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. […]
Going green in multi-family buildings (IL)
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…………………………….
Board members should show their faces — live (IL)
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………………………………..
Associations should be careful when moving funds (IL)
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 […]
Condo rules need to be specific to be enforced (IL)
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 […]
Fire Causes Damage To Units At Arlington Heights Condo Complex: FD (IL)
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………………………………
Fire at northwest suburban Chicago condo leaves several families displaced (IL)
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……………………………
Requiring outdoor garage lights within scope of board (IL)
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……………………………..
Kravit Law joins KSN, Expanding Community Association Legal Services throughout Florida
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………………………………..
High-rise residents still out one year after fire (IL)
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……………………….
Can association prevent re-enactment of a Chevy Chase movie scene? (IL)
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………………………….
Crestwood senior condo residents say some mess has been cleaned up, other issues have emerged (IL)
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………………………………
Man hospitalized following fire at Lake View East condo building: CFD (IL)
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………………………
Loop condo board election devolves to mudslinging amid Strategic’s stalled buyout (IL)
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……………………………….
Two board factions causing chaos for management company (IL)
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 […]
Hancock HOA fields complaints about reserve fund, late fees (IL)
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……………………………..
Board members must be listed on the deed to serve (IL)
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………………………….
Sinkhole damages vehicles after water main break at Elk Grove Village condo building (IL)
Several vehicles were damaged after a water main break in the parking lot of an Elk Grove Village condo building Tuesday. Read the article…………………………….
Settlement in lawsuit against River North landlord accused of retaliation against journalist (IL)
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 […]
Crestwood senior citizen condo residents say dust, debris, dirt piles are daily hazards (IL)
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…………………………….
Condo Adviser: Condo boards usually have authority over the repair, replacement of windows (IL)
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 […]
No exemption to condominium law for small associations (IL)
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 […]
Real Estate Matters: What happens when an association hasn’t enforced a rule for years?
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 […]
Who must pay for damage by rogue raccoon? (IL)
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 […]
Burr Ridge Limits Neighborhood’s Traffic (IL)
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………………………..
Unit owners must keep condo association active (IL)
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 […]
La Grange Private Roads May Get Police Enforcement (IL)
A La Grange subdivision’s homeowners association is seeking police enforcement of parking and traffic laws on its private streets. Read the article………………………..
Mail thief caught on camera using postal master key in Chicago condo building (IL)
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………………………..
IL: Woman, 81, dies after condo fire breaks out in Winfield
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………………………..
South Shore Condo Owners Allege Hostile Takeover of Building (IL
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 […]
Condo Adviser: State statute requires fines imposed by condo boards to be reasonable (IL)
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 […]
Darien Neighbors Battle To Control Association (IL)
Neighbors in the Darien Club subdivision are clashing over who is in charge of their homeowners association. Litigation is underway. Read the article………………………..
South Shore Condo Owners Allege Hostile Takeover of Building (IL)
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………………………..
Who is supposed to fix garage doors in townhouse associations? (IL)
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 Reveal Feud In Darien Neighborhood (IL)
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………………………..
Condo association is not a charitable organization (IL)
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………………………….
City to make repairs at Belmont Cragin condo building that has gone more than a week without water (IL)
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………………………..
No water for more than a week; condo owners blame broken pipe on city (IL)
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 […]
Chicago woman charged with stealing mail from several condos in Niles (IL)
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………………………..
Defiant couple battles HOA in court after violating their allegedly ‘illegal’ neighborhood rules: ‘There was no reason’ (IL)
For one Illinois couple, installing solar panels meant a major battle with their homeowner’s association — one they ultimately won. Read the article………………………..
Condo Adviser: State, city measures may require electric vehicle-charging capabilities at residential buildings (IL)
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…………………………….
Unit owner is allowed to see association work contracts (IL)
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 […]
Condo Owners: IL Condominium Property Act Needs Updating
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………………………..
Lakewood Springs Club HOA Candidate Puts Defunding the HOA on the Table (IL)
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 […]
Two weeks after high-rise fire, condo owners push management to make changes (IL)
Two weeks since the latest in a series of high-rise fires in Chicago, residents inside the building of the most recent blaze in South Shore are calling on building management to step up as problems begin to stack up. Read the article………………………..
South Shore high-rise failed alarm inspection three days before extra-alarm fire (IL)
The South Shore high-rise where an extra-alarm fire broke out Thursday failed a fire alarm inspection just three days earlier, CBS 2’s Sabrina Franza has learned. Records show the Lakefront Place Condo building at 6730 S. South Shore Dr. failed an annual fire alarm inspection on Monday, May 1. Read the article………………………..
Illinois lawmakers pass bill to require new homes be equipped to handle EV charging stations
Newly constructed homes in Illinois would be required to include the infrastructure needed for electric vehicle charging stations under a bill now on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk. Read the article………………………..
Delay Upon Delay: Why 24 Woodridge Families Are Still Waiting to Return Home After 2021 Tornado (IL)
Two dozen families are still homeless after a tornado tore through their west-suburban Woodridge community back on June 20, 2021, and nearly two years later, they still have no clear timeline for when they will be allowed to move back in. Some of the Woodridge Country Club #5 owners blame their home-owners association (HOA) and […]
Simmons pushes to require air conditioning and heating for older residents (IL)
To ensure property owners who limit rental, ownership or occupancy to people ages 55 and up have ample heating and cooling, State Senator Mike Simmons advanced a House bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Read the article………………………..
Resident with disability has right to ‘reasonable’ modifications (IL)
Q: A unit owner in our association claims the association is not required to allow a disabled unit owner to make a modification to the common elements to accommodate her wheelchair. That does not sound right. What is the answer? Read the Q&A……………………………….