of one million dollars. In short, under applicable Florida statutes and case law, fair market value of land and any additional factor impacting the value of the condemned property are factors to determine full compensation. The specific facts of the case will determine if any other applicable compensation is awarded.