Condo/HOA Reform

Learn  more about condo reform issues at     

Cyber Citizens for Justice

According to a poll taken before Wilma, condo-owners support necessary condo reforms by a wide margin.   Please see more details of the poll at http://www.ccfj.net/POLLreforms.html.

Condo Boards and Management Companies are known to encourage spying on neighbors.  That is un-American.  In Nazi Germany, so-called "Blockfuehrer" were rewarded for spying on their neighbors, making accusations knowing their names would never be revealed.  Read more at CCFJ.

Position Statement on Common Interest Developments

CCFJ has a lot of stories on their web page about pets in condos/HOA issues.  more details

On the Commons, a weekly radio show, dedicated to discussing the many issues surrounding mandatory membership common ownership developments.  It is broadcast live from WEBR, Fairfax, Virginia and available on this web site:  http://www.onthecommons.com/.

Rental Homes, Condos And Pets

How many more millions of dogs and cats would have homes if more rental properties and Condos allowed them? The fact is, about half of all renters have pets. Landlords can have fewer vacancies if they allow furry tenants. To encourage pet-friendly landlords, the Humane Society of the United States has launched www.rentwithpets.org. Landlords can use the Web site to find sample leases and pet policies, as well as tips on identifying responsible pet owners. For pet owners, the Humane Society suggests developing a "pet resume," complete with references from a former landlord and your veterinarian. -- source: CatNips [ezine@gophercentral.com] 6/26/07

HSUS resources on how a pets allowed policy can work:

How to address the top 8 concerns related to allowing pets

Thirteen steps to developing a pets welcome strategy 

Recommended pet policies for condominiums and apartment buildings

Defend Your Homeowner Rights!  What You Must Do When the Board Turns Your Life Upside Down Dr. Joyce Starr presents the first  self-defense guide  for concerned or distraught Condo and Homeowner Association (HOA)  members.  Vital information and insider secrets are revealed in remarkable detail.  This book is your armor and shield if/when the Board turns your life upside down.  Targeted as a condo whistleblower over toxic mold, the author confronted and won a complex pet enforcement case.  Now she's transformed  her experiences into critical strategies for  defending and protecting your rights.  Discover how to stop Board abuse – including harassment, retaliation, and frivolous legal actions.  Ignore this book at your peril!   A must-have gift for family and friends. " Defend Your Condo and Homeowner Rights will help owners who are "enforced" for keeping a pet, along with many other types of enforcement.  If I had the information included in this work when my pet case began, it could have shaved a year or more off of my two-year case -- and saved me countless sleepless nights." --Dr. Joyce Starr Read More Order the Book- or - Order this book along with two others CONDO & HOA DEFENSE KIT!: - Creating Condo & HOA Documents and - Condo Board Election Revolt!    Also from Dr. Joyce STARR Publishing, The Homeowner Survival E-Report Series (all reports in this series are instant downloads): "How to Recall Your Condo Board or HOA Board in Ten Steps," by Dr. David Goldenberg "How to Stop Your Condo Board or HOA Board from Keeping You in the Dark," by Realtor Angela Stewart Hear Dr. Joyce on Rights Radio for Homeowners and Pet Owners in Distress on the first and third Wednesday of every month at 5:00 PM EST. Click Here for station info. (Pet Guardians Radio airs the first Wednesday of the month.  Home Owners Radio airs the third Wednesday of the month.)  To Contact Dr. Joyce for personal Homeowner Tele-consultations ($75 each) Click Here

The Office of the Florida Condo Ombudsman was created in 2004 to help people resolve issues with their association boards.
See Section 718.5012 of the Florida Statutes.  The current Condo Ombudsman is Danille Carroll.


Why not try to get rules changed at your condo?  According to Virgil Rizzo, the previous State of Florida Condo Ombudsman, these are the proper steps to initiate changes: 

Check your bylaws regarding amendments. You can draft them and submit them to the board as an inquiry via certified letter and ask if they would submit them to the membership at the next annual meeting. Make sure you submit them under the correct form as set forth in the Florida statutes, Section 718.112(1)  and Section 718.110. 

Here is how you can find and read the Florida mandated housing statutes (Florida law for various types of association-run housing complexes). Go the the link for the Florida Statutes, then look under Title XL, Real and Personal Property, and scroll down to Chapter 718 Condominiums (or 719 Cooperatives, or 720 Homeowners Associations, or 723 Mobile Home Park Tenancies.)

Note: The state government site does not have the 2008 changes online yet. Click here to read details of the 2008 revised Florida Condo Act.