How long is a condominium required to keep minutes of its meetings? Prior to July 1, 2018 the answer was seven years. This requirement had both its pros and cons. Likely the biggest advantage was minimizing storage requirements, as months, years, and even decades of minutes add up, particularly for older communities or those that held monthly board meetings. Conversely, the manner or reasoning for certain board actions could not be verified after seven years. This left many boards to simply declare, “this is how it’s always been done” or owners to claim improper alterations had been approved by prior boards, which essentially impaired the ability of the association to enforce a covenant.
As of July 1, 2018, the requirement to keep minutes has changed. Rather than seven years, minutes must now be kept forever. This applies to all meetings of the association, whether of the board, members, committees, etc. Essentially, the change applies to any meeting where minutes are taken. Although the Legislature had its reasons for this change, concerns of storage nowadays are simply not the same given the advent of cloud storage.
What does this mean in terms of the good and the bad which may be lurking in the minutes? On any given day what is written in the minutes could benefit or hurt the association. Nonetheless, minutes are crucial to confirm the proper operation of the condominium. That said, keep in mind that minutes should reflect who was present, motions made, and the logistics of the motion (who moved, seconded, and the vote).
Originally posted on floridacondohoalawblog.com and written by Marilyn Perez-Martinez