Jupiter Florida Real Estate Broker

Florida’s 2016 Legislative Sessions have ended, and we are happy to report that one of our top initiatives from Great American REALTOR® Days (GARD), the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Funds, has received its highest funding level in nearly a decade.

Lawmakers provided $135.5M for rental assistance (State Housing Initiatives Partnership or SHIP), $5M for homelessness challenge grants, and $64.6M for state housing programs, half of which will go to theState Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) program. Also, lawmakers appropriated monies from general revenue and other trust funds for several local housing initiatives: $4M for homelessness programs around the state, $16M for the Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, and $1M for a variety of community development projects.

How much can I be charged as an application fee in Florida?  The answer is simple in a condo.  Provided the condo rules allow  for a fee, the maximum charge allowable is $100 per applicant – husband/wife and parent/dependent child are considered one applicant; no charge may be made on renewals with the same lessee.  This is covered under Florida Statute Section 718.112(2)(i).

(i)?Transfer fees.—No charge shall be made by the association or any body thereof in connection with the sale, mortgage, lease, sublease, or other transfer of a unit unless the association is required to approve such transfer and a fee for such approval is provided for in the declaration, articles, or bylaws. Any such fee may be preset, but in no event may such fee exceed $100 per applicant other than husband/wife or parent/dependent child, which are considered one applicant. However, if the lease or sublease is a renewal of a lease or sublease with the same lessee or sublessee, no charge shall be made. The foregoing notwithstanding, an association may, if the authority to do so appears in the declaration or bylaws, require that a prospective lessee place a security deposit, in an amount not to exceed the equivalent of 1 month’s rent, into an escrow account maintained by the association. The security deposit shall protect against damages to the common elements or association property. Payment of interest, claims against the deposit, refunds, and disputes under this paragraph shall be handled in the same fashion as provided in part II of chapter 83.

However if it is a Home Owners Association then there is no such statutory language.  The association must provide for it in there recorded docs or rules and this may be changed from time to time.