FIU offers certificate program for condo board members, owners
MIAMI - The self-paced certificate program for condo board members and owners is offered by Florida International University and is taught by veteran condominium board president and professional condominium association manager Patrick Hohman.
Hohman authored "Condos, Townhomes and Homeowner Associations: How to Make Your Investment Safer."
"At a grassroots level, I think the individual condo owner is the one who benefits the most," said Hohman.
He said that currently condo board members are only required to take a 90-minute class offered by the state. He is confident the course at FIU provides a more in-depth knowledge for board members and owners.
"The areas that we cover include staying organized, having a manager organizing and leading major renovations, that is huge where 60 percent of the condos are more than 30 years old," said Hohman.
Hohman points out that there are 9,000 condominium associations in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
"Well, any education is better than no education," said Michelle Salem who lives in a condo older than 50 years in Miami Beach.
Salem said she has had her differences with the board of her building and wants more offered for condo owners. Salem would like to see the FIU course deal with ethics.
"You are going to learn all of the aspects of running your condominium community, not just the legal fine points but we talk about dealing with difficult people," said Hohman.
He added that those who live under homeowner associations, and not condo boards, could also benefit from the eight-hour online course, which has a cost of $145.
