To file a complaint against your Florida condo association, use DBPR complaint form 33-032 and submit it to the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes. DBPR is required to make contact within 30 days. This is the condo owner's real advantage: DBPR actively regulates condominiums, while it has almost no authority over most HOAs. If you own a condo, you have a state agency you can call on.

DBPR's authority is in Florida Statute 718.501.

What DBPR can (and cannot) handle

After turnover, DBPR's investigative jurisdiction focuses on three areas:

  • Financial issues (assessments, reserves, budgets, commingling of funds),
  • Elections (the notice ladder, ballots, proxies, results), and
  • Access to official records (the 10 working day rule and the records list).

Those three cover most disputes. Some (like a neighbor's use of a common element, or a purely private disagreement) fall outside DBPR's enforcement and belong in arbitration or court instead. When in doubt, file anyway and let DBPR route it, or ask the Ombudsman first.

Before you file: build the record

A complaint is only as strong as its evidence. Gather:

  • Your written records request and the association's response (or proof of its silence).
  • The notices at issue (or proof none were sent).
  • The ledger, budget, or financials if it is a money issue.
  • The election materials if it is a vote issue.
  • A short, factual timeline. Stick to facts and dates, not adjectives.

Most of this you get through a records request first. Use the (/documents/records-inspection-request).

Step by step

  1. Get form 33-032. Download the current DBPR "Condominium/Cooperative Complaint" form (form 33-032). See (/documents/dbpr-complaint-guide).
  2. Identify the association and the violation. Name the association, your unit, and the specific statute you believe was broken (for example, 718.111(12) for records, 718.112 for elections, 718.116 for assessments).
  3. Attach your evidence. Include the documents and the timeline. Reference each attachment.
  4. Submit it to the Division of Florida Condominiums. Keep a copy and note the date.
  5. Expect contact within 30 days. DBPR is required to make contact within 30 days of receiving your complaint. It may investigate, request more information, or route you to mediation or arbitration.
  6. Escalate if needed. If the issue is an election or recall, it goes to DBPR mandatory binding arbitration under 718.1255. Other disputes may go to nonbinding arbitration or mediation, then court. Small claims covers money disputes up to $8,000.

How to tell your complaint is on solid ground

  • You have written proof the board did (or failed to do) the thing you allege.
  • The issue is financial, elections, or records (DBPR's core jurisdiction).
  • You gave the board a chance to comply in writing first, which strengthens a "willful" finding on records.

What you can do next

Build your evidence with a records request (/documents/records-inspection-request), then file DBPR complaint form 33-032 (/documents/dbpr-complaint-guide) naming the specific statute. Keep a copy and watch for DBPR's contact within 30 days. For elections and recalls, expect binding arbitration under 718.1255.