From the soils underground to eyes in the sky, the federal probe into the deadly collapse of a Florida condominium building is gaining steam but is far from completion, officials said Monday. Read the entire article……………………………….
Baldy Mountain Townhome residents displaced due to flooding (CO)
In early August, a water line break above Boreas Loop in Breckenridge left several units in Baldy Mountain Townhomes flooded. Since the flooding Aug. 9, residents have been displaced as insurance companies and contractors work to repair damage, and some folks have yet to return home three months later. Read the entire article……………………………….
Raleigh neighborhood HOA decides to grandfather in renters after 180 families faced possible eviction (NC)
After announcing last month it would enforce a no-rental policy that would trigger up to 180 families to move, the Renaissance Park Housing Association Board of Directors has now decided it will be grandfathering in some renters. Read the entire article……………………………….
Operation of architectural control committee established by declaration of covenants (FL)
Q: Our president thinks that he can singlehandedly disband the architectural control committee (ACC) because he does not like its decisions. He has been advised that the board can only get involved and overrule the ACC if a homeowner is dissatisfied with a ruling by the ACC. Read the Q&A……………………………….
Judge orders Justice to pay Glade property owners $6 million (WV)
Raleigh County Circuit Court Judge Robert Burnside on Wednesday ordered Gov. Jim Justice’s company to pay more than $6 million and legal fees to Glade Springs Village Property Owners Association, for an estimated total cost of more than $9 million. Read the entire article……………………………….
Money missing from Austin HOAs, says attorney (TX)
But on that December night Weems explained that the contractor shared something else. “He’s like, ‘Hey, I don’t know if you know, but I haven’t been paid and some of the other vendors haven’t been paid,’” Weems said. “After that, like my whole life changed.” $7.75 left in HOA account Weems said that he learned from […]
Law of nuisance explained (FL)
Q: I live in a townhome. My neighbors recently installed outdoor lighting in their back lanai. Bright lights flood into my home and are becoming a serious annoyance. Can my association request that my neighbors have their lights dimmed or removed to stop this nuisance? Read the entire article……………………………….
Miami Neighborhood Known For Exclusive Condos, Edgewater Also Known For Flooding (FL)
On Friday, people who lived on 23rd Street in Edgewater were forced to wade through water to get to their cars. The street looked more like a swimming pool for ducks. Read the entire article……………………………….
Board can appoint, not remove, a member (IL)
Q: The board of our common interest community association appointed a person to fill a vacancy. The person who was appointed to the board turned out to be a complete “failure.” Because the board appointed this person, can the board now vote to remove this director from the board? Read the Q&A…………………………………..
Law says homeowner can receive HOA payment plan (NV)
Q: I fell behind on my homeowners association (assessments because of) being sick with COVID-19 in late July. I reached out to one of the board members, stating I’m aware that I’m behind. I explained the situation and that I am trying to catch up. Read the Q&A…………………………………
HOA Homefront: Are we required to rebuild our balconies under new law? (CA)
Q: Our HOA is claiming that 2019’s SB 326 adds to the Davis-Stirling Act and requires homeowners to retrofit our balcony railings to current building code requirements. I don’t see anything in the bill that requires such retrofitting. Am I missing something? Read the Q&A…………………………………
Meadowbrook Golf Club remains closed until its owner proposes a plan to Alachua County (FL)
Living on the ninth hole, Steve Smittle had the perfect view of Meadowbrook Golf Club’s lush greens from his porch. He watched golfers go by and enjoyed the quiet, friendly atmosphere. Now, all he sees is wilderness. Read the entire article……………………………….
After a Decade of Dispute, Hoboken’s Monarch Agreement is Finally Settled (NJ)
A real estate settlement agreement signed by the City of Hoboken has closed the book on what has been a years-long property dispute. The waterfront property at the corner of 15th Street and Shipyard Avenue, known as the ‘Monarch Site,’ was the subject of a long-running battle between the City of Hoboken and the Ironstate […]
Order To Vacate Diamond Bar Condominiums Lifted (CA)
Diamond Bar officials lifted its Sept. 30 order to vacate, and in its place issued a new order that allows all units to be once again occupied. Access to certain areas, specifically balconies of some of the units, will be limited. Read the entire article……………………………….
New Lake Anne President Aims To Chart New Course For Community (VA)
After a few hiccups, Lake Anne property owners elect three new board members to help turn around the beleaguered condo association. Read the entire article……………………………….
