Chapnick Community Association Law, P.A.

How to handle that nuisance neighbor

Michael E. Chapnick, Esq.

The neighbor across the lake from your home is practicing her golf swing and your backyard is littered with golf balls. Some have come too close for comfort, threatening to pop a hole in the screened-in patio. Another neighbor complains about the barking dog left out in the backyard next door. Meantime, friends living in [...]

Chapnick revamps website to make it more user friendly

Michael E. Chapnick, Esq.

Chapnick Community Association Law has completed an extensive remodeling of our user interface, making it easier to quickly find what clients are looking for. We have even included a few new special features, such as statistics on how many unit owners are in bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosure, and lien foreclosure. This empowers our clients to view [...]

How to prevent squatters from invading your HOA

Michael E. Chapnick, Esq.

Whether they’re activists trying to make a point about foreclosures or homelessness or just people looking for a free place to say, HOAs have been forced to face down squatters in their empty properties. “You hear about all kinds of things including people breaking into units, changing the locks, and renting out the units. There [...]

New Fannie Mae rule to aid in collection of unpaid assessments

Michael E. Chapnick, Esq.

Effective July 1, homeowners and condominium associations stand to get some much needed relief in their efforts to collect unpaid assessments from mortgage servicers. The help is coming in the form of a rule from Fannie Mae, which will require servicers to make sure that any priority liens for delinquent assessments on acquired properties are [...]

What are an association’s responsibilities should a storm strike

Michael E. Chapnick, Esq.

With the last significant storm – Hurricane Wilma – seven years in our past, it’s easy to become complacent. But, as the 2012 hurricane season begins on June 1, what better time to revisit some of the things homeowner and condo associations must do to prepare should a disaster strike? Associations would be well advised [...]

Florida Condo Attorney: Owners, HOAs Wonder Who Pays for Construction Defects?

Michael E. Chapnick, Esq.

They were marketed as luxury residences in a new condominium community in Sunrise, Florida. For owners, residents, the homeowner association, condominium lawyers and now the developer, the residences at Artesia have turned out to be a source of expense, frustration and now, litigation. According to newspaper reports, the high-end Artesia condos have been plagued by [...]

Newspaper Article Debates Florida Stand Your Ground Law, Condominium / Homeowner Association Liability

Michael E. Chapnick, Esq.

Michael Chapnick, of Chapnick Community Association Law, a condominium and homeowner association law firm in Delray Beach, Florida, said he intends to send an alert to the 325 homeowners associations he represents in South Florida and the west coast of Florida with a simple message: Know the law and your situation. Chapnick was interviewed by [...]

Florida Homeowner Associations, Neighborhood Watch, Civil Liability and the Trayvon Martin Killing

Michael E. Chapnick, Esq.

George Zimmerman, a self-described captain of his Florida homeowner association’s neighborhood watch, sees Trayvon Martin – the stranger in a hoodie – walking through the community. Zimmerman calls 911 to report the “suspicious” person. He’s told not to pursue, but armed and vigilant, he does anyway. An apparent scuffle ensues. Martin, 17, is shot dead. [...]

Florida Condo Association & Homeowner Association: Are They Synonymous?

Michael E. Chapnick, Esq.

From Boca Raton to Sunrise and all across South Florida, people use any number of names to refer to the communities in which they live. They’re condominiums, condo associations, residential associations and homeowner associations. But are they synonymous? Can the monikers be used interchangeably? As attorneys who work with property managers and property management companies, [...]

Business or Pleasure: Are Office Condos Bound by Same Florida Association Rules as Residential Condos?

Michael E. Chapnick, Esq.

You live in a residential condominium, and you own and work in a commercial or office condo. Are you bound by the same general rules under Florida law? It’s a question that’s pertinent to “condominium associations” of all kinds. The short answer is, Yes. Whether you live in a South Florida condominium or work in [...]