Life safety issues

March 4, 2022

Condo-Safety Reform Bills Making Their Way Through Florida Legislature

by Laura Manning-Hudson

Laura Manning-Hudson

The new condominium safety financing requirements from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have drawn a great deal of attention, but the Florida Legislature appears to be poised to go one step further in its response to the horrific Champlain Towers tragedy.

The Florida House and Senate are both moving forward with bills that would add new inspection requirements on condominium buildings. A bill that is now ready to go before the full Senate, SB 1702 would require condominiums that are three stories or taller and located within three miles of the coast to undergo initial inspections 20 years after completion and every seven years thereafter. Buildings in other areas would be required to be inspected after 30 years and every 10 years thereafter.

Flalegislature-300x169 The Florida House has taken up its own version of the bill (HB 7069). Its proposal would require initial inspections to occur 25 years after completion, and buildings further inland would have their first inspection at 30 years. Additional inspections would be required every 10 years.

The House and Senate bills also include differences over reserve studies, which are used to determine the level of funds a condominium community needs to maintain in reserve for future renovations and repairs. The differences between the two bills are likely to soon be consolidated into a final bill for bicameral consideration.

January 23, 2022

Firm’s New “Real Estate Counselor” Column in Miami Herald: All Eyes on Florida Legislature for High-Rise Condo Safety Reforms

by Siegfried Rivera

Siegfried Rivera

When the editors of the Miami Herald decided they would like to feature a new column to provide timely legal knowledge on real estate topics for the readers of its Neighbors community news section that appears on Sundays, they turned to the attorneys of Siegfried Rivera as the exclusive contributors for the newspaper’s new Real Estate Counselor. The inaugural edition of the new monthly column authored by the firm’s Gary M. Mars appears in today’s edition and as is titled “All Eyes on Florida Legislature for High-Rise Condo Safety Reforms.” It focuses on the status of reforms after the horrific tragedy of the Champlain Towers South collapse. Gary’s article reads:

. . . So far, the most significant changes have come at the federal level from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two government-sponsored companies that acquire residential loans to offer mortgage-backed securities for investors in the secondary market. They both have a massive influence over the terms for mortgages offered by lenders, and they recently released new requirements for loans for residences in high-rise buildings with five or more attached units to meet their standards for acquisition. The changes, which are now being adopted and implemented by major residential lenders, place a heavy focus on structural and financial stability, and they reinforce the importance of meticulous documentation of all appraisals, meeting minutes, financial statements, engineering reports, inspection reports and reserve studies.

Fannie’s new requirements are already in effect, while Freddie’s will take effect for all mortgages with settlement dates on or after Feb. 28. Its new standards will exclude from eligibility any condo loans for units in communities with what it considers to be critical repair needs, which are defined as those that significantly impact a community’s safety, soundness, structural integrity or habitability, and/or that impact unit values, financial viability or marketability. These include all life-safety hazards, violations of any laws or ordinances, building code violations, fire-safety deficiencies and others.

Subsequently, properties that have already identified elements requiring attention and begun their remediation efforts may become ineligible until such work is completed.

January 11, 2022

Freddie Mac Follows Fannie Mae’s Lead with Strict Condo Life-Safety Loan Requirements, Another Sign of What’s to Come

by Roberto C. Blanch

Roberto C. Blanch

As my fellow firm partner Laura Manning-Hudson wrote recently in this blog, Fannie Mae’s new condo-safety financing requirements for condo buyers are now in place. Following suit, federal mortgage buyer Freddie Mac has also announced similar requirements for condominium loans to meet its standards for acquisition for its mortgage-backed securities for investors. Both of these changes are heralds of the stricter mandates that condominium associations are likely to see as a result of the horrific tragedy of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida.

Freddie Mac’s new requirements, which take effect for all mortgages with settlement dates on or after Feb. 28, exclude from eligibility for acquisition any loans for units in condominium communities with what it considers to be critical repair needs. Subsequently, properties that have already identified elements requiring attention and begun their construction and remediation efforts may become ineligible until such repairs and renovations are completed.

