nyt's remarks do not apply to condominiums in Florida; they are relevant to co-ops in NYC and a few other U.S. cities. Co-ops are a totally different animal from condos.

They don't apply to condominiums most places, coops in NYC yes, but there are few coops outside of NYC.

DC has co-ops.

San Francisco has ONE co-op. I'll rephrase - they aren't common outside of NYC.

Are we suggesting that condos don;t do interviews? I have several friend who live in one and they all had inetrivews before purchase.

Did your friends buy in Florida?

No, condos don't always do interviews--I can't say never--but most importantly, the laws limit the kinds of questions that can be asked; co-ops are permitted a much higher degree of intrusiveness. Most condos in my city make do with a form and background checks; a few of the high rises follow up with a meeting, but they don't call it an interview for legal reasons.

If a seller has a contract with a buyer and the association turns down the buyers, they can probably expect a lawsuit from the sellers for ruining the sale.

Right, Neo. My board has never had a reason to turn down a renter or buyer, but if we came across something troubling in either the criminal or financial background check, we'd consult our lawyer straightaway.

Your daughter's problem is why you have to read the condo docs. Sorry I wasn't more specific. Many, many association have limits on the number of units that can be rented. Better that your daughter and SIL found out before making the purchase. They would have been in big trouble if they has to make payments and couldn't rent it.

If it is in the documents, a lawsuit would be an expensive waste of time. Their real estate agent should have caught this. If they lost money, they might sue her/him.

I currently own two condos, one in MA and one in VA, and have owned three others, two in MA, one in FL. We have never ever been interviewed by a board. Have I missed anything material in reading condo docs? Yes. My current MA condo allows dogs, and I wouldn't have bought it had I known. But so it goes.

We had an interview, or at least a "meeting" with some of the board members when we purchased our first condo in Fort Lauderdale. That get-together was conducted solely to allow us to ask any questions, mainly about the condo rules, and to assure the association that we had read those rules (we executed a document which verified that).

There was no intention whatsoever to somehow prevent us from making our purchase. We were not financing but rather buying outright in cash. We had submitted the required application to the association which had done a credit check in an attempt to verify our reliability in making the required maintenance payments.

IMO, you really need to rely on people who have actually been through the process IN FLORIDA for "opinions." There are lots of people who certainly mean well but, unfortunately, they are sometimes misinformed.

Fair enough, Dukey, but realize that sometimes it's simply a difference of how it works with a particular association. For example I currently own two condos IN Florida and have owned three others. I have never had a meeting in purchasing any of them. On the other hand, I've been on the board for three Florida condos, and two of those required meetings and approval with renters but not buyers.

<Your daughter's problem is why you have to read the condo docs. Sorry I wasn't more specific. Many, many association have limits on the number of units that can be rented. >
Yes, but... my condo docs leave the decision of how many renters is too many entirely up to the Board. There is no set limit. So sometimes, even reading the docs and bylaws won't save you from disappointment.

my condo docs leave the decision of how many renters is too many entirely up to the Board. There is no set limit

The issue is only partly that condo owners don't want renters, they want owners. As [if not more] important, is that lending rules won't permit institutional lenders to take a mortgage on a condo if too high a percentage of the building is rented rather than owner-occupied.

" lending rules won't permit institutional lenders to take a mortgage on a condo if too high a percentage of the building is rented rather than owner-occupied."

This was their problem, the lender(s) said no.

I live in Florida, but not in a condo. However, I recently read the rules regarding a condo a few blocks from my home. Occupants are prohibited from using the dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, and vacuum after 10:00 pm. Smoking is prohibited in the units, around the pool, and inside the building common areas.

Wow, that's really restrictive! My condo complex is townhouse style; I can see how noise (such as that from a dishwasher) might travel badly in a multi-story building. It also seems to me that a lot of modest garden apartment complexes have been converted into condos, and I can't imagine those are soundproofed properly.

Now, the smoking thing... every now and then I can smell my neighbor's cigarette smoke when she sits on her balcony, even with the windows closed. This is rare, and I admit I'm very sensitive to that smell. There was one resident here who smoked a cigar on his balcony every night, overlooking the pool, and we all thought someone would complain about that and then the Board would have to act, but no one ever did and the guy moved away.

I'd love to make the world smoke free!

Gracie, I'm certain you realize these rules you are citing would obviously vary from one building to another, just as the rules in gated communities containing separate houses vary. I'm also sure people considering living in a condo will be appreciative of your post which, if nothing else, emphasizes the need to know what the rules are when contemplating a purchase. Of course there's that other thing that can happen too: after you move in they CHANGE the rules!

Often there are restrictions on the size and breed of dogs.

Or, after you move in, you can get on the Board and work to get rules changed!