Structural engineer investigating Surfside collapse reveals frustration over slow access to site (FL)
The site of what used to be the Champlain Tower South condominium along a pretty stretch of beach in Surfside, FL remains an empty, flattened crater of questions and mysteries. “I have 8 zillion ideas but there’s no inkling at all,” said Allyn Kilsheimer when asked if he and his team were any closer to […]
INVESTIGATES: HOA suing Jacksonville military family for $20,000 in attorney fees over $3.87 lien (FL)
Tameka Holly and her husband Delaney Holly have a problem leaning on their heart – and a mortgage lien on their home. “We are talking about $3.87,” Tameka Holly told Action News Jax Ben Becker about the lawsuit filed by the Meadow Downs Homeowners Association, which is also demanding nearly $20,000 in attorney fees. Read […]
HOA headache: Abandoned house on private road (OH)
This house has been the bane of our existence since I moved here six years ago,” says Sylvania homeowner Kathy Casey. The house is on Kuenzler in Sylvania sold for $435,000 in 2005. “We know that she pays her homeowner’s association fees and her property taxes are up to date,” says Casey. Read the entire […]
HOA purchases golf course, raising homeowner dues (AZ)
The Sabino Springs Homeowners Association purchased the Arizona National Golf Club, which it surrounds, from Romspen Arizona National LLC for $1.5 million following a homeowner vote. The purchase follows years of triumph and decline of the course dating to 2012, when existing owners fell behind in HOA assessments and water bills. The lack of payments […]
Staying The Course – The golf course is dead. Long live the golf course! (OR)
“Now they want to change the rules. They want to pave over the golf course and pack it with streets and homes,” Jeff Kramer, a former lawyer and one of the homeowners suing Pahlisch Homes, told KTVZ in August. “And that’s not what we were promised, and that’s not what we relied on when we […]
Long Beach fire damages condominium building (CA)
Three firefighters were injured while battling the blaze, with one of them taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, the department said. Read the entire article……………………………….
How to Get Your Condo or Homeowners Financial Records (FL)
If you live in a condo or homeowners association, you may wonder: where is all your money going? Do you have a right to the records, and if so how do you get them? Which is why one South Florida woman called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser. Read the entire article……………………………….
One person dead in Plainville condo fire (CT)
One person is dead following a fire in Plainville early Wednesday morning. The fire broke out at a condo building on Russell Avenue. Plainville Fire Chief Thomas Moschini said crews saw heavy fire when they first arrived on the scene. The fire was coming from one of the condo units and starting to extend to […]
With sewer construction looming, West Falmouth neighborhood plans to take town to court (ME)
The homeowners association for The Woodlands plans to file a lawsuit in early November to stop a West Falmouth sewer improvement project that is scheduled to start next month, the group’s attorney says. Read the entire article……………………………….
Breaking News: City and Rock Springs Ridge HOA part ways on land swap (FL)
It began on a sunny day in April at the Apopka Amphitheater, and ended at the same venue on a November evening plagued by mosquitoes. The whirlwind romance between the City of Apopka, Rock Springs Ridge Homeowners Association and the Golf Group ended with a counter offer Read the entire article……………………………….
Club West case gets messier as The Edge claims land use rights to the course (AZ)
The four men who bought the Club West Golf Course two years ago have obtained the declarant rights to the beleaguered site. Papers filed with the County Recorder Sept. 22 show Shea Homes transferred the declarant rights to The Edge. The quitclaim filed by Shea makes no reference to whether The Edge paid anything to […]
Parked in HOA hell (ID)
Residents typically reach out to their HOA to handle maintenance needs. Afana is nowhere to be found, residents told The Press. He did not respond to Press requests for comment. Further investigation led homeowners to discover the HOA was not properly formed and the covenants, conditions and restrictions given to each homeowner were never signed […]
Condo risks in focus as A&E market tightens
Rising losses are causing underwriters to rethink the way they analyze architects and engineers professional liability risks, and the deadly collapse of a condominium building in south Florida earlier this year is raising further concerns. Read the entire article……………………………….
Lock expert finds security flaw affecting thousands of apartments, condos (PA)
A Pittsburgh lock expert has uncovered a security flaw that could affect thousands of apartment and condominium buildings across the country. The problem is with some intercoms that residents use to talk with visitors and let them in the door. Read the entire article……………………………….
Local people solving local problems (AZ)
Some interesting real estate stuff is happening in Tucson regarding golf courses. Interest in golfing has steadily waned for years, to the point where there is not enough revenue to support the businesses or even physically maintain the courses. How will all this be resolved? Read the entire article……………………………….
