Community Association Financials

Depending on the governing documents, community associations may have some say on the buyers to whom owners can sell their properties — but, even armed with that authority, they can go too far and create problems for their associations. That’s what happened in a recent case in Florida, where the court characterized the association’s requirement…

Nothing can you make you a star in your clients’ eyes like helping them save money. With the economy on the rocks and assessment delinquencies likely in the near future — if they haven’t already hit — the time could be right to reduce expenses by re-bidding some contracts. Community association boards of directors shouldn’t…

The economic crisis has shaken the finances of a wide variety of businesses, and the pandemic has changed the service needs of many community associations. Combined, these factors might make this an opportune time for your clients to re-bid some of their vendor contracts. If they do it right, they could save money and help…

A Florida Court of Appeals has rejected its own holding from more than 20 years ago, and the change isn’t good news for community associations and their managers. The court concluded that association assessments are consumer debts under the state law that imposes restrictions on debt collection practices — and therefore allowed a class action…

A condominium complex in Florida — and its manager — are facing a class action lawsuit after publishing a so-called “deadbeat” list of owners who were behind on their assessments (Williams v. Salt Springs Resort Ass’n (Fla. App. 2020). The state Court of Appeals that allowed the class action to proceed reversed both a lower…

A public health crisis, a recession, civil unrest — any one of these could lead to financial difficulties for a community association, including a jump in dues deficiencies that threatens reserve funding. But maintaining adequate reserve funds is mandatory in some states and advisable everywhere. Here are some tips for helping your clients manage their…

The coronavirus crisis has thrown business as usual out the window. As your clients struggle to cope with the many effects, from operational to economic, they may be wondering about the enforceability of some of their vendor contracts in light of this unprecedented event. Depending on the circumstances, it possible that contractual obligations might indeed…

When the coronavirus forced many of the usual community association activities to shut down this past spring, some of your clients may not have needed all of the services they’d already contracted for — or their vendors might not have been able to perform due to government orders or staff shortages. In such circumstances, it’s…

The cororonavirus crisis has shaken the foundations of the economy, and savvy community association boards are already thinking about the implications for their financial footing going forward. In particular, many boards can expect to deal with owners struggling to pay their assessments. While compassion certainly is warranted, boards may find their hands more tied than…

As the federal and state governments took unprecedented measures this spring to confront the coronavirus pandemic, the economy largely collapsed. The dramatic surge in job losses that resulted has led many community association boards of directors to rightly worry about the impact on their financial footing. The fallout is likely to continue for months, if…