This glossary defines 34 terms that come up when you run a condominium, an HOA or a rental community: Florida’s Chapter 718 and 720 rules, maintenance and after-hours operations, resident communication and the software around them. Each entry links to the page that covers it in depth and, for legal terms, to the official source.
Definitions written October 25, 2026. Statute links point to the 2026 Florida Statutes. General information, not legal advice.
A2P 10DLC is the U.S. standard for business text messages sent from an ordinary 10-digit local number; A2P means application to person. Brands and their messaging campaigns are registered through The Campaign Registry, and carriers require that registration for business texting on local numbers, which includes resident status texts and notices.
On TowerLine AIPhone and text on IntegrationsSourceThe Campaign Registry FAQ
After-hours triage sorts calls that arrive when the office is closed by urgency: life safety first, where fire, gas and medical calls go to 911; then emergencies that damage property or leave a home unsecured; then urgent issues; then routine requests that can wait for morning. The tiers come from a written policy applied the same way on every call.
On TowerLine AIAfter-hours maintenance calls playbook
An AI concierge is software that answers a building’s phone as that building, in the caller’s language, and acts during the call: it verifies the caller, opens or updates a work order, pages on-call staff or books an amenity. The AI concierge in TowerLine AI introduces itself as an AI and says the call is recorded.
On TowerLine AIAI Concierge
An answering service is a company whose live agents answer your calls from a script, take messages and page the people on your call list, usually billed per minute, per call or per unit. Most cannot act inside your own systems. Published 2026 prices run from about $1.28 per minute to $11.50 per call.
On TowerLine AIAnswering service cost in 2026
An architectural review committee (ARC) reviews owners’ requests to change the outside of a home, such as a fence, a roof color or an addition, against the community’s standards. Under Florida law, an HOA’s review authority extends only as far as the declaration of covenants or its published guidelines state or reasonably imply.
On TowerLine AIViolations and architectural reviewSource§720.3035, Fla. Stat. (Chapter 720, 2026)
An audit trail is the timestamped record of who did what: each call, message, change and approval, with the person or role behind it and the time it happened. Boards and managers use it to answer “who approved this?” and “when was the owner told?” without rebuilding events from inboxes and text threads.
On TowerLine AIAudit trail on Security
A board portal is the board’s view of the association’s record: open issues, capital projects, bids, approvals, official records and, in Florida, statutory deadlines. The TowerLine AI Board Portal reads from the same record staff work in, so directors see status without asking the manager for an update. It does not replace a noticed meeting.
On TowerLine AIBoard Portal
Call forwarding sends calls from a building’s existing number to another line, for example to an AI concierge after 6 PM, when the office line is busy, or all day. Residents keep dialing the number they know. Each community’s call flow sets when calls forward and when a caller reaches a person instead.
On TowerLine AIPhone and text on Integrations
Call recording consent is the permission a caller gives before a call is recorded. Some states require consent from every party; Florida’s statute allows interception when all parties to the communication have given prior consent. A clear announcement at the start of each call is the common practice, which is why the AI concierge says the call is recorded.
On TowerLine AIAI concierge vs. answering serviceSource§934.03, Fla. Stat.
Caller verification confirms who is calling before account details are shared. The AI concierge recognizes residents by the phone number on file, then asks for a PIN or texts a one-time code to that number before it reads back a balance or sends a payment link. Without verification, it shares only general building information.
On TowerLine AIVerification on Security
A certificate of insurance (COI) is a one-page summary from a vendor’s insurer showing coverage types, limits and policy dates. Associations keep a current COI on file before a contractor works in the building, and front desks hold contractors whose certificate is missing or expired. TowerLine AI tracks each vendor’s certificate status and expiry date.
On TowerLine AIVendors and COI in the Command Center
Chapter 718 of the Florida Statutes governs condominiums, the form of ownership where each unit comes with an undivided share in the common elements. It sets rules for associations, boards, official records, budgets, reserves and owner websites. After the 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, HB 1021 (2024) and HB 913 (2025) amended it.
