Tag: Bidding

By Carolyn Zezima

Q: A home in our community has been foreclosed on by the association after the owner failed to pay assessments for a long period of time. The association wants to buy the foreclosed lot. Is there a rule regarding how much money an association is allowed to spend buying a foreclosed lot? There also are past-due real estate taxes on this lot. How much can an association spend paying the past-due real estate taxes owed on a lot if obtained in its own foreclosure action?

By Carol Johnson Perkins, Esq.

Across the country, momentum has been building to legalize marijuana—at least for medical use. Though marijuana is still illegal under federal law, more than 20 states have adopted comprehensive medical marijuana laws—and more may soon follow. This fall, Florida voters will decide whether to amend the state’s constitution to allow for comprehensive medical marijuana legislation.

Community members may want to inspect the records of their association for a variety of reasons, some legitimate and some improper. It may be hard to tell whether a member wants access to records for a harmless reason, to harass the association, to gather confidential information to which the member isn't entitled, or for information that will support his case if he's planning to sue the association. This makes it difficult to know when to grant and when to deny requests when they're made.

There are times when members may want to make modifications to their homes. In these instances, the concern for associations is that these changes may affect the harmonious design of a community, decrease property values, and increase liability. For example, low-quality construction can drive down property values, increase the premiums on your community's liability insurance, or even render important warranties void. Some types of work, such as a new roof deck, if not done right, can lead to injuries and increase your community's exposure to personal injury liability.

Many record inspection requests by members are legitimate and take relatively little office time. Unfortunately, sometimes requests may be driven by unfounded suspicions, with the intent to harass the board or manager. Also, these requests may be attempts to gather confidential information to which members are not entitled so that they may sue the association or other members. Therefore, to protect the interests of the association, it is important for board members to know which requests to grant and which to deny.