An HOA's governing documents are usually in the form of a Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) and bylaws. The CC&Rs explain the rules of the HOA community, while the bylaws cover how the HOA operates.
While it's fine to have a home office business such as accounting or search engine optimization, your HOA won't allow you to use your home for obvious commercial use such as manufacturing, storing large equipment, or making or receiving frequent deliveries.
Florida House Bill 1203 introduces substantial reforms aimed at increasing transparency and accountability within HOAs. This bill mandates the online posting of governing documents, including covenants, restrictions, and financial records, ensuring that you, as a homeowner, have easy access to critical information.
You might be shocked to learn that, yes, just like a bank, a homeowners association (HOA) can foreclose on a home. This type of action affects thousands of Florida homeowners, sometimes over minor amounts of overdue memberships dues and late fees every year.
The Florida Homeowners' Association Act, Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes, states that amendments to “governing documents” for homeowners' associations are not effective until they are recorded in the public records of the county in which the community is located.
In Florida, the statute of limitations for breach of contract (such as violating your HOA covenants) is five years. The time period within which the HOA could enforce the covenant has expired, at least as it pertains to those patios that were built more than five years ago.
The state law, passed in 2022, requires associations to have sufficient reserves to cover major repairs.
In an HOA, residents own their property, but the association owns and maintains common areas, such as lobbies, pools, clubhouses, and gyms. Conversely, in a COA, owners own their individual units and a percentage of all shared property, like tennis courts, pickleball courts, sidewalks, and parking lots.
Florida House Bill 1203 introduces substantial reforms aimed at increasing transparency and accountability within HOAs. This bill mandates the online posting of governing documents, including covenants, restrictions, and financial records, ensuring that you, as a homeowner, have easy access to critical information.