HOA Research Guides

The due diligence checklist every Florida home buyer needs before closing on a property in an HOA community — documents, finances, red flags, and your legal rights.

• What documents to request before closing
• How to read a reserve study
• Special assessment red flags
• Governing documents explained
• Verifying the management company

Understand HOA dues, reserve funds, special assessments, and what makes a community financially healthy — before you buy or as a current resident.

• What monthly dues actually cover
• Reserve fund vs. operating fund
• How special assessments happen
• Signs of a financially healthy HOA
• Fee increase limits under Florida law

A plain-language overview of Florida Statutes 718 and 720 — homeowner rights, enforcement procedures, financial requirements, and dispute resolution in Florida HOA communities.

• Florida Statute 718 (Condos) vs. 720 (HOAs)
• Homeowner rights under Florida law
• How violation fines actually work
• Special assessment approval requirements
• Free dispute resolution options

Your rights as a Florida HOA resident — how to attend board meetings, run for the board, challenge violations, request records, and resolve disputes.

• Attending and speaking at board meetings
• Running for the board
• How to challenge a fine or violation
• Requesting HOA records in writing
• Florida's free dispute resolution program

A plain-language summary of recent Florida HOA reforms under HB 1203 — homeowner rights, fines and enforcement, board member education, and online records requirements.

• What HB 1203 changed for HOAs
• New homeowner protections and notice rules
• Board member education requirement
• Online records for larger communities
• Stronger penalties for board misconduct

What a Florida estoppel certificate is, what it costs, and how long an HOA or condo association has to deliver one — essential reading before you buy or sell.

• What an estoppel certificate shows
• Statutory fee caps and free re-requests
• The 10-business-day delivery deadline
• Why it matters at closing

Florida's post-Surfside condo safety laws explained — milestone structural inspections, Structural Integrity Reserve Studies (SIRS), and why reserves can no longer be waived.

• Which buildings need a milestone inspection
• 30-year (25 near the coast) inspection timeline
• What a SIRS reserve study covers
• Why reserves can no longer be waived
• What buyers should ask before closing

Your right to inspect HOA records under Florida Statute 720.303 — what's accessible, the 10-business-day deadline, what's off-limits, and what to do if the board refuses.

• What records you're entitled to see
• The 10-business-day response rule
• Records the association may withhold
• Penalties for a board that refuses
• How to write an effective request

How to run for and serve on a Florida HOA board — eligibility, elections, the new director education requirement, term limits, and your fiduciary duties.

• Who can run for the board
• How HOA elections work
• The new board member education requirement
• Your fiduciary duties as a director
• Common mistakes that create liability

How to resolve a dispute with your Florida HOA — internal appeals, mandatory pre-suit mediation and arbitration, the DBPR, and when to go to court.

• Start with the internal process
• Mandatory pre-suit mediation for many disputes
• Condo arbitration through the DBPR
• Recall and election disputes
• When court or small claims makes sense

A free Florida HOA board code of conduct template, plus what Chapter 720 actually requires on conflicts of interest, kickbacks, and confidentiality.

• What a code of conduct can and can't do
• The §720.3033 conflict disclosure rule
• Kickbacks and mandatory removal
• Executive session confidentiality
• How to adopt it properly

A free Florida HOA board meeting minutes template, plus what Chapter 720 requires minutes to contain, how long to keep them, and what to leave out.

• What Florida law requires minutes to contain
• What to leave out — and why over-recording creates risk
• How long you must keep minutes (and the 7-year rule)
• Who can inspect minutes and how fast you must respond
• A free, statute-aware minutes template

How to tell whether a Florida HOA rule is actually enforceable — the four-part test, the rules statute overrides, selective enforcement, and what to do next.

• The four-part test for whether a rule is enforceable
• Rules Florida statute overrides outright
• How selective enforcement makes a valid rule unenforceable
• Rules that were never properly adopted
• What to do when you think a rule is unenforceable

What actually happens if you don't pay a Florida HOA fine — the fine cap, why fines under $1,000 can't become a lien, and how that differs from unpaid assessments.

• Why unpaid fines and unpaid assessments are completely different
• The most a Florida HOA can fine you
• Why a fine under $1,000 cannot become a lien
• The step-by-step escalation timeline
• How to challenge a fine before it grows

Parking, pets, rentals, solar, flags and more — what a Florida HOA is allowed to restrict, what state law protects, and how to tell the difference.

• The general test for whether a restriction is valid
• Parking and vehicles — what HB 1203 changed
• Pets, rentals, and short-term lets
• Solar, flags, and hurricane protection the law protects
• When a restriction is in your declaration but not in statute