Researching information for the condo board

by Richard E. Gordon
email: richard@gordonrichard.com
last updated: April 21, 2010

I am a Board member of a Florida condo association. My main responsibility is to dig up information from the Internet on topics or questions the Board requires to help make decisions. Why am I putting my research on these topics or questions on a Website? I think that many other condo associations throughout Florida may find helpful the information I come up with. Perhaps my work for my own Association can save others from going through the same research process.

To find the results of my research, just click on the following links in each of these topics or questions.

1. Heated pool? Our condo with forty apartments has a swimming pool. The pool is not heated -- which is OK for the hot summer months, but the weather cools off from November through March, the pool is much too cold to use comfortably. The Board thinks it is too expensive to put in a conventional pool heating system. The questions:
• Are solar panels a solution -- installed on the roof of the recreation building next to the pool?
• How expensive would this solution be?
• Are there Federal or State funds that would help pay for the cost? What contractors in the area -- Pinellas County -- might be able to handle the job?
  The research results.


2. Water softener? Right now our condo building brings hard water into the building. A few of the forty condos have their own soft-water treatment equipment.
   • Could we install equipment that would soften the water at the point where it enters our building so that soft water could be supplied to all the Units?
     The research results.
     
3. Restricting rentals? Many owners in our condo building are concerned that a growing percentage of our units are rented. Renters generally are not as concerned about the upkeep of the building and following the condo rules as owner-occupiers would be. Down the line, too, those who wish to own may find it more difficult to secure mortgages for a unit in a development where a high percentage of occupants are renters. Can the Board stipulate what the maximum percentage of rentals can be?
   The research results.
   
4. Water alarms? Leaking water can cause big damage in a condo building. Imagine if the third floor apartment owner Mr. Williams forgets about water filling up his bathtub while he's wrapped up in answering his emails. Water flows across the bathroom floor and leaks into the condo below. The second floor occupant Ms. Jensen is asleep. By the time she wakes up several hours later, her living room ceiling is dripping wet and her new living room rug is soaked.
   • Are there water-sensitive alarms that might have yanked Mr. Williams away from his computer and awakened Ms. Jensen?
   • And might any such alarms be loud enough to alert others in neighboring condos?
     The research results.
     
5. Advisors to the Board. In every condominium association are owners who may be unwilling to be on the Board but yet do have special talents, skills, knowledge of all kinds that might prove helpful to the Board when undertaking various projects. For example, if the Board is considering selecting a tile for hallways, how helpful could be an owner who a retired owner of a tile company. Or if electrical upgrades throughout the building are needed, the Board would do well to seek the advice of an owner who is a retired electrician. How can the Board get access to such helpful resources among their own members?
   
6. Condo Docs. Our Condo Documents are available online in three formats: Pdf, Word, and Works. But to get access to these documents, you need an ID and Password. If you want access to these documents, email who you are and why you are entitled to access (Greenview condo owner, attorney, management company). Send your email to richard@gordonrichard.com. In the Subject line, insert "Access to Condo Docs."
   
   Once you have entered this protected site by using the ID and Password, you may be able to return to it without again using the ID and Password. Your browser software has remembered the ID and Password and automatically unlocks the protected site.
   
7. Condo Docs of other association. As we work on revising and updatng our own Condo Docs, we will find help in looking at the Docs of other Florida condo association. Are there Condo Docs from other Florida associations?
   The research results
   
8. Florida State Regulations.. As a new board member, I would like access to Florida State rules and regulations regarding condominiums. Can these regulations be found online?
   The research results
   
9. Bicycle storage. In our three storey condo building, owners can park and store their bikes in the two stairwell landings on the first floor. Facing the main entrance of the building, several bikes are locked into wall fasteners on the right side of the building. Other bikes are on landing at the left side of the building. As the years have gone by, every possible bike parking space has been taken. The Board suspects that many of the bikes have been abandoned by former owners who are no longer residing in the building. Up to this point, owners have not tagged their bicycles with their names. How can the Board identify which bikes are being used by owners and which bikes can be discarded or given away to a charitable organization?
   The research results
   
10. Selecting management company. If your Florida condo association is thinking of hiring a management company, what are suggestions for choosing the best company that meets your needs considering your condo building has forty apartments?
    The research results