The private association that runs a community’s shared areas and enforces its recorded rules, paid for by the owners’ assessments.
An HOA is created by covenants recorded against every lot in the community. Owners elect a board, the board sets a budget, and each owner pays assessments to fund it. The covenants and rules decide what you can do with the home: leasing, pets, parking, fences, paint colors and exterior changes.
Assessments are an obligation of the property, not optional dues. Under Florida law the HOA disclosure summary warns buyers that unpaid assessments can become a lien on the home.
It depends on the community. Fees typically pay for common-area landscaping and upkeep, amenities such as a pool, clubhouse or gate, the association’s insurance and management, and reserves for future repairs; some also include lawn care, cable or internet. Fees, and special assessments, can change over time.
Compare real numbers by county: Clay, Nassau, Orange, Hillsborough and Pasco counties, or the Florida HOA fees by county report.
A CDD (community development district) is not an HOA. It is a local special-purpose government under Chapter 190, Florida Statutes, that finances roads, water and other infrastructure and collects its assessments on your property tax bill. Many new master-planned communities have both. See what a CDD fee is and CDD vs. HOA.
The disclosure summary. Florida law (section 720.401) requires the seller to give you an HOA disclosure summary before you sign the contract. If you didn’t get it first, you can void the contract by written notice within three days after receiving it or before closing, whichever comes first.
The documents. Read the covenants, rules, budget and reserves, and ask about pending special assessments. Since January 1, 2025, associations with 100 or more parcels must post their official records on a website or app (HB 1203, 2024).
The estoppel letter. At closing the association certifies what is owed on the home; see the estoppel letter. For other recent rule changes see Florida housing laws.
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