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Before I would sign on into a HOA I would have the entire agreement examined by an attorney. There is a reason most lease/condo sales and HOA agreements have pages and pages of legal mumbo jumbo. They cover every possible thing to be sure they will always have the final word and your say will be meaningless.Let an attorney explain to you the many ways you could be screwed BEFORE you sign and later have an issue.
This is actually somewhat SOP when buying a condo, at least around here. Both lender and buyer's attorney frequently ask for copy of the condo docs (agreement), reserves, master policy, and other similar items. They're mainly looking for financial issues, but if you have a decent attorney they can point out other gotchas, too.
It *should* be SOP to read over those same documents yourself as a buyer.
It seems to me that the safest thing to do is get oneself on the HOA board as soon as possible.
Nope. Wouldn't want that unpaid job. My last community the president received numerous death threats against himself and his family. He stepped down because of the threats. The board and association then became a complete nightmare with people coming and going every month. Complete chaos for over a year.
There are so many threads about the pitfalls of living in an HOA that you should find your answer.
In general, they are just another tax layer by power hungry people who have nothing to do but spy on their neighbors.
Please read the prior posts about them.
I think there seems to be some confusion among some posters here, and it's probably worth noting there that there IS a significant distinction between condo HOAs and SFH HOAs. The former are critical and necessary to the operation of buildings, and what the OP is asking about; the latter are gated community petty wars between people whose biggest stresses are who has the nicest lawn or the most xmas lights on in December.
Condo HOAs very, very much do not care what their neighbors are doing so long as the bills are paid and they're not breaking things in the common areas.
I think there seems to be some confusion among some posters here, and it's probably worth noting there that there IS a significant distinction between condo HOAs and SFH HOAs. The former are critical and necessary to the operation of buildings, and what the OP is asking about; the latter are gated community petty wars between people whose biggest stresses are who has the nicest lawn or the most xmas lights on in December.
Condo HOAs very, very much do not care what their neighbors are doing so long as the bills are paid and they're not breaking things in the common areas.
Totally not my experience as someone who was a property manager for many condo associations and as someone who has lived with both a condo and a SFH association. The condo ones had far more busybodies who knew everyone's business. They were more of a nightmare!
Totally not my experience as someone who was a property manager for many condo associations and as someone who has lived with both a condo and a SFH association. The condo ones had far more busybodies who knew everyone's business. They were more of a nightmare!
I guess you've had some bad luck. Every HOA I've lived under was mostly made up of people who never participated or showed up to the annual meetings only. They'd go along with most decisions. The only decisions that ever came up for discussion was something that involved an assessment; nobody cared what color someone painted their walls or whether they had a welcome mat with paws or not.
In Florida associations can choose not to fund reserves or to partially fund reserves. Also there are items that no one thought to reserve for, notably concrete restoration. I can point out several associations with fully funded reserves that got hit with massive special assessments for concrete restoration. It wasn't a concern years ago but as these oceanfront concrete structures entered their third decade it became an issue. Ever increasing insurance premiums has been an issue, too, here in coastal Florida. Rather than raise monthlies I know of an association that levies a special assessment once a year to pay the increase/difference in the premium.
What you are talking about is a 40 year old building safety inspection to make sure the structure is livable.
Of course all of those unsafe concrete balconies and railings must be replaces. That's on every condo building over 40 in Florida.
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