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Florida HOA guides, written from the recorded documents

Bayit Title collected thousands of documents on these Florida communities — declarations, amendments, plats and notices from the county official records, and rules and fee schedules from the associations’ own websites — and went through them to answer what people ask most about an HOA: which estoppels a closing needs, what is paid at closing, the leasing and approval rules, and how the master association and its sub-associations fit together.

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Every guide reviewed by Shevy Lowenstein, Florida Title Agent, License W766033Last reviewed October 28, 2026

master associations
sub-associations, each with its own guide
recorded documents itemized, instrument by instrument
Florida counties

Master associations and their sub-associations

Start with the master. Then open the sub-association the home is in: its rules, fees and estoppel come on top of the master’s. Or compare them all in one table: HOA fees at closing.

Master HOAs and sub-HOAs

Why a closing in a planned community usually needs two estoppels

Many Florida communities are built in layers. A master association runs what the whole community shares, and inside it sub-associations — Neighborhood, Village or condominium associations — each have their own declaration, assessments, rules and manager. A home in one answers to both: an estoppel from each, possibly a fee to each at closing, and both sets of leasing and approval rules.

Master associationThe whole community: gates, roads, lakes, common areasEstoppel 1

Sub-associationsEstoppel 2

  • Neighborhood association
  • Village association
  • Condominium association
Each with its own declaration, rules, assessment and manager
The homeBound by both, and can owe a fee to each at closing

Common questions

What is a master association?

A master association is the homeowners’ association for a whole planned community. In Florida it is usually governed by Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes. It owns or maintains what every home shares — the entrances, roads, lakes and common areas — sets a master assessment, and records a declaration that binds every lot in the community.

What is a sub-association?

A sub-association is an association inside a master community that governs one neighborhood, village or building. Communities call them Neighborhood, Village or condominium associations; they are also called sub-HOAs. Each has its own declaration, assessments, rules and manager, and a home in one is bound by both its sub-association and the master.

Does a home in a master-planned community need two estoppel certificates?

Usually. The master association issues one and the sub-association issues another, and each reports what is owed to it. A home the master administers directly, with no association of its own, needs only the master’s. Some communities add a third: in Boca West the Country Club issues one as well. Each guide opens with a table of the estoppels its community needs.

Where does the information in these guides come from?

From the documents themselves. We collected the declarations, amendments, by-laws, plats and notices recorded in the county official records, and the rules, budgets and fee schedules the associations publish, and went through them. Every point in a guide cites the instrument it comes from, by its official records book and page or instrument number.

How current are the guides?

Each guide gives the recording date of the newest document it was written from, and the name of the licensed title agent who reviewed it and when. Anything recorded after that date is not reflected. The association’s estoppel certificate, not a guide, is what a closing relies on for the amounts owed on a particular home.

How we built these guides

Original research from the public record.

  1. Collect

    Thousands of documents

    Declarations, amendments, by-laws, plats, notices and certificates from the county official records, and rules, budgets and fee schedules from each association’s own website.

  2. Read

    In the order they were recorded

    Each amendment read against the text it changed, so a fee or a leasing rule is given as it stands today, with the date it last changed.

  3. Answer

    The questions people ask first

    Estoppels, fees at closing, approval of a sale or a lease, leasing limits, rights of first refusal, the assessment lien and who manages the association.

  4. Cite

    Every point to its source

    Each point cites the recorded instrument it comes from by number, and a licensed title agent reviews each guide before it is published.

What every guide answers

For the master and each sub-association, cited to the document that says it.

  • Which estoppel certificates does a closing need?
  • What does the buyer pay the association at closing?
  • Does the association have to approve a sale?
  • Can the home be leased, and how often?
  • Does the association have a right of first refusal?
  • When does an unpaid assessment become a lien?
  • Who manages the association?
  • Which recorded documents govern the home?

Quoting a guide? Each one opens with a short answer written to stand alone, and names the agent who reviewed it and the newest document it reflects. Nothing here replaces the association’s estoppel certificate, and none of it is legal advice.