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SFPMA Industry Articles | news, legal updates, events & education! 

Find Blog Articles for Florida’s Condo, HOA and the Management Industry. 

Over the past several years, all of Florida’s community association statutes have been amended to require that board members be “certified.”

Over the past several years, all of Florida’s community association statutes have been amended to require that board members be “certified.”

Board Members Courses:

Newly elected or appointed board members must sign a form, that provides that the board member has read the association’s governing documents, and that such board member will work to uphold such documents to the best of his or her ability.

Further, the board member must agree that he or she will faithfully discharge his or her fiduciary duty to the association’s members.

In lieu of signing this written certification, a newly elected or appointed director may instead provide a certificate demonstrating that they have satisfactorily completed an approved educational course.    

 Find Upcoming Board Member Courses on our Calendar on SFPMA.COM

A prospective board member can attend and complete such an educational course up to one year in advance of taking a seat on the board.

In the event that a board member fails to either complete an educational course or sign the required form within ninety days of their election or appointment to the board, such board member is suspended from service on the board until they complete the requirement.

SFPMA.COM has a full list of Courses that are offered by our members. View our Calendar of Events and keep informed. Take advantage of these required courses.

Thank You SFPMA

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Rembaum’s Association Roundup: Florida’s Newest Non-Native Invasion – Overnight Rentals

Rembaum’s Association Roundup: Florida’s Newest Non-Native Invasion – Overnight Rentals

  • Posted: May 30, 2017
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  • Comments: Comments Off on Rembaum’s Association Roundup: Florida’s Newest Non-Native Invasion – Overnight Rentals

With little doubt, purchasing a home is one of the most significant investments you can make. In order to help protect that investment, many purchasers choose to buy homes within community associations that include homeowners’, cooperative and condominium associations. Behavior within community associations is governed by a declaration of condominium or declaration of restrictions, along with the bylaws, articles of incorporation and, importantly, and more often than not, the rules and regulations generated by the board of directors. Those of us living within community associations, for the most part, did not sign up to live in a community with transient overnight housing. Yet, if left to the vices of VRBO and AirBnB that is exactly what can happen in your community. Do you know what to look for? Do you know how to prevent this from occurring? What if it is occurring in your neighborhood? What can your community association do about it?

For a variety of reasons, none which are the subject of today’s column, local governments may have difficulty in promulgating local ordinances prohibiting overnight housing offered by VRBO and AirBnB. Therefore, it is left up to your community association’s board of directors to ensure proper measures are in place to prevent homes in your community from becoming the newest unnamed hotel/motel.

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Remember that it’s important to vet all vendors who do work at your properties!

Remember that it’s important to vet all vendors who do work at your properties!

Nothing should occupy more space in your mind than property maintenance.

And how you manage it often makes the difference between contented tenants and constant complainers, between praising your team and yelling at them. The good news is that you can avoid most of the hassles and headaches by simply taking full advantage of our property management vendors.

If you’re still handling maintenance with sticky notes, business cards taped to walls and numbers stored in your cell phone, there’s a lot you can do quickly and easily to improve not only your team’s enjoyment of their jobs, but also the loyalty and satisfaction of your tenants and maintenance providers. Here are some suggestions.

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ARE WE TOO COMPLACENT ABOUT HURRICANE PREPARATION?

ARE WE TOO COMPLACENT ABOUT HURRICANE PREPARATION?

ARE WE TOO COMPLACENT ABOUT HURRICANE PREPARATION?

Steven J. Weil, president, Royale Management Services

by Enrolled Agent Steven J. Weil, Ph.D., EA, LCAM, president, Royale Management Services, Inc.

It’s likely that we don’t have to react with any great urgency this summer to the long-term threat of sea level rising, but it’s probably a very good idea to think seriously about hurricane preparation right now.

