Two people were taken to a hospital from a fire in a second-story unit of a Lake Forest condominium unit, authorities said Monday. Read the article………………………………
HOA Homefront: Q&A on elections and board shenanigans (CA)
Boards should not be playing tactical games to preserve their power. It’s a volunteer position, and if the community would prefer different leadership, egos need to be set aside in favor of the HOA’s democratic process Read the Q&A………………………………
Rancho Santa Fe homeowners group illegally collected $1.5M in COVID-19 relief (CA)
The Rancho Santa Fe Association, the nonprofit homeowners group that runs a historic golf course and other amenities in the exclusive covenant near Del Mar, has acknowledged it applied for and collected $1.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds it was not eligible to receive. Read the article………………………………
Hancock Park condo residents sue over ‘life-threatening’ flooding (CA)
When it rains, it really, really pours at The Rossmore. During one heavy storm last winter, 29 cars were flooded in the condominium complex’s underground parking garage at 585 N. Rossmore Ave. “Every car was a total loss,” said Caroline Debbané, president of The Rossmore Owners Association (the condo residents’ HOA). Read the article…………………………….
Canyon fire re-ignites community action (CA)
In the aftermath of the three-alarm fire that suddenly broke out in Canyon last month, awakening residents – most of whom evacuated immediately to Pinehurst Road and beyond – the community is now coming together to hone battle plans for what may come. Read the article………………………………
New CA law allows homeowners to sell their ADU similar to a condominium
A new California law opens the door for homeowners to sell an ADU in their backyard. Supporters said this will create more affordable housing, but not everyone is convinced it will work in San Diego Read the article……………………………..
Report claims rain caused massive landslide in Rolling Hills Estates (CA)
After a massive landslide destroyed a dozen homes and forced widespread evacuations in Rolling Hills Estates, a new report released Friday claims excessive rainfall was to blame for the destruction. Read the article…………………………………
Residents of East Garrison are coming to grips with taxes and fees that weren’t part of the sales pitch (CA)
Residents were concerned about a recent property tax bill that showed an approximate 40-percent increase in charges related to the CSD, which pays for ongoing services, in perpetuity, for things within the district like park maintenance. (One homeowner who shared their bills from fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24 showed a jump from $1,586 to $2,218 […]
HOA Homefront: Do we have to Zoom? (CA)
Q: I’m still confused about holding board meetings. We use Zoom for our meetings as we have no convenient place to meet in person. Is it a hard and fast rule that we must hold an occasional in-person meeting somewhere? If so, what if I offered to meet with any homeowners at the pool to […]
HOA Homefront: Do We HAVE to Zoom, readers ask? (CA)
Q: I’m still confused about holding board meetings. We use Zoom for our meetings as we have no convenient place to meet in person. Is it a hard and fast rule that we must hold an occasional in-person meeting somewhere? If so, what if I offered to meet with any homeowners at the pool to […]
HOA suing over creation of Prescott Preserve at former golf course site will seek to negotiate settlement (CA)
Until the lawsuit is resolved, the organization that purchased the property, Oswit Land Trust, has been prevented from making major changes, including any significant restoration. Read the article………………………………
Reader Questions: Who’s the Boss – Manager or Board? (CA)
Q: I am president of an HOA with management whose performance has been lackluster. Lackluster is characterized by little to no communications unless initiated by the board, not following through with board instructions, and inability to manage our violations process in a steady and predictable manner. Read the Q&A……………………………..
Los Robles Estates Homeowners Association has become a nationally recognized Firewise USA community. “What that means” (CA)
Residents of a Thousand Oaks neighborhood have come together to lower their wildfire risk. In so doing, the Los Robles Estates Homeowners Association has become a nationally recognized Firewise USA community. “What that means is that we have now received national recognition for having a framework for this community to be able to lower their […]
HOA Homefront: Readers want to know who watches the managers? (CA)
Q: What state agency oversees management companies? The management company manager refuses to speak to any of the other board members except the president. Read the Q&A…………………………….
Sinkhole forces La Jolla residents out of condo (CA)
Residents of The La Jolla Terrace Condominium Complex are living in a hotel courtesy of the City of San Diego after a massive sink hole developed up against the property along Gilman Drive. Read the article………………………………….
La Jolla condo building is closed after months of reports of damage (CA)
Deteriorating conditions that started with a sinkhole next to the building on Gilman Drive have gotten worse in recent months, forcing some residents into a hotel at the city of San Diego’s expense. Read the article………………………………..
California Association of Community Managers (CACM) Develops New Certification for Industry Service Providers
The California Association of Community Managers is rolling out a new Certification Program tailored to the industry’s service providers. The new designation, California Certified Industry Partner (CCIP), will be awarded to individuals who complete the coursework and other requirements. Read the article……………………………….