The federal agency defines critical repairs as those that significantly impact a community’s safety, soundness, structural integrity or habitability, and/or that impact unit values, financial viability or marketability. These include all life-safety hazards, violations of any laws or ordinances, building code violations, fire-safety deficiencies, and others.

December 27, 2021

New Fannie Mae Condo Safety Loan Requirements Are Early Indicator of Changes to Come

by Laura Manning-Hudson

Laura Manning-Hudson

The first major national condominium safety reform after the horrific tragedy of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla., was announced in October when federal mortgage lender Fannie Mae said it will no longer back loans on units in residential buildings showing signs of structural deficiencies and deferred maintenance.

The federal mortgage underwriter’s new Temporary Requirements for Condo and Co-Op Projects are aimed at addressing the structural and financial health of buildings. The requirements mandate an in-depth review of safety, soundness and structural integrity conditions to determine a condominium tower’s eligibility. The end result will likely eliminate many thousands of condominium communities across the country from this vital source of financing for buyers.

Starting on January 1, 2022, Fannie Mae will no longer back and accept loans for condominium units in properties with significant deferred maintenance or which have been directed by a regulatory authority or inspection agency to make repairs due to unsafe conditions. fmae-300x212 Units in such buildings will remain ineligible for purchase by Fannie Mae until the required repairs have been made and documented.

The conditions and deficiencies that meet the criteria for disqualification include full or partial evacuations, damage or deferred maintenance that affects structural integrity, and the need for substantial repairs for one or more of a building’s structural or mechanical elements including the foundation, roof, load bearing structures, electrical system, HVAC, plumbing, and others. Also, properties that have failed to pass local regulatory inspections or recertifications will not be eligible.

November 22, 2021

High-Rise Condo Safety Reform Recommendations Appear, But Most Florida Municipalities Awaiting Statewide Changes

by Laura Manning-Hudson

Laura Manning-Hudson

Five months after the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Fla., several major organizations have developed a number of high-rise condo safety reforms and recommendations. However, most Florida counties and municipalities appear to be holding off in expectation of statewide changes to legislation during the next legislative session that starts in January.

The Community Associations Institute, which is the largest organization representing the interests of associations in the world, has issued a report with a number of public policy recommendations aimed at providing solutions for legislators addressing high-rise building safety. In addition, seven of Florida’s top architecture and engineering trade groups created a task force that has recommended re-inspections after 30 years with follow-ups every 10 years, and The Florida Bar has also completed the report and recommendations from its Condominium Law Life Safety Task Force.

CAI’s public policy recommendations cover the areas of reserve studies and funding, building maintenance, and structural integrity. The organization believes its recommendations should be considered for adoption into state law to support the existing statutory framework for the development, governance, and management of community associations. It is planning to release model statutory language in support of its policy recommendations.

In addition, federal mortgage lender Fannie Mae has released new project requirements for condominiums and housing cooperatives that will begin Jan. 1 for loans secured by units in high-rise buildings containing five or more attached units. The requirements place a heavy focus on structural and financial stability, and reinforces the importance of meticulous documentation of all appraisals, meeting minutes, financial statements, engineering reports, inspection reports, and reserve studies.

September 22, 2021

Community Associations Institute Considering Reforms Following Surfside Collapse

by Roberto C. Blanch

Roberto C. Blanch

The Community Associations Institute, the leading organization representing the interests of condominium associations and HOAs, is considering several policy reform recommendations on matters such as building inspections as well as reserve studies and funding in the wake of the devastating tragedy of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Fla.

According to a recent post in its Ungated blog at blog.caionline.org, the organization’s Government and Public Affairs Committee convened a special meeting recently to hear the recommendations from three task forces on new public policy reforms as well as best practices and guidance for local, state and federal legislators.

The three task forces focused on building inspections and maintenance; reserve study and funding plans; and insurance and risk management. They have recommended that the committee focus on reforms such as having developers provide a preventive maintenance schedule for all components that are the responsibility of the community association, not just the components included in the reserve study. They also recommended baseline inspections and regular inspections based on specific intervals, the protocols for which can be found in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Guideline for Structural Condition Assessment of Existing Buildings, and disclosures of the findings to homeowners, residents and local governments.