Floridians may have become a bit complacent about hurricanes, knowing that South Florida has not been hit by a major hurricane since 2005.  However, hurricane researchers tell us that the current 11-year drought in the Sunshine State is almost twice as long as the previous one of six years’ duration (from 1979-1985).  They warn that it’s just a matter of time before storms start coming this way again.

Association residents have some options, depending upon the strength of a storm.

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Entering the Gate at The Broward County Condo & HOA Expo, Ready to meet Leading Companies working in Florida’s Property Management Industry.

Entering the Gate at The Broward County Condo & HOA Expo, Ready to meet Leading Companies working in Florida’s Property Management Industry.

The Broward County Condo & HOA Expo
Special thanks goes out to L&L Exhibition Management, Nick Vetter and his Team for putting on this event.

I stopped in to meet with many of our SFPMA (South Florida Property Management Association) Members. Starting with Multi-Housing Team Bob and Sergio with Aaxon Laundry Systems, Rodger Kopp III of Commercial Laundries, Rudy Silva and James Friedman with Sherwin-Williams, Introducing myself to Buster Cash with Coast to Coast General Contractors, Proper Introductions to Steven J Weil Owner of RMS Accounting and Royal Management Services, Getting to meet more team members Ana Echeverri and Pedro Diez with The Falcon Group and SFPMA Legal Experts for Community Associations Kaye,Bender,Rembaum Attorneys At Law where Michael Bender Pompano Beach Office was giving a “Seminar on Legal and Legislative Changes and how it affects your Communities”. Among other attorneys present was my pleasure to finally meet Lisa Magill Esq. who brings her Expertise in Community Association Laws to one of Florida’s Leading Law Firm.

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It’s time to begin thinking about and planning for summer.

It’s time to begin thinking about and planning for summer.

There are a few things that you can do as a property manager to prepare now for a smooth-running summer.

Now is a great time to begin formulating a newsletter for your tenants that describes all of the things that you will be doing for them as well as what they can do to make their summers as cool and uneventful as possible. Communication is key to setting expectations about what your tenant is expected to do. Open communication with your community is Key for solving problems, Tenants and Owners are your eyes and ears. They live in the buildings they see things that may need to be repaired before you. With this with everyone working together you can get things done and stay on top of repairs in your buildings.

Tenants can help you help themselves by notifying you of any maintenance issues that may best be taken care of now rather than later. Things such as leaky faucets, stuck windows, and appliances that seem to be working a little less effectively than before are key items to look for.

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The short-term rental market is one of the hottest segments in real estate and property management

The short-term rental market is one of the hottest segments in real estate and property management

1.Hidden Costs – Short-term rentals are a different breed; they have many costs that traditional long-term rentals don’t have. These behind-the-scenes costs can include everything from replacing furniture to landscaping the lawn to supplying toilet paper. In essence, they’re more like hotels than rental properties. Here’s a quick list of common unforeseen costs:

  • Maintenance – garden and lawn irrigation, pool maintenance, pest control, HVAC maintenance
  • Utilities – cable, electricity, Internet, telephone, etc
  • Upkeep – housecleaning, toiletries, replacing appliances, carpet cleaning
  • Annual fees – taxes, insurance, property management fees, license fees

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Mobile Leasing: The transition to mobile-based marketing, leasing and resident management in 2017

Mobile Leasing: The transition to mobile-based marketing, leasing and resident management in 2017

The buzz in the property management industry right now about the transition to mobile-based marketing, leasing and resident management, with the expectation that the pervasive tech obsession sweeping America will leave no process unturned.

The reality may be a little closer to the current standard practices of renting an apartment—with a couple of notable exceptions.

Industry insiders tell us that while things are going to change a lot for some high-end apartment communities and their tenants, many of us will still be filling out paper applications. But we may get to pay our rent and submit maintenance requests, online. And while searching for that great new place, expect to be courted with apps and mobile-friendly websites.

Here’s a step-by-step look at the apartment rental process and what’s changing—or, perhaps, staying the same.

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