Laurel Oaks 400, Boca West: 38 units where members may buy first or redeem a sale

In up to three stages (Art. XVIII.A, pp. 22–23):

1. The Board. Before the sale the seller notifies the Board in writing with the buyer's name and address. The Board approves or disapproves in writing within 30 days. "Failure to act … shall be considered approval of the sale."
2. The members. If the Board refuses and the seller still wants to sell, the seller gives the Secretary 30 days' notice of the price and terms. The Secretary tells every member. Any member may take the unit at that price and on those terms by accepting at least 15 days before the sale date and depositing 10% of the price.
3. The association. If no member accepts, the association "must either approve the transaction or furnish a purchaser approved by the Association". That purchaser also deposits 10%, at least 10 days before the sale date.

If no member accepts in time, the seller may close "on the day and at the price and terms given in the notice, but on no other day and at no other price or terms". The master's Certificate of Compliance and the Club's approval of the buyer are needed as well.

"Any other member of the Association shall have the right to redeem from the purchaser" by repaying what the buyer spent, and the buyer must then convey the unit (Art. XVIII.A, p. 22). Two Secretary's affidavits answer this on the record:

• one stating the Board approved the sale to named persons, which "shall be conclusive evidence of such fact";
• one stating the Board was notified, refused or did not act, and the later steps were complied with. It is conclusive as to the buyer's status, though not as to price or date. The members' redemption rights end 120 days after the notice date it states (p. 23).

Any sale, mortgage or lease not authorized by the declaration "shall be void unless subsequently approved by the Association" (Art. XVIII.F, p. 24). A judicial sale is valid only to an approved buyer or at a public sale with open bidding (Art. XVIII.I, p. 25). The Board may also refuse a buyer when the unit's assessments are not paid in full (Art. XVIII.J, p. 25). The association has recorded approvals in its own form, such as a one-page 1988 certificate of approval of a resale (OR 5656/1459).

A transfer to the owner's spouse, children or parents; between co-tenants; between a trustee and its beneficiary; and to a corporation of which the owner is a designated occupant (Art. XVIII.H, p. 24). Institutional mortgagees acquiring through their mortgages, and the developer, are outside the article too (Art. XVIII.L, p. 25).

On an owner's death, a surviving spouse or resident family member may stay and succeed to the unit. Anyone else named needs the Board's consent within 30 days. If the Board refuses, members have 30 days to buy at a court-appointed appraiser's price (Art. XVIII.D, p. 24).

With the Board's prior written approval, "which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld", given within 30 days of complete information (Art. XVIII.B, p. 23). "No lease may be made for less than a four-month period, nor shall any transient accommodations be provided. No Unit may be leased more than twice during any twelve-month period."

The association also holds a right of first refusal to lease the unit itself, on the offered terms, within 15 days of the owner's notice. An approved lease may not be extended, assigned or sublet without consent. These limits date from 1984 and bind every owner. The master's rules add no lease in the first 12 months.

A screening fee, delivered with the notice of sale, "in such amount as is permitted by the Act" (Art. XVIII.G, p. 24). The working capital fund of two months' maintenance applied when "the Developer sells and closes" a unit, so not on a resale (Art. XXXI, p. 36). The buyer pays the master's capital contribution and the Club's Joining Fee.

The master bills the association $72,317 for 2026/2027, up 10.18% (master's adopted 2026/2027 budget, not recorded). The master's per-unit charges are on top. "In a voluntary conveyance, the grantee shall be jointly and severally liable with the grantor for all unpaid Assessments" (Art. XIII.A, p. 17). Anyone else who acquires the unit, a judicial-sale buyer included, may not occupy it until the former owner's assessments are paid (p. 19).

• We record the Secretary's affidavit of approval, or of compliance after a refusal, with the deed. Without one, a member's right to redeem has no recorded end date.
• The sale article is XVIII, but its own subparagraphs call it "Article XVIV", "Article XVII" and "Article XIX" (pp. 24–25). We cite it as XVIII and note the slips for underwriting.
• Unit numbering points to about five floors, and it was built in 1985. A building of three or more habitable stories needs a milestone inspection by 31 December of the year it turns 30, then every 10 years (Fla. Stat. § 553.899(3)). The building is more than 30 years old, so we ask for the inspection report and the structural integrity reserve study.
• Pets need written consent, and "No pet may exceed 20 pounds" (Art. XXX, p. 36).
• Storage lockers are assigned to units by Exhibit B (Art. VI, p. 9).