On TowerLine AIFlorida HubSource§718.103, Fla. Stat. · HB 1021 (2024) · HB 913 (2025) · DBPR condominium timeline
Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes governs homeowners’ associations: corporations that run a community where membership is mandatory for parcel owners and unpaid assessments can become a lien on the parcel. It covers official records, records requests, architectural control and the website requirement for associations with 100 or more parcels.
On TowerLine AIFlorida HubSource§720.301, Fla. Stat. · §720.303, Fla. Stat.
The Command Center is the staff workspace in TowerLine AI: work orders from every source, on-call paging, vendors and their insurance, the front desk’s package and visitor logs, resident notices and the audit trail. Calls the AI concierge takes land there with the transcript attached, next to the work they created.
On TowerLine AICommand Center
Common elements are the portions of a condominium property not included in the units, as §718.103, Florida Statutes, defines them. Depending on the declaration, they typically include lobbies, hallways, roofs and building systems. Each unit owner holds an undivided share in them, and the association operates and maintains them.
On TowerLine AICondominiumsSource§718.103, Fla. Stat.
In Florida, a community association manager (CAM) is a person licensed to provide community association management for pay. The statute applies that definition to associations with more than 10 units or an annual budget over $100,000. In commercial leasing, CAM means something else: common area maintenance charges.
On TowerLine AIHOA managementSource§468.431, Fla. Stat.
An emergency escalation policy is the written rule for who is contacted, in what order, when an urgent call comes in: for example the on-call technician, then a backup, then the manager. It also says which calls go to 911 first. The AI concierge pages people in the order your policy names, set up per community.
On TowerLine AIEmergencies on the AI Concierge page
A guest pass is a resident’s advance permission for a visitor or vendor to enter, with a name, dates and often a code. The desk or gate checks the pass, and staff confirm identity in person. Residents can add one in the Resident Portal or by asking the AI concierge, and the desk sees it on its list.
On TowerLine AIGuest passes for HOAs
A homeowners’ association (HOA) runs a community of separately owned parcels, usually single-family homes or townhomes. Florida law defines it as a corporation in which membership is a mandatory condition of parcel ownership and unpaid assessments can become a lien on the parcel. Condominium associations fall under a different chapter, 718.
On TowerLine AIHOA managementSource§720.301, Fla. Stat.
A milestone inspection is a structural inspection of a Florida condominium or cooperative building three habitable stories or taller, by a licensed architect or engineer. It is due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, or 25 if the local agency requires it, then every 10 years.
On TowerLine AISIRS and milestone inspections guideSource§553.899, Fla. Stat.
A multilingual AI concierge answers residents in the language they call in, instead of sending them to a separate line or an interpreter queue. TowerLine AI’s concierge is multilingual, including English and Spanish. Staff work the request in English, and each resident’s preferred language sits on their profile for later notices.
On TowerLine AIAI concierge for multilingual residents
Official records are the documents a Florida association must keep and make available to owners, including governing documents, minutes, budgets, financial reports, contracts and bids. Sections 718.111(12) and 720.303(4) list them for condos and HOAs. Some records, such as personnel and medical records, are never open to owners.
On TowerLine AIOfficial records requests guideSource§718.111, Fla. Stat. · §720.303, Fla. Stat.
An on-call rotation is the schedule of who handles urgent after-hours work each night or week, with a named backup. It works only if the current name and number are where the person or system taking the call can see them. An out-of-date rotation sends the emergency page to the wrong phone.
On TowerLine AIAfter-hours maintenance calls playbook
An owner-only website is the protected area where a Florida association posts official records for owners. Condo associations with 25 or more units have needed one since January 1, 2026, and HOAs with 100 or more parcels since January 1, 2025. For condos, a record generally goes up within 30 days.
On TowerLine AIFlorida condo website requirementsSource§718.111, Fla. Stat. · §720.303, Fla. Stat.
A package log records each delivery: carrier, unit, shelf, the notice sent to the resident, and who picked it up and when. That chain of custody settles “I never got it” disputes. In TowerLine AI the front desk logs each package once, and the AI concierge can check the log for a caller’s unit.
