J.T. from Pinellas County, Florida writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
My HOA comprises 8 units. The HOA has 2 boat slips allocated on a wait list and offer them on a “first come” basis. I am a full time resident and reside here year-round. This is my home. One of the boat slips is empty and I would like to use the slip but a Vacation time owner claims it’s theirs and I cannot keep my boat there. Can a part time resident owner claim a slip? The HOA docs do not clearly state how slips are claimed without a boat in them.
Mister Condo replies:
J.T., as a full-time resident, I am sure that you would make better use of the boat slip than a part-time resident but the Board is fully in control of how the association-owned boat slips are used. If they have a policy in place that they have been using they aren’t too likely to change it. The reality is that the other owner has the same rights to the boat slip as you do and they were, in fact, the first to request the slip. The fact that they are not full-time residents doesn’t appear to play into the policy at all. Keep your name on the list so you are next in line and wait it out. Unless the Board is willing to change its policy (doubtful), that is your best bet for eventually getting the use of the boat slip. All the best!