cooperative Archives - Page 3 of 3

August 9, 2022August 9, 2022

Webinar August 4, 2022 | New Condominium Inspection Bill – Part II

Thank you for joining Evan Bradley from Campbell Property Management, Attorney Michael Bender from Kaye Bender Rembaum, and Engineer Scott Harvey-Lewis from Building Mavens for this “New Condo Inspection Bill Webinar Part Two”. This recording is from August 4, 2022 and was hosted on Zoom. Learn how this impacts your community association.

Contact information:
Michael S. Bender, Esq., BCS
1200 Park Central Boulevard South
Pompano Beach, FL
954-928-0680

Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only. You will not receive CEU credits for watching the recording. If applicable, credits were issued only to those that attended the course live.

July 22, 2022July 22, 2022

Webinar July 20, 2022| The Screening Process

This webinar is for educational purposes and is not to be considered as legal advice. Watching this video does not satisfy any state or local requirements.

Associations often fail to have clearly defined procedures for handling transfer (sale/lease) approvals, leading to liability exposure, not only for the corporation, but also for individual board members and Community Association Managers (CAMs). Participants in this course will learn how to create and adopt transfer approval procedures, what should be included on the transfer approval application, how to comply with local government ordinances, how to comply with Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements and how to train screening committee members, board members and staff to conduct the transfer approval process and interview.

February 11, 2022March 24, 2022

Will The Association’s Denial Of An Architectural Request Withstand Challenge? Many Won’t—Find Out Why

Rembaum's Association Roundup | Jeffrey A. Rembaum, Esq., BCS

For many homeowners associations, a top priority is ensuring that the homes in the community are maintained in conformity with the “community-wide standard.” But, what is this subjective standard? How is compliance measured? What is the process to be judged when a request to the association’s architectural review committee (ARC) is made? The ARC is instrumental in ensuring that the community-wide standard is met. However, your association may run into a problem if the ARC denies a request from a homeowner if the association has not adopted specific, objective criteria and guidelines on which the ARC can rely.

[Read the Full Article…]

January 15, 2022January 18, 2022

Securing Your Gated Community | Exactly Who is Allowed In?

Rembaum's Association Roundup | Jeffrey A. Rembaum, Esq., BCS

While living in a gated community can add peace of mind for the residents who live behind the gates, there are many important considerations for the association when crafting rules and regulations regarding who may and who may not be permitted to enter the community. In today’s gated communities, there are three entry control options: (i) live personnel to monitor the gate, (ii) a virtual gate guard where the gate guard who allows guests to pass through is off-site and monitoring electronically, or (iii) a simple call box.

Many associations adopt rules which require visitors to the community to present valid identification to ensure that the visitors are authorized by the association or a resident to enter the community. But, what kind of identification can an association require? Are there limits? In the end, the association must…[Read the full article]

December 13, 2021January 18, 2022

Deconstructing the Construction Contract | A Plain English Explanation

Rembaum's Association Roundup | Jeffrey A. Rembaum, Esq., BCS

If your community association has engaged the services of a contractor, engineer, architect, or other construction or design professional to perform a maintenance, repair, replacement, or capital improvement project, you know the process can be overwhelming. No matter the mad rush to execute the contract as soon as possible, when beginning such projects, no matter how big or small, the board needs to ensure the contract adequately protects the association. Even the smallest of projects can have unexpected, disastrous consequences. A few of the more common provisions which every board member should understand follow. [Read the Full Article]

November 3, 2021January 18, 2022

Don’t Want Your Association To Be The Next Rental Community? Then You Better Read This

Rembaum’s Association Roundup | Jeffrey A. Rembaum, Esq., BCS

Many community associations throughout Florida struggle to deal with the increase in overnight and short-term rentals caused by the proliferation of online websites such as VRBO and Airbnb. As such, many communities fear being turned into “rental communities,” especially with so many large corporations buying homes in the South Florida area for the express purpose of renting them. These transient rentals can present nuisance and safety issues and can easily change the composition of your community. The good news, however, is that there are steps your association can take to help protect the community from becoming the next transient rental community by having the necessary language in the declaration of restrictions, as further discussed below.

There are two types of restrictions which work together to help achieve this goal. First, corporate (or business entity) ownership must be fully addressed. Second, specific criteria for approval of purchasers, tenants, and occupants residing in the community for longer than 30 days (or such other time period) must be adopted. Finally, a brief discussion regarding the applicability… [Read the Rest]

October 4, 2021October 4, 2021

It’s the Manager’s Fault…Or Is It?

Rembaum’s Association Roundup | Jeffrey A. Rembaum, Esq., BCS

Few professions have more demands placed upon them than that of the Florida licensed community association manager (CAM). Depending on whom you ask, the CAM is the organizer, rules enforcer, keeper of secrets (meaning confidential and statutorily protected information not limited to the medical record of owners and attorney-client privileged information), best friend, the “bad guy” (a frequent misconstruction), and the first person in the line of fire when things go wrong; in other words, the one who takes all the blame and gets little credit when things go right.

When things at the association go wrong, what comment is most likely heard? “It’s the manager’s fault!” But, is it? Unless the manager failed to carry out a lawful directive from the board, breached a management contract provision, or violated a Florida statute, then in all likelihood, the manager has no culpability. CAMs are licensed by the State of Florida pursuant to Part VIII of Chapter 468 of the Florida Statutes, and there are statutory standards by which CAMs must conduct themselves.

Pursuant to §468.4334, Florida Statutes, “[a] community association manager or a community association management firm is deemed to act as agent on behalf of a community association as principal within the scope of authority authorized by a written contract or [Read the Rest]