On TowerLine AIFront desk logs for condominiums
Permission to enter is a resident’s or owner’s consent, recorded on the work order, for maintenance to go into the unit when nobody is home. Capturing it on the first call saves a second call to schedule access. TowerLine AI records it on the work order whether the request came by phone or the Resident Portal.
On TowerLine AIWhat a work order carries
A records request is an owner’s written request to inspect or copy official records. A Florida condo association has 10 working days to make them available and an HOA has 10 business days. For a willful failure, minimum damages are $50 a calendar day for up to 10 days, starting on the 11th day.
On TowerLine AIOfficial records requests guideSource§718.111, Fla. Stat. · §720.303, Fla. Stat.
A reserve study estimates the remaining life and replacement cost of building components, such as roofs, paving and elevators, and recommends how much to set aside each year. Section 718.112 sets the reserve rules for Florida condo budgets, and condo buildings three habitable stories or higher also need a structural integrity reserve study.
On TowerLine AISIRS and milestone inspections guideSource§718.112, Fla. Stat.
A resident portal is where residents and owners handle building business without calling: maintenance requests with photos, package notices, guest passes, amenity bookings, payment links and notices. The TowerLine AI Resident Portal opens in a browser from a link, with no app to download, and owners also see an owner-only records area.
On TowerLine AIResident Portal
A special assessment is any charge to unit owners other than the regular assessment set by the annual budget, as §718.103, Florida Statutes, defines it. Boards levy them for repairs and projects the budget or reserves do not cover, such as work found in a milestone inspection. Owners usually call first to ask how much and when.
On TowerLine AIProjects and assessments in the Board PortalSource§718.103, Fla. Stat.
A structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) is a Florida reserve study for condo buildings three habitable stories or higher. It covers listed items such as the roof, load-bearing walls and waterproofing, recommends a funding schedule and is required at least every 10 years.
On TowerLine AISIRS and milestone inspections guideSource§718.112, Fla. Stat.
A system of record is the one place a type of data officially lives. For leases, ledgers and payables it is usually your property management or accounting software, such as AppFolio, Yardi or Vantaca. TowerLine AI is the system of record for calls, work orders, paging and the audit trail, and runs beside that software.
On TowerLine AIIntegrations by system
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is the federal law that restricts calls made with an artificial or prerecorded voice. In a February 2024 ruling, the FCC confirmed it covers AI-generated voices, so outbound AI calls generally need the called party’s prior express consent. Calls residents place to their own building are a different situation.
On TowerLine AIAI concierge vs. answering serviceSourceFCC Declaratory Ruling 24-17
A work order is the record of one maintenance job: what is wrong, where, how urgent, who is assigned, whether there is permission to enter, and each status change until it is closed. When the AI concierge takes a maintenance call, it opens the work order during the call and attaches the transcript.
On TowerLine AICommand Center
In a condominium, each owner holds a unit plus an undivided share of the common elements, and Florida regulates the association under Chapter 718. In an HOA, owners hold separate parcels, usually homes or lots, and the association runs the shared community under Chapter 720. The two chapters set different thresholds and deadlines for records, websites and requests.
In residential associations, CAM means community association manager. Florida licenses CAMs who manage, for pay, associations with more than 10 units or an annual budget over $100,000. In commercial real estate, CAM usually means common area maintenance: the charges tenants pay for shared areas. The context tells you which one is meant.
An answering service puts live agents on a script to take messages and page your call list. An AI concierge is software that answers as your building and can act during the call: verify the caller, open the work order, page the on-call person or book an amenity. Our comparison article covers when each one is the better choice.
Condominium associations managing 25 or more units, excluding timeshare condominiums, since January 1, 2026, and HOAs with 100 or more parcels since January 1, 2025. The protected area must be open only to owners and association employees, and owners can request login credentials in writing. The Florida Hub maps each posting requirement to its statute.
No. It is general information that links to the statute or official source for each legal term. Laws change after each legislative session, and how a statute applies to your association is a question for your board and your attorney. We cite the 2026 Florida Statutes and note the date each definition was written.
Work orders, records requests, guest passes and the audit trail are screens in TowerLine AI, shown on sample data from Harbor Point, our example property.
