Can Political Flags Be Flown? (FL)

Q: I went on a walk in my community and saw at least 8 homes flying either Trump or Biden flags. Is it legal to fly a political flag on a home located in a homeowners association?   Read the Q&A……………………………….

SIGNS UP FOR DEBATE: Local HOAs attempt to regulate political display (IN)

Political signs lining neighborhood streets are commonplace during election season, but in some Johnson County neighborhoods, there are few or none to be found.  Local party leaders have heard of about 20 cases in multiple neighborhoods of local homeowners associations (HOA) asking residents to take down their political signs. In many cases, HOA leaders said […]

Residents angry over deal that may take plaza away from Newberry Plaza (IL)

Plans appear to be afoot to add three floors of commercial space to the east side of Newberry Plaza, but some building residents feel they’re being left out of the conversation.  Residents of the mixed-use building say their condo board has gone silent, refusing to answer their questions. They believe the plaza is being taken […]

Homeowner fed up with HOA; wants to publish newsletter (NV)

Q: I read your column every week. It is very informative.  Our homeowners association board has been cited by the state twice in the past couple of years.  Once for trespassing on property that the board had no easements to be on (a total of 10 different properties). This complaint was started by myself and […]

Unit votes cannot be split in elections (IL)

Q: Each condominium unit in our association is entitled to one vote, regardless of the number of co-owners of the unit. Can the bylaws be changed to allow each of the co-owners of a unit to have a vote? If not, can the bylaws be changed to permit the vote be divided among the multiple […]

Lake Forest families raise safety concerns about speeders, reckless drivers (AL)

Lake Forest families are pleading for help as they say speeders and reckless drivers are creating a dangerous situation in the large Daphne neighborhood.  Diamond Reddick, who lives on Wedgewood Drive, said she and her baby were nearly hit by a speeding driver on Thursday.     Read the article………………………………..

Fire breaks out at South Ocean Boulevard condo (FL)

A fire broke out Thursday afternoon at a condo in the 2000 of South Ocean Boulevard, around the area of Sloan’s Curve.  According to Palm Beach Fire Rescue Division Chief Sean Baker, there was heavy smoke and flames coming through the front door of the area, in addition to “extensive” water damage.    Read the article………………………………..

Lincoln Hills board procedures questioned (CA)

A few Sun City Lincoln Hills residents wrote critical letters this week to The Lincoln News Messenger about its Aug. 27 story on the executive director’s firing at an executive session on Aug. 21. (The front page story was “Sun City Lincoln Hills board fires executive director Friday.”)    Read the article……………………………    “Inside the Sun […]

Can political flags be flown? (FL)

Q: I went on a walk in my community and saw at least 8 homes flying either Trump or Biden flags. Is it legal to fly a political flag on a home located in a homeowners association?     Read the Q&A……………………………..

Residents displaced after fire rips through senior community in South Lyon (MI)

Residents at a senior community in South Lyon have been displaced after a fire ripped through the multi-unit condo building around midnight.  According to the South Lyon Fire Chief Robert Vogel, firefighters responded to a report of smoke in a unit at the building. On arrival, firefighters found heavy smoke coming from one unit of […]

College Hill closes to trick-or-treaters, Halloween displays still a go (KS)

Wichita’s College Hill neighborhood will not be a hotspot for trick-or-treaters to gather this year. The neighborhood association sent a letter out to residents asking that they turn off their lights on Halloween and not pass out candy. The association said it made a difficult decision due to the COVID-19 pandemic.    Read the article………………………………

Can elected HOA board members be removed if they do not participate? (FL)

Q: I am on the board of my condominium. At the most recent election, a new board member was elected and added to the board. Since the first meeting following the election, this person has not shown up or made themselves available for any other board meetings. It has caused issues with the board being […]

Dakota Dunes resident wins dispute over flag display (SD)

A Dakota Dunes resident has won a dispute with that community’s homeowner’s association over the flags displayed in her front yard.  We brought you Twyla Rosenbaum’s story on September 24th, as she was fighting the HOA to continue flying an Air Force flag along with an American flag from a pole in her front yard.  […]

South Lyon Fire Chief: Reading tablet probably ignited couch, destroyed condo unit (MI)

A tablet used for reading the Bible probably started a condo blaze that left three residents seeking hospital care early Wednesday morning, according to South Lyon firefighters.  The tablet was re-charging on a basement couch and probably heated and ignited the couch’s fabric, Chief Robert Vogel said.    Read the article…………………………..

