You CAN Go Home Again and Again and Again ... 

Residents in your community leaving South Florida for the summer? You're not alone. In lots of communities throughout the state, Snowbirds comprise from a few to the vast majority of residents. Following is a basic guide to how our dual-homed neighbors prepare to depart---or should---in the weeks leading up their departure. 

3 Weeks Prior

• Service the A/C, including setting a programmable thermostat to run the system a few hours each day. 
• Arrange with the landline telephone company to temporarily suspend service.
• Review the homeowner's insurance policy and update if necessary.
• Arrange with the property manager for ongoing maintenance and to represent the owner in the event of an emergency including hurricane preparation. 

2 Weeks Prior

• Purchase timers for appliances.
• Arrange for mail forwarding and cancellation of newspapers and magazines.
• Purchase desiccants if necessary.
• Clean the home with fungicide and vacuum furnishings to remove mold spores. 

1 Week Prior

• Begin eating final food stores and clean out the fridge, freezer and pantries.
• Purchase and/or set a dehumidifier if needed.
• Remove plants from home. 

Day of Departure 

• Empty refrigerator and freezer; disconnect and leave doors ajar.
• Run ice cubes and baking soda in sink disposal to clean blades.
• Empty dishwasher.
• Set timers on lights and appliances.
• Drain and disconnect tank water heater.
• Strip bedding.
• Cover drains and toilets.
• Secure home, set alarm. 

See ya next year!

Save Money From HOA Dues How your HOA dues actually save you money. When you move into a new subdivision, condominium or gated community that has a Homeowners Association, you might resent the fact that it is a requirement to pay HOA dues. However, HOA dues are actually extremely beneficial in the long run, and can eventually add a significant value to your home with very little investment on your part. Below are four ways in which your HOA dues save you money. Maintenance and Services With HOA dues you can enjoy upkeep and maintenance services, which ordinarily is pricy if you tried to hire someone on your own. Landscaping, leaf removal, pool management, insect spraying, and other miscellaneous services would normally be expensive if you commissioned these all separately on your own. That is why by just paying a small HOA fee every month or year, you can affordably enjoy a lifestyle with not much to worry about. Amenities All the amenities that most communities have to offer include resources like a pool, clubhouse, grilling area, tennis court, etc. Amenities prove to be an excellent bargain for homeowners who get to enjoy a little bit of everything with just a little HOA fee monthly. Homeowners Management Company Benefits No one is profiting from your HOA dues - HOA dues are your share of the property expenses, divided evenly among your collective square footage. By paying your dues, you are ensuring that you can have a safe, comfortable quality of life, while saving yourself money in the long run. Improved Resale Value The HOA dues keep your home looking the best it can and for the future can attract more potential homeowners. You are investing in a home that will have a much higher resale value, therefore you are investing in your future financial success as well.

C.A.M.S Wins FLCAJ Honors For Third Consecutive Year C.A.M.S is excited to announce that we have been voted a Florida Community Association Journal Readers' Choice Award winner for a third year running.  The FLCAJ Reader's Choice Awards is a unique recognition that shines a spotlight on the positive and productive contributions by community association service providers across Florida. They are presented to service providers that demonstrate through their commitment to the community associations they serve an exemplary level of proficiency, reliability, fairness, and integrity.   Our recognition comes in the management category and is a testament to the constant hard work of all our team members. We are very proud of the service we provide and delighted to once again be recognized by FLCAJ readers.

Why Board Members Should Be Qualified  The law has been in effect for over two years now, but often new board members may still be left questioning why they should give up their own time and money to attend a course to become a certified board member.  Here at C.A.M.S we feel it is important to remind everyone of the benefits that attending this course brings to each board member.  Firstly when a new member is elected they must sign a statement saying they have read all the association's documents and will faithfully discharge their fiduciary duties.  This is where the certified course pays dividend.  Often board members may not have completely read or understood all the association's documents. The course will ensure members fully understand each document and what it's purpose is.  Fiduciary responsibility is something not many people will be familiar with. By taking the certified course, this issue will be completely cleared up, allowing all board members to fully understand that they can be held personally liable for decisions they make as a board member.  In a world where lawsuits are abundant, the course ensures all board members have a full understanding  of their Directors' and Officers' Insurance (D & O). It is important to realize this insurance only covers the actions taken in which the board member has fulfilled their fiduciary duties.  These are just three main reasons why it is important all new board members attend a certified course within 90 days of being elected a board member. As association managers we must ensure that all board members understand and fully appreciate the importance of this state required course. The reasons above are simply a bare minimum outline of the benefits this course provides.