A new law allows homeowner to sell ADUs like condos, boosting homeownership. Here’s how AB 1033 works (CA)
Accessory dwelling units, also referred to as ADUs and “granny flats,” have been available in California only as rentals. But a new law, Assembly Bill 1033, is giving Californians the opportunity to buy and sell them as condominiums. Read the article…………………………..
HOA Homefront — Can the board enforce that? Why don’t they? (CA)
Q: My HOA has made a bulk of the daily hours reserved for private use in our fitness rooms and saunas. Is this legal without a change in rules by the entire HOA? Read the Q&A…………………………………..
Millennium Tower residents billed $6.8 million for fix overruns (CA)
With work finally over on the so-called fix of the Millennium Tower, residents are now saddled with a $6.8 million bill out of an estimated $20 million in cost overruns on the long delayed and troubled retrofit project. Read the article……………………………….
Insurers Are Fleeing Wildfire-Prone California. The State Has a Fix.
California regulators are making reforms to the state’s insurance system, as companies flee amid rising climate risk that they say they aren’t properly compensated for. Read the article………………………..
HOA Homefront — Board doesn’t act, and then won’t inform us when they do! (CA)
Q: We are hopeful you can shed some light on these issues in our HOA: Board members are elected for two-year terms. Our board did not schedule an election for the next term because the management company was unable to schedule an independent election-monitoring service until it was too late by our election deadline. Read […]
Bill to Protect Low Income Homeowners from Skyrocketing HOA Fees Heads to the Governor’s Desk (CA)
Assemblymember Matt Haney’s (D-San Francisco) AB 572 passed out of the Senate Floor and heads to Governor’s desk awaiting signature. This bill prohibits steep homeowner associations (HOA) fee increases that push low income homeowners into foreclosure by capping them at 5% plus the rate of inflation or 10%, whichever is less for below market rate […]
HOA Homefront — Appellate ruling OKs board email discussions (CA)
There is a transparency law within the Davis-Stirling Act called the “Open Meeting Act,” containing requirements regarding governance transparency. For years, many HOA lawyers have discouraged their clients’ boards from deliberating in email regarding HOA issues, because it seemed to violate the Open Meeting Act. Read the article………………………..
Homeowners are increasingly taking legal action over pickleball racket (CA)
Jaye Gleyzal moved to the Sea Cliff gated community in Carlsbad six years ago. She enjoyed exploring its many walking paths and listening to the gentle buzz of busy hummingbirds on her patio. But that idyllic tranquility didn’t last. Read the article………………………..
Condo residents in UTC haven’t received mail in months (CA)
The mailboxes at the Renaissance Capri condominium complex in the UTC area have been broken for months and neighbors say, when it comes to getting it fixed, the only thing being delivered is excuses. Read the article………………………..
Fire officials: Home explosion in Santa Maria accidental, caused by open natural gas outlet (CA)
One Santa Maria home is destroyed and nearly two dozen others are damaged after a house caught fire and exploded. On Thursday, much destruction was still present in the neighborhood, with multiple red tags on the damaged homes. “This is my first time dealing with this. I don’t usually deal with explosions like this,” said Joe Cedillos, […]
Thousand Oaks condo fire kills 3 animals, displaces 4 people (CA)
A Friday morning fire killed two cats and a dog and displaced four people from a Thousand Oaks condominium complex. One resident escaped the blaze by climbing out of their second-story window onto a carport, said Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Brian McGrath. Read the article………………………..
HOA Homefront: Can our CC&Rs grow stale?
Q: Our Association has one board member who I’ll call “Rick.” “Rick” keeps repeating the same mantras: “Our CC&Rs are so old they aren’t enforceable.” (Our CC&Rs were written over 50 years ago but don’t have an expiration date.) “I know the law, and I have decided that some of the CC&Rs are arbitrary and […]
Private Security Cameras on Public Streets Raise Questions in Newport Beach (CA)
Privately operated security cameras facing public streets and sidewalks could soon be installed in up to 10 Newport Beach neighborhoods as a part of a roughly year-long pilot program officials are testing out. Read the article………………………..
Four years later, Grandview bluff collapse lawsuit heads slowly to trial (CA)
Four years after a multi-ton chunk of sandstone toppled onto Grandview Beach and killed three women, a family’s wrongful death lawsuit has survived multiple attempts to have the case dismissed and continues its slow march toward trial. Read the article………………………..
