Quote:
Posted By NitaD on 03/11/2024 11:12 AM
Can a member of a condo association request copies of receipts for landscaping and ground maintenance? I just received the statement of Revenue, expenses and changes in fund balance for year ending 12/31/2023.
In Florida, yes you are entitled to see those records. However, they may ask you to come in to the office or have them available electronically.
You are entitled to see all the Official Records. These are defined in FS 718.111. The official records include:
"The accounting records must include, but are not limited to:
a. Accurate, itemized, and detailed records of all receipts and expenditures."
Here's the rules on getting access to official records:
(b) The official records specified in subparagraphs (a)1.-6. must be permanently maintained from the inception of the association. Bids for work to be performed or for materials, equipment, or services must be maintained for at least 1 year after receipt of the bid. All other official records must be maintained within the state for at least 7 years, unless otherwise provided by general law. The records of the association shall be made available to a unit owner within 45 miles of the condominium property or within the county in which the condominium property is located within 10 working days after receipt of a written request by the board or its designee. However, such distance requirement does not apply to an association governing a timeshare condominium. This paragraph may be complied with by having a copy of the official records of the association available for inspection or copying on the condominium property or association property, or the association may offer the option of making the records available to a unit owner electronically via the Internet or by allowing the records to be viewed in electronic format on a computer screen and printed upon request. The association is not responsible for the use or misuse of the information provided to an association member or his or her authorized representative in compliance with this chapter unless the association has an affirmative duty not to disclose such information under this chapter.
(c)1. The official records of the association are open to inspection by any association member and any person authorized by an association member as a representative of such member at all reasonable times. The right to inspect the records includes the right to make or obtain copies, at the reasonable expense, if any, of the member and of the person authorized by the association member as a representative of such member. A renter of a unit has a right to inspect and copy only the declaration of condominium, the association’s bylaws and rules, and the inspection reports described in ss. 553.899 and 718.301(4)(p). The association may adopt reasonable rules regarding the frequency, time, location, notice, and manner of record inspections and copying but may not require a member to demonstrate any purpose or state any reason for the inspection. The failure of an association to provide the records within 10 working days after receipt of a written request creates a rebuttable presumption that the association willfully failed to comply with this paragraph. A unit owner who is denied access to official records is entitled to the actual damages or minimum damages for the association’s willful failure to comply. Minimum damages are $50 per calendar day for up to 10 days, beginning on the 11th working day after receipt of the written request. The failure to permit inspection entitles any person prevailing in an enforcement action to recover reasonable attorney fees from the person in control of the records who, directly or indirectly, knowingly denied access to the records.