Last year, over 300 eggs were prevented from hatching in just six local homeowners associations. Robeson Meadows, Westlake, Timberline Valley North and South, Trails of Brittany and Ponds on Windsor all participated in a training workshop given by Friends of Geese (friendsofgeese.com).  Residents of the HOAs were taught the egg depredation process    Read the article…………………………….

Dorothy Sipp and her husband, John, have lived in Darien’s Hinsbrook subdivision for nearly four decades.  “There always have been rumblings that there is this homeowners association,” Dorothy Sipp said, but the couple never came into contact with it.  Until last week.  In the mail, they received a letter from the association’s president, Bill Christenson. He identified his role, and then said, “Yes, there is a Hinsbrook Homeowners Association.”   Read the article…………………………….

Dorothy Sipp and her husband, John, have lived in Darien’s Hinsbrook subdivision for nearly four decades.  “There always have been rumblings that there is this homeowners association,” Dorothy Sipp said, but the couple never came into contact with it.  Until last week.    Read the article…………………………….

Q: I am on the board of directors of a homeowners association (HOA) in Evanston, Illinois. The board is gathering information about installing electrical vehicle (EV) chargers on our HOA property.  The board is particularly interested in the concept that was described in your article from last year. You said there is an option for an outside company to install and maintain the EV charger. Then, they share revenue with the HOA.   Read the Q&A………………………………..

Q. Our townhouse style condominium unit includes a rear balcony that is a limited common element of the unit. I want to extend my balcony about a foot. Is this permitted?   Read the Q&A………………………………..

The former treasurer of a Homer Glen homeowners association, also a former Home Glen District 33C Board member, was charged last month for allegedly writing checks to herself, according to court records.  Jennifer Rudolph, 43, of the 15400 block of Sharon Drive, was charged March 18 with continuing a financial crime enterprise, two counts of theft between $10,000 and $100,000 and one count of theft between $500 to $10,000, according to the Will County circuit court.    Read the article…………………………….

On March 1, 2024, U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke ruled that the CTA is unconstitutional. Judge Burke also gave the U.S. Treasury Department thirty (30) days to appeal this decision. This new ruling could ultimately mean that condominium and homeowner associations do not need to comply with the new reporting requirements of the CTA.     Read the article…………………………….

In Forest Park, a condominium development is proving that it’s possible to live green in a multi-family building.  The board and residents are working together to back new sustainability measures that they think can be applied to other buildings in the area.   Read the article…………………………….

Q. The board of our association conducts board meetings via video conferencing. One of the board members turns off his camera, or posts a profile picture instead of the live video. This board member does not contribute much to the discussion during the meeting, but does vote.   Read the Q&A………………………………..

Q. Our townhouse association is a common interest community association governed by the Illinois Common Interest Community Association Act. Can funds be moved back and forth between operational and reserve accounts? For example, if money is moved to the reserve account because that account is paying the best interest, can funds be moved back to operational if unexpected expenses come up that are not designated capital improvement projects?    Read the Q&A………………………………..

Q. The board of our condominium association is reviewing our rules for possible update. One of the rules provides that the underlayment for hard floor surfaces in the individual units, like wood or ceramics, must meet standards established by the board. No one on the board can locate any sort of standards that have actually been established. Should those standards be in the rules?   Read the Q&A………………………………..

Between 4-6 condominiums at the Mallard Cove complex sustained damage when a fire broke out in a fourth-floor unit on Saturday.   Read the article………………………………

Several families are displaced after a fire damaged a condo building in Arlington Heights overnight.  Cell phone video from a neighbor captured heavy flames coming from the fourth floor of the complex.   Read the article……………………………

Q. Can the board of directors of a homeowners’ association adopt a rule that requires, for security and safety reasons, that owners leave their outdoor garage lights on from dusk to dawn?  Read the Q&A……………………………..

KSN Managing Partner Ryan Shpritz: “This merger allows KSN to expand our community association legal services throughout Florida, supporting the Kravit Law team in providing exceptional legal services to board members, property managers, landlords, and real estate property owners.   Read the press release………………………………..

