co-op rent

[pelle44]

I own a Mobile Home in a 55+ co-op in Largo, Florida, and I pay rent to the co-op board for the space the MH is on.
I sent the board notice (per their requirement), when I moved out of state a year and a half ago. (I'm still paying a monthly mortgage on the unit, as well, until it sells). I'm still religiously sending them my monthly rental payments. Just a few days ago I received a notice from the co-op board that the rent had gone up as of 1/1/2013! (This is 3/1/13). Obviously, they didn't pay any attention to my change of address! And apparently, they weren't paying any attention to the address on the checks I was sending them, either! They had originally sent it to the unit's address in Largo, Fl. It was returned to them by the Post Office, at which time they checked their records and saw that I had moved.
This is nowhere near the 90 days notice of rental increase, as required by law, so I need to know: What are my rights? Must I still pay this increase? Along with the notice of increase was an invoice for the difference between the rent that I had paid, and the new rent, for the past 3 months. As they screwed up, am I obligated to pay this invoice?

Thanks,

Linda Pelletier
[email protected]
Cudahy, Wisconsin

[David Oxhandler]

If your community is a co-op the rules that apply to privately owned communities would apply differently. In a co-op you are a part owner. Your monthly payment is a maintenance fee rather than rent.

If the owners group votes to raise the amount that each "partner" pays monthly it would seem to me that you are obligated. You will need someone that specializes in Florida co-op law as opposed to MH community landlord tenant rules.