Required by Florida law
HOA board member certification
Florida law requires every newly elected or appointed HOA director to complete this course. Take the introduction and the first module free, then decide. There is no class to schedule and no minimum time requirement.
Approved by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
On a condominium board instead? That course is here.
A sample of the certificate you download when you finish.
It applies to the seat, not the title. Every newly elected or appointed director of a Florida HOA has to certify.
Section 720.3033 gives you 90 days from taking office to finish the course and file the certificate.
What the course covers
The curriculum is set by statute. Section 720.3033 requires instruction on four topics, and the course covers all four.
Financial literacy and transparency
How to read the budget, follow the money, and keep the association's finances open to owners.
Recordkeeping
Which records the association must keep, how long, and how owners are allowed to inspect them.
Levying of fines
The notice and hearing steps a board must follow before it can fine an owner.
Notice and meeting requirements
How far ahead meetings must be posted and what has to happen for a vote to count.
How it works
Create your account
Enter the name that goes on your certificate. Starting is free, and your place is saved from the first screen.
Work at your own pace, on any device
Short, clear lessons with narration, built for a phone or tablet as much as a laptop. Stop whenever you need to and pick up right where you left off.
Get your certificate the moment you finish
Your certificate is issued immediately, with an ID your association can verify. Download it, and send it to your board secretary or manager from the same screen.
How long your certificate lasts
Florida counts board education in education years, which run from July 1 to June 30. Under Section 720.3033 and Rule 61B-19.004, Florida Administrative Code, your certificate is valid for four education years, as long as you serve without a break. The year you complete the course counts as the first, so it runs through June 30 of the fourth year. That is our reading of the rule; the Division has not published an example.
A gap in service ends the certificate, and a director who comes back after a break takes the course again. To renew, complete the course again and file the new certificate with your secretary by September 29 of the year it runs out. After that date, the board must suspend you until it is on file.
New to the requirement? Read the 90-day certification clock, explained, or see the Florida board laws.
Common questions
Who is required to take this course?
Every newly elected or appointed HOA director in Florida. Section 720.3033 of the Florida Statutes requires the educational curriculum within 90 days of taking your seat.
How long does the course take?
There is no minimum time requirement for the HOA course, so it takes as long as you need and no longer. Most people finish in a single sitting, well under four hours. It is self-paced: stop at any point and your place is saved.
How much does it cost?
You can take the introduction and the first module free, so you can see the course before you pay for it. The rest is $49, one time. There is no subscription.
Can I take the course on my phone?
Yes. The course is built for a phone or tablet as much as a laptop: large text, one thing to do on each screen, and narration you can listen to. You do not need a big screen or a printer.
When do I get my certificate?
The moment you finish. Your certificate is issued immediately and is ready to download on the final screen, with an ID anyone can check at boardcomply.co/verify. There is no waiting for the mail or for someone to process it.
Does my board secretary or manager get a copy?
Yes, automatically, if you want. When you finish, you can send the certificate straight to your board secretary or your management company from the same screen, so the association's record is complete without you forwarding anything.
Can I start at any time?
Yes. There are no scheduled sessions and no class to sign up for. Create a free account and begin right now, day or night, then pick it up whenever you have a few minutes. Your place is saved on every screen.
Can I see the course before I pay?
Yes. The introduction and the first module are free, and no card is needed to start. If it is not for you, you have paid nothing.
How is this different from the free course from the state, or a law firm's free class?
A certificate from any Department-approved provider satisfies the statute, so the difference is access, not validity. The Division's own free course is a live session held a few times a month at set times: you attend the full four hours at the scheduled time, and the certificate comes afterward. Free classes from law firms and management companies are also scheduled events, and they exist to introduce the firm's services. BoardComply is self-paced: start the moment you decide to, on your phone, in pieces, and your certificate is issued the instant you finish and can go to your board's records keeper from the same screen. The introduction and first module are free, so you can compare for yourself before paying.
What is the course like?
Short lessons in plain language, each with narration and a brief check. The material is the required topics applied to the situations a board actually faces: reading a budget, answering a records request, fining an owner the right way, and posting a meeting correctly.
How long is my certificate valid?
Four education years, as long as you serve without a break, under Rule 61B-19.004, Florida Administrative Code. Education years run July 1 to June 30, and on our reading the year you complete the course counts as the first, so your certificate runs through June 30 of the fourth year. To renew, file a new certificate with your secretary by September 29 of the year it runs out.
Do I have to retake the course if I am re-elected?
Not while your certificate is valid and you have served without a break. Re-election does not restart the count; the four education years keep running from the year you completed the course. A gap in service does end the certificate, so a director who leaves the board and comes back takes the course again.
What happens if I miss the 90-day deadline?
A director who does not complete the requirement is subject to suspension from the board until it is met. Starting early is the safest move.
Is there continuing education after this?
Yes. Florida HOA directors also complete continuing education, due by June 30 of each education year: four hours a year for associations under 2,500 parcels, and eight hours a year at 2,500 parcels or more. The certification course counts toward the hours for the education year you complete it in.
Educational information, not legal advice. For how a rule applies to your association, ask your association’s attorney.
Ready when you are
Create your account, work through the lessons at your pace on any device, and your verifiable certificate is ready the moment you finish.
Start freeThe introduction and the first module are free.