For 55 years, Mildred Richardson has called a high-rise near Lake Michigan home. But the senior citizen has been without access to her apartment for nearly a year and there’s no end in sight.   Read the article……………………….

Q. We are an association of high-end single-family detached homes in the Northwest suburbs. The covenants in the association’s declaration are crystal clear that no campers may be parked in a driveway.  Read the Q&A………………………….

Residents say the owner of Crestpoint Condominium complex in Crestwood started making some improvements after the I-Team story first aired a story in October about an unfinished road and an ongoing, messy construction site. However, they say the changes are not enough and a new problem has emerged.    Read the article………………………………

One man was hospitalized after a unit in a Lake View East condo building caught fire Friday morning, according to CFD.  Firefighters responded to a still and box alarm fire at 3033 North Sheridan Road around 9:30 a.m.    Read the article………………………

Battle tactics such as name-calling typically reserved to election campaigns for public office has seeped into a Chicago condo board contest, as homeowners grapple with a contentious bulk sale of their building to the city’s biggest deconversion player.   Read the article……………………………….

Q. The board of directors of our association is comprised of two factions. Each faction has a different agenda for the association. As a result, the association’s management company is caught in the middle, and the manager often receives conflicting directions depending on what board member is communicating with management. This leads to frustration by management and miscommunication. What can be done to address this problem?   Read the Q&A……………………………………

An accountant studying the finances of the condominium association at The John Hancock Center is accusing the association, its property management company, accounting firm, and a reserve fund consultant of “potential criminal activities” involving its reserve study and other financial documents.   Read the article……………………………..

Q. There is a board member who is not on the deed of any unit in our condominium association. Her husband is the sole owner on the deed to the unit. Can this nontitle-holding spouse of the unit owner be on the condominium board?   Read the Q&A………………………….

Several vehicles were damaged after a water main break in the parking lot of an Elk Grove Village condo building Tuesday.     Read the article…………………………….

Months after a state appeals court said an agreement enforced by a Marina City landlord was unenforceable because it had been signed under duress, that landlord has agreed to settle claims brought by a journalist that he had been illegally kicked out of his condominium unit because he published articles critical of the business activities of the husband of the president of his building’s homeowner association.   Read the article………………………………

The Crestpoint Condominium complex in Crestwood was completed in 2008 but left behind is a lot of construction debris that have sat for more than 15 years.  Dozens of seniors who live in the complex say it has been a nuisance.    Read the article…………………………….

Q. I am a unit owner in a condominium association and our board of directors is requiring the unit owners to replace all originally installed windows in their units because the board believes they are in need of replacement. I had my windows inspected and was told only five out of nineteen windows need to be replaced. Can the board legally require unit owners to replace windows in their units?   Read the Q&A………………………………….

Q: We are a small, self-managed condominium association. Complying with the provisions of the Illinois Condominium Property Act is extremely burdensome for us. Does the Illinois Condominium Property Act apply to all condominium associations, or is there some minimum number of units that is required to make the condominium association subject to that law?   Read the Q&A……………………………….

Q: What does the law say about an association rule that has not been enforced for years? What are the procedures the association board must take to enforce the rule? Can a management company fine a homeowner $100 per day, or does it have to be a law firm that steps in to assess the fine?   Read the Q&A…………………………………

Q: A raccoon entered a unit in our association through damaged common element siding. The association is responsible for the maintenance of the siding. The owner claims the raccoon damaged the inside of the unit. That owner is now demanding the association reimburse her for the damage caused by the raccoon. Is the association responsible for this owner’s unit damages?   Read the Q&A………………………….

The Burr Ridge Village Board decided this week to restrict traffic going into the Chasemoor subdivision, where an estimated 500 people live.  The action came as residents in the neighborhood were divided over what to do. The homeowners association itself supported the changes.    Read the article………………………..

Q: Our (self-managed Illinois) condominium association is comprised of eight units. Our declaration requires three to be board members. What would happen if we were unable to fill one of the board positions? In the most extreme case, what would happen if none of the eight owners were willing to fill a role and we had no board members?   Read the article………………………..

