The Latest News on Real Estate, Insurance and Community Law
Dispute Resolution Part Three: Litigation
In the previous two blogs in this series, we covered the escalating procedure of dispute resolution. Beginning with mediation we then tackled arbitration and in this final blog we will look at the process of litigation. The most common types of litigation can be...
Dispute Resolution Part Two: Arbitration
In our previous blog, we discussed the preferred method of dispute resolution: mediation. But what do you do when mediation doesn’t work, it is refused, or it is not an option? The short answer is arbitration. Let’s take a closer look. In arbitration a third party,...
Dispute Resolution Part One: Mediation
Dispute happens. Whether it’s a consistent violation of rules and regulations or something more serious like delinquency or bad debt, both the owners and the association need to be protected. And, for the sake of the whole community, disputes need to be resolved in a...
Elections and How They Work, Part Two: HOAs
In our previous blog post, we tackled some of the common procedures for elections in a condo association. Some of these regulatory provisions will still apply to elections in an HOA, while most do not. Interestingly, the election process is very different for condo...
Elections and How They Work, Part One: The Board of Directors
Election time. Hopefully you won’t have to deal with rallies and smear campaigns in your condo association. But, as with any bureaucratic aspect of your association, there are procedures to follow. Here’s a breakdown of what formalities you’ll need to be aware of, as...
Violations and Fines, Part Two: Amending Rules and Bylaws
In our previous blog post in this series, we discussed what to do when fines and fees must be enforced within a community association. There is a systematic process including forming a committee, scheduling a hearing, and assessing fines. However, there are even more...
How to Handle Violations and Fines Within a Condo Association
A condo association exists to create a community. This community can include lovely amenities, architectural and design controls, financial stability and help maintaining property values. And, yes, there are rules involved in joining any HOA or COA. But what happens...
2 Ways to Reduce a Community Association’s Bad Debt
In short, there are two main ways that a community association in Florida can handle bad debt – either a direct write-off of the entire amount of the uncollectible debt or an allowance of bad debt for a portion of the outstanding balance is written off using a...
Navigating Foreclosures in Condo Associations
The financial crisis was full of dark days for condo owners here in Miami (and across South Florida). Even those of us that were personally fine, the fact that their neighbors were not took many condo associations to the breaking point. When a condo owner slips into...