Crews knock down fire at Snowmass Village condo complex (CO)
Fire crews responded Saturday afternoon to a structure fire in the Seasons Four complex in Snowmass Village. Roaring Fork Fire Rescue firefighters were using the ladder truck to try to get to what appeared to be the exterior wall on the top level in the end unit of the complex’s L building. Read the entire […]
Shared ownership communities answer to the majority (FL)
Q: I read your column every week and I get the impression that most HOAs and condo associations are a law unto themselves. Ours certainly doesn’t answer to us and we pay them for that privilege! How did it get this way? Do you think change is possible here in the Sunshine State? Read the […]
Boulder condo residents recount moments of terror fleeing Oct. 19 fire (CO)
Just hours before a massive fire ripped through Whittier Apartments where Matthew Sheares lived, he fell asleep on the couch. This wouldn’t have been that significant of detail to Sheares’ life at all, except that this part of his apartment tends to funnel in more noise from the adjacent living units, than his bedroom loft. […]
HOA cracking down on roommate rules (NV)
Q: Can a homeowners association make a rule and fine you if you have a roommate? In Clark County up to four unrelated people are allowed to live in a single-family residence by code. Twice, my friend has been fined $1,000 over roommates. Last time, they said it was running a business. She had only […]
Community Law column (FL)
Q: I am a board member at my homeowner’s association (HOA). We have recently implemented electronic voting. We also asked that owners provide us with consent to send official association notices via email so we could save on postage and mailing. Read the Q&A…………………………………….
Board needs to meet with commissions (IL)
Q: Read the Q&A………………………………..I am a member of our association’s architectural control commission. Owners submit architectural change requests to the commission. The commission reviews an owner’s submittals, speaks with the owner, and then makes a thoughtful recommendation to the board. The board frequently ignores the recommendations of the commission.
Deteriorating Condo Faces Repair – Deadline Approaches (FL)
The clock is ticking for the deteriorating condo building in Key West that was given 45 days from Sept. 13 to submit a comprehensive plan and timeline for crucial structural repairs that have become a health and safety concern. Read the entire article……………………………….
Developer and activist deny they are trying to exploit homeless to force land deal (KY)
Developer Chris Thieneman Thursday denied he is using homeless people to force the Glenmary Homeowner’s Association to buy an abandoned golf course in the subdivision he has an option to buy. Read the entire article……………………………….
UPDATE: ‘It Was Deceptive;’ Former San Francisco Millennium Tower Tenant Glad He’s Out (CA)
Building officials gave the green light Thursday for limited work to resume on the fix for San Francisco’s leaning Millennium Tower after ongoing work to straighten the luxury high-rise was halted after making it worse instead of better. Read the entire article……………………………….
Biscayne Bay condo resident holding out against forced eviction by real estate developer (FL)
One man is the lone holdout still living in a high rise condo building on Biscayne Bay. He took his eviction to court. There also may be a pattern from the developer when it comes to clearing out residents. Read the entire article……………………………….
Proposal to bring homeless encampment to Fern Creek subdivision leads to lawsuit (KY)
The president of the West Louisville Urban Coalition purchased a small piece of land on a golf course, but lawyers say he can’t use it in the way he had hoped. Read the entire article……………………………….
Contractor Allegedly Stole More Than $50,000 From Southport Residents (MA)
In December 2020, Southport management became aware that Mr. Vieira allegedly forged the signature of one of its agents on an architectural modification form that was submitted to the Town of Mashpee building department, police said in court documents. The Southport Condominium Association then barred Mr. Vieira from doing additional work in the neighborhood but […]
Ask the HOA Expert: Can Governing Documents Be Amended?
Question: Can HOA governing documents be amended to allow compensation to directors for their services as board members? It stands to reason that they could be held more accountable if they received compensation for performance. Read the Q&a……………………………………….
Runaway Bay condos hit with massive property insurance increase (FL)
The Runaway Bay Condominium Homeowners Association is experiencing a 337% increase in its annual property insurance premiums, an increase that may eventually be felt by other condo associations, resorts, apartment complexes and single-family homeowners on Anna Maria Island and throughout the state. Read the entire article……………………………….
‘Spite fence’ angers neighbors of West Neck golf community in Virginia Beach (VA)
Tom Luckman used to sit on a bench in his backyard, sipping coffee and taking in the view. He and his wife, Sis, live on what used to be Hole 3 of the Signature at West Neck golf course, designed by Arnold Palmer, in the southern part of the city. Read the entire article……………………………….
Condo Deconversions Will Continue in Chicagoland Area (IL)
If we consider that 2017 was the year that deconversion sales in Chicago began in earnest, we are now four years into the cycle. I’m frequently asked my opinion of how much longer this cycle will last, and what it will look like going forward. To me, that comes down mainly to supply and demand, […]
Rise in Summerlin burglaries has residents seeking more security (NV)
Sun City Summerlin residents are investing in security systems and teaming up to watch one another’s homes after a recent increase in burglaries in the neighborhood. Read the entire article……………………………….
Post-Surfside, Florida engineers say all large buildings need to be inspected
Florida should require nearly all large buildings be inspected for structural problems within their first 30 years, with follow-ups every 10 years, according to recommendations by the state’s engineering associations made in the wake of the Surfside condominium collapse. Read the entire article……………………………….