A La Grange subdivision’s homeowners association is seeking police enforcement of parking and traffic laws on its private streets.   Read the article………………………..

A mail thief was caught on surveillance camera using a postal master key to steal from people living at a condo building in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood.   Read the article………………………..

One resident, an 81-year-old woman, was transported to Central DuPage Hospital where she died from her injuries, according to officials. She has not yet been identified as an autopsy is scheduled to take place on Saturday.   Read the article………………………..

It was 2014 and, like other condos throughout the country, the Silver Coast Citadel had been hurting for money. The 1920s yellow-brick courtyard building, which winds around the top of the 7200 block of South Yates Boulevard like a snake, had been developed into a condo in 2001. A beautiful, old building in a prime location near the lake, the Metra Electric, and a public library, its larger units sold for more than $100,000.   Read the article………………………..

Q. I am a unit owner in a condominium association and understand that the board of directors has the authority to levy fines pursuant to our governing documents and the Condominium Act. What is the law on the fine amount that may be assessed by a condominium board and is there an appeals process for a fine levied by the board?   Read the article………………………..

Neighbors in the Darien Club subdivision are clashing over who is in charge of their homeowners association. Litigation is underway.  Read the article………………………..

When an investment company first bought into her South Shore condo building, Monique Foster felt a wash of relief.  It was 2014 and, like other condos throughout the country, the Silver Coast Citadel had been hurting for money.   Read the article………………………..

Q: I live in a common interest community association with townhouse-style units.  The association is responsible for unit roof, siding and gutter maintenance, repair and replacement, and for painting the exterior of units, and for and lawn and shrub maintenance, under the declaration and bylaws.  Read the Q&A………………………………..

Signs in a high-end Darien neighborhood are evidence of a dispute over the leadership of its homeowners association.  Residents opposed to the Darien Club homeowners association’s board held a protest recently in Driftwood Park. Afterward, some demonstrators posted signs in their yards.   Read the article………………………..

Q: An owner in our condominium would like to donate landscaping to the association, and has requested a receipt for the landscaping. He and other owners have volunteered to install the landscaping. Can the association accept this donation, and should owners be permitted to install the landscaping?   Read the Q&A………………………….

After going more than a week without water, condo owners at a building in Belmont Cragin finally got some action on Wednesday.   Read the article………………………..

Only on 2; fireworks of a different kind in Belmont Cragin this 4th of July, as condo owners are outraged by a giant leaking pit outside their building.  Fresh water is spilling into the street instead of their kitchens and tubs. Residents have been filling buckets just to go to the bathroom. One resident poured his own urine directly down the sewer on Tuesday because he can’t use the toilet.   Read the article………………………..

A 32-year-old woman from Chicago is facing charges for stealing mail from several mailboxes inside a condominium complex in Niles.  Christina Bray is charged with three counts of burglary, which is a Class 3 Felony.    Read the article………………………..

For one Illinois couple, installing solar panels meant a major battle with their homeowner’s association — one they ultimately won.  Read the article………………………..

Q. I am a condominium owner considering purchasing an electric vehicle and just heard about the Illinois legislature’s recent adoption of the Electric Vehicle Charging Act. How does this Illinois statute differ from the City of Chicago Electric Vehicle Right to Charge Ordinance?   Read the Q&A…………………………….

Q: Our condominium association hired a pest control company to perform seasonal spraying of the buildings for wasp and bees. I witnessed what to me was unacceptable work. The management company indicated the pest control company will come back out if requested by the homeowners. I would like to know exactly what is expected for each building   Read the Q&A……………………………….

Some Illinois real estate corporations are getting large paydays by charging homeowners assessments for “common expenses,” and the owners allege they are taking advantage of the Illinois Condominium Property Act.  Read the article………………………..

Daniel “Danny” Fuentes, a resident of Lakewood Springs Club in Plano, is voicing his discontent with the homeowners association (HOA) and aiming to secure a seat on the HOA board during this week’s proxy voting. Fuentes has garnered attention from fellow residents by suggesting that if the HOA fails to exhibit transparency and responsiveness to homeowners, it should face partial defunding.   Read the article………………………..