La Habra condo owners see a gaping chasm where their greenbelt used to be (CA)
The chasm runs the full length of the condominium complex, from the shuttered tennis courts to the shuttered pool. Measuring more than 500 feet long and 20 feet wide, the gash divides the complex in two, its weed-choked perimeter cordoned off with chain-link fencing. A grimy trickle of water oozes along the chasm’s concrete floor […]
HOA Homefront: What to do with ballots after failed election (CA)
Q: Our bylaws require a two-year residency before eligibility to serve on our board, BUT we’re desperate for a treasurer with experience. If we find such a person, is there any way we can bring them on board? Read the Q&A…………………………………
Torrance enacts ordinance to ban smoking in multi-unit housing complexes (CA)
Under the new law, smoking is not only prohibited in all multi-family residential units, but also on private balcony, porch, deck, patio, and common areas, such as lobbies, elevators, swimming pools, laundry rooms and eating areas. Read the article………………………..
Four years later, Grandview bluff collapse lawsuit heads slowly to trial (CA)
Four years after a multi-ton chunk of sandstone toppled onto Grandview Beach and killed three women, a family’s wrongful death lawsuit has survived multiple attempts to have the case dismissed and continues its slow march toward trial. Read the article………………………..
Posh San Francisco Enclave Enters Pickleball Cold War as Anonymous Fliers Dropped
A wealthy San Francisco neighborhood appears to have entered into a cold war over plans to install a pickleball court, just in time for Tuesday, which is National Pickleball Day. Read the article………………………..
Premiums are up, but at what cost?
As we were closing the August 2023 issue of NU Property & Casualty magazine, local news reports in my town highlighted several stories about dramatically higher homeowners and condo insurance premiums. Read the article………………………..
Manchester firefighters rescue two people trapped in burning Prospect Street condo, officials say (CA)
Firefighters on Saturday rescued two people trapped on a second-floor balcony of a burning condominium building on Prospect Street, officials said. Read the article………………………..
Will You Get Arrested for Violating HOA Rules?
Homeowners Associations play a vital role in maintaining the aesthetics and overall well-being of a community. By implementing rules and regulations, HOAs strive to ensure that the neighborhood remains attractive, safe, and harmonious. However, it’s important for homeowners to understand what the consequences are for violating HOA rules and whether they could face severe penalties, […]
Homeowner raises fire risk concerns with overgrown brush in Chula Vista (CA)
Homeowners in the South Bay say they’re concerned about overgrown brush around their neighborhood and the fire risks it could pose to nearby homes. CBS 8 went to work to find out who was responsible for the brush cleanup and what was being done about it. Read the article………………………..
HOA Homefront: Our disciplinary action was flawed, so now what? (CA)
Q: Our HOA egregiously violated Davis-Stirling rules by not offering due process to a resident fined for an alleged architectural misdemeanor. What recourse does the resident have? Read the Q&A…………………………….
Pop-up pool parties plague Sacramento neighborhood, residents say (CA)
Residents of a Sacramento neighborhood are frustrated following what they say have been large gatherings of teens close to their homes. Some people who live in the Natomas Meadows community, located near Del Paso Road and Gateway Park Boulevard, told KCRA 3 that so-called “pop-up parties” have been disrupting their normally quiet community this summer. […]
California community gets crafty to thwart mail thieves
Security cameras have caught many individuals using stolen USPS mail keys to steal mail from the Riva on the River community in West Sacramento. It’s why the homeowner’s association president Kathy Bailey and other volunteers physically sit and guard their mailboxes overnight. Read the article………………………..
Second annual running of the goats held in Malibu West (CA)
The community spirit of the Malibu West neighborhood was on display last Saturday as residents joyously gathered for its second annual running of the goats. Young and old paraded down Paseo Canyon Drive cheering 250 goats hired to clear dangerous brush surrounding their neighborhood. Read the article………………………..
Citrus Heights neighborhood pool remains closed amid dispute with county (CA)
Despite triple-digit temperatures, residents in a large homeowners association in Citrus Heights have been barred from using the association’s pool to cool off, after the county ordered the pool closed last month. Read the article………………………..
Forced from homes by Rolling Hills Estates landslide, weary residents could wait weeks for answers (CA)
It’s been nearly two weeks since Jooyun Lee and her family were evacuated from their Rolling Hills Estates home as their neighbors’ townhouses slid toward the bottom of the canyon, carried away by a collapsing hillside. Read the article………………………..
HOA Homefront: Avoid these HOA myths (CA)
There are HOA myths that are harmful. Here are some of the most common ones. Governing documents are boilerplate. Most HOA homebuyers read their purchase contract but ignore the CC&Rs, bylaws, and rules. Those documents are binding whether or not they are reviewed, so avoid surprises and read them. Read the article………………………..
Residential Insurance Prices Increase as Insurers Slow Business in California
….. was surprised to receive a notice from his homeowner’s association (HOA) this spring letting him know that there would be an increase in insurance premiums for him and other condominium owners at The Met in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. The letter stated the increase was due to instability in California’s property insurance market. […]