C.A.M.S. Association Management | 1037 S. State Road 7, Suite 302, Wellington, FL 33414 | 561.738.0061 | www.CamsManagement.com

Making The Most Of Online Resources  At C.A.M.S we know just how busy day-to-day life can be. There is so much to do and so little time in the day. That is why we believe it is important to offer as many services as we can online for all our communities.  On our website, which can be found here, we offer a convenient online system that allows for everything from maintenance and accounting requests, to general suggestions, bill pay options and much more. Don't forget, most communities also have their own website where similar online services can be found specific to each community.

Florida Legislative Updates   There has been a number of new Florida Statutes that have been passed or amended in recent months that directly affect Condominium and Homeowner Associations. Below is a brief summary of a selection of these and how they affect associations.  Required Notice to Tenants (House Bill 83.561): A bona fide tenant must be given at least 30 days' notice before being evicted from a foreclosed home.  Voting Rights Suspensions (720.305(4) & 718.303): An association may now suspend the voting rights of a member or unit due to non-payment of any fee, fine or other monetary obligation due to the association which is more than 90 days delinquent.   Fines (718.303(3)(B)): Prohibits board members and individuals residing in a board member's household from serving on a Fining Committee. The new law also requires a community associations Board of Director's, not it's Fining Committee, to levy a fine. The Fining Committee's authority is limited to rejecting or approving the fine levied by the Board.  Damage Not Caused by Insurable Event (718.111(11)(J)): Clarifies damage not caused by an insurable event is not automatically an association responsibility. Instead, the unit owner or the association is responsible for non-insurable events according to reconstruction, repair or replacement provisions of the associations Governing Documents. (Affects Condominium Associations Only).  Board Member Delinquencies/Eligibility (720.306(9)(B)): Any person who is delinquent in the payment of any financial obligation as of the last day he or she could nominate himself or herself to the board, is not eligible to be a candidate and may not be listed on the ballot. (Affects Homeowner Associations Only).

C.A.M.S. Association Management | 1037 State Road 7, Suite 302, Wellington, FL 33414 | 561.738.0061 | www.CamsManagement.com

Cybercriminals ... Is Your Company's Data At Risk?

As cybercrime continues to rapidly increase it is important to protect both you and you're businesses interests online. A survey by the National Small Business Association in 2014 reported that 61% of small businesses surveyed had been the victims of cybercrime. The average cost of recovering from a cyber-attack was $20,752 in 2014. C.A.M.S has teamed up with 3C Network Consultants to bring you the following advice on how to avoid a cyber-attack. 

Basic Rules For Online Safety

#1 - "If you didn't go looking for it, don't install it". We are always getting hit with pop-ups telling us to install software, or download a program. Don't fall for it, you should only install software or browser add-ons if you have researched them and specifically went looking for them.  

#2 - "If you installed it, update it". It is vitally important to keep programs such as Java, Adobe PDF Reader and Quicktime up-to date on your systems. Hackers are constantly attacking flaws in widely-installed software programs. 

#3 - "If you no longer need it, remove it". Over the course of time we download and install hundreds of programs on our computers. Not only does this seriously effect the speed of our systems, it also multiplies the amount of software hackers can use to access our computers if we do not keep the programs up to date with the latest security upgrades. 

#4 - "Be wary of email attachments and links". If you receive an attachment or link from somebody you don't know, then don't open it! Spam email's are an easy way to hack our computer systems. Be wary of any email asking for personal information; companies will never ask for banking details via email. 

Basic Rules For Network Safety

 

#1 - Strengthen Your Password. The stronger your password is, the safer you are, simple! Strong passwords should be a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Never use your name, birthday or company information as this information can be easy to guess. 

#2 - Harden Your Network. The more defenses you have on your network the more secure it will be. Install security patches, use a firewall, keep antivirus software up to date and use encryption on your wireless access points (AP). 

#3 - Backup, Backup, Backup. Date loss can be very, very costly to small and medium size businesses. It is vital to have a backup and disaster recovery strategy. You should ensure you are performing both on-site and remote

Sergio Fernandez, CEO of 3CNC

 backups regularly and be checking to make sure they are successful each time. 

C.A.M.S would like to thank Sergio Fernandez

for this article. Sergio is the CEO of 3C Network Consultants. For more advice on how to protect yourself from cybercriminals, you can reach Sergio via email at AskMe@3CNC.com or visit www.3CNC.com.