Where does this come from, and when was it checked?

The quotation is from Fla. Stat. § 718.116(3) and (5)(a), at the official source linked on this page. It was last checked against that source on September 16, 2026.

Legal reference

Arrears: what happens when owners do not pay in Florida

Short answer

Assessments not paid when due bear interest at the rate in the declaration, or 18 percent a year if the declaration sets none. If the declaration or bylaws provide for it, an administrative late fee of up to the greater of $25 or 5 percent of each late installment may be added. A payment is applied first to interest, then to the late fee, then to collection costs and attorney fees, and last to the delinquent assessment.

What the law says

The wording of the law, as published.

Assessments and installments on assessments which are not paid when due bear interest at the rate provided in the declaration, from the due date until paid. The rate may not exceed the rate allowed by law, and, if no rate is provided in the declaration, interest accrues at the rate of 18 percent per year. If provided by the declaration or bylaws, the association may, in addition to such interest, charge an administrative late fee of up to the greater of $25 or 5 percent of each delinquent installment for which the payment is late. Any payment received by an association must be applied first to any interest accrued by the association, then to any administrative late fee, then to any costs and reasonable attorney fees incurred in collection, and then to the delinquent assessment.

Provision: Fla. Stat. § 718.116(3) and (5)(a) · Official text

Last verified: September 16, 2026

Also relevant

The association has a lien on each condominium parcel to secure the payment of assessments.

Provision: Fla. Stat. § 718.116(5)(a) · Official text

What this means in practice

The association has a lien on each condominium parcel to secure assessments; as to first mortgages of record it takes effect from the recording of a claim of lien, and it lapses one year after the claim of lien is recorded unless an action to enforce it is begun. A unit owner is also jointly and severally liable with the previous owner for assessments that came due before the transfer of title. Attorney fees for a past-due assessment can be required only after a written notice of late assessment with a 30-day period (s. 718.121). This page covers condominiums under chapter 718.

General information, not legal advice. Check with a lawyer in Florida before relying on it, and read your building's own documents: they can change how a rule applies.

Where Unitify fits

Unitify records the debt per unit, records payments and sends reminders. Interest, voting limits, liens and enforcement come from the law above and your own rules and are applied by people; Unitify records the debt and the payments.

How this works in Unitify

Questions and answers

What are the consequences of unpaid contributions in Florida?: Assessments not paid when due bear interest at the rate in the declaration, or 18 percent a year if the declaration sets none. If the declaration or bylaws provide for it, an administrative late fee of up to the greater of $25 or 5 percent of each late installment may be added. A payment is applied first to interest, then to the late fee, then to collection costs and attorney fees, and last to the delinquent assessment.
Where does this come from, and when was it checked?: The quotation is from Fla. Stat. § 718.116(3) and (5)(a), at the official source linked on this page. It was last checked against that source on September 16, 2026.

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