Ten questions every Florida buyer should ask

  1. What is the current monthly fee and what does it cover? Get a line-item breakdown — insurance, reserves, water, landscaping, management, security.
  2. When was the last special assessment, and what was it for? A capital improvement assessment can be a positive sign. A repair assessment from under-funded reserves is a warning.
  3. What does the most recent reserve study say? Compare recommended balance to actual balance. The gap tells you future special assessment risk.
  4. Has the master insurance policy had any major claims? Big past claims drive up future premiums.
  5. Is there pending litigation? Check both as plaintiff and defendant.
  6. What is the rental restriction? Critical if you plan to rent the unit out, even occasionally.
  7. What is the pet restriction? Breed, weight, and number limits matter.
  8. How active is the board? Read the past year of meeting minutes — a healthy board addresses issues, a troubled board postpones them.
  9. Who is the management company? Larger professional management firms tend to run associations more smoothly than self-managed boards.
  10. What recent news exists about this community? Search the community name in Google News and in the Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts docket search — both are free and fast.

Fee trends and what they mean

Look at the past 5 years of fee history if available. Florida HOAs and especially condos have been under enormous fee pressure since 2022 due to:

  • Insurance premium spikes (often 30–50% per year on condos).
  • Reserve catch-up requirements after SB 4-D.
  • Inflation in landscaping, security, and management labor.

A 5–10% annual increase is normal. A 50%+ jump in a single year is unusual and worth investigating. A flat fee for 5 years is a warning sign — the association is probably under-funding reserves to keep the fee artificially low.

Using HOA Agent for due diligence

HOA Agent is a free public database of every HOA and condo community in Palm Beach County. For any community you can:

  • Search by name, address, or city — try our search.
  • See the current Florida entity status and registration.
  • See the management company on file.
  • See resident reviews and comments.
  • See verified fee data from residents and listing observations.

Detailed reports with full source citations and fee history are available for $2.99 per community.

For real estate agents

We're building agent-specific tools — bulk lookup, client report generation, and CMA-style comparisons. Sign up at /for-agents to get early access.