License Plate Cameras Raise Privacy Concerns in One Neighborhood (TN)

A Cordova neighborhood has installed cameras to reduce crime, but not everyone who lives there thinks they are a good idea. The solar-powered camera appeared recently in the Carrollwood Lakes subdivision in Countrywood.  Carli Squires was happy to find out it is a license plate reading camera.     Read the article………………………..

Sign Removal Causes Conflict, First Amendment Debate (NJ)

When signs advocating for the legalization of marijuana were removed by an official, it brought up questions about the first amendment and the role of senior community bylaws and their enforcement.     Read the article…………………………………..

Last-minute deal saves thousands from having their water shut off (FL)

It came down to nearly the final minute, but 3,000 people in Coral Springs have been saved from having their water service shut off — for now.  Residents of the Ramblewood East complex fell behind in paying their bills this year, hit hard by furloughs and layoffs from the COVID-19 pandemic. Their homeowners association couldn’t […]

Burr Ridge Expands Surveillance Camera Program (IL)

Fourteen subdivisions in Burr Ridge have surveillance cameras that are connected to the village’s police department.  On Monday, the Burr Ridge Village Board approved an agreement where a 15th subdivision — Carriage Way — would join the program. The neighborhood is investing $32,000 into cameras at the entrance to the subdivision, according to the village.  […]

Aspen’s most popular trick-or-treating neighborhood will close on Halloween (CO)

Aspen’s North 40 neighborhood will close their common area pathways for Halloween 2020, the homeowners’ association announced Monday.  Homeowners will not be offering candy to trick-or-treaters, according to the release.  Halloween at the North 40 typically attracts thousands of community members and families in the Roaring Fork Valley.    Read the article……………………………..

No plans for eroded section of Bluff Road (MI)

The half-mile section of the Peninsula Township road was closed nearly a year ago when erosion from high water threatened to collapse it.  The Monday tour, done during a special meeting hosted at the site, was meant to open a dialogue between the commission and members of the Mission Hills Homeowners Association, who say closing […]

Missouri statute stops homeowner associations from banning political signs (MO)

Homeowners associations have rules stopping people from putting any political signs on their lawns but a Missouri statute says that’s not allowed. The statue makes those homeowners association rules unenforceable.  “In some respects, we have conflicting guidelines here and we just have to go with the one that’s enforceable and the fact is that our […]

Brooklyn Waterfront Condos Sue Over Raucous Block Parties (NY)

The boards of three luxury condominium developments along the Williamsburg, Brooklyn, waterfront are suing the city for more than $2 million, claiming Parks Department officials have failed to maintain the publicly managed green spaces and piers fronting their buildings, while also allowing raucous revelers to party late into the night, Brownstoner reports.  Read the article…………………………….

Condominium budget preparation issues (FL)

It is that time of year when Condominium Associations start working on preparing their budgets for 2021. Usually a small committee or the board will have a “workshop” to come up with a preliminary budget and later in the year the board will vote on the final budget.  Read the article…………………………………

Club West fining new owner over golf course (AZ)

The Foothills Club West Association board is leveling fines on the new owners of the golf course for not conforming to its land use regulations.  Association board President Mike Hinz made the disclosure to the HOA’s approximate 2,700 homeowners as he repudiated a report in the Ahwatukee Foothills News last Wednesday that said the owners […]

Ormond Lakes HOA seeks stormwater remedies as Planning Board OKs Ormond Grande project (FL)

The Planning Board unanimously recommended approval for a development order, rezoning and preliminary plat request for the construction of 60-townhome units off U.S. 1, hoping that the project engineer and the Ormond Lakes homeowners association can come to an agreement to solve the existing drainage issues affecting nearby residents.   Read the article………………………………..

Removing the HOA board won’t solve the insurance problem (NV)

Q: In a homeowners association meeting late last year we were told that because of a high number of claims, they could no longer afford water damage insurance. Then a notice came out early January that as of Jan. 15 we have no water damage insurance on the property.   Read the Q&A……………………………….

Order of protection issue stymies board (IL)

Q: A resident in our condominium association obtained an order of protection against another resident of the condominium; the two residents live in the units next door to one another. The order of protection requires the one resident to stay a certain distance from the other resident. The resident who obtained the order of protection […]

HOA orders Trump supporters to pull the plug on shocking signs (KY)

Were they protecting freedom of speech or creating a neighborhood hazard? The answer depends on who you ask. A Louisville neighborhood is buzzing after two residents electrified their political signs, they say, to keep them from being stolen. Both residents are fans of President Donald Trump.  “It’s a fence charger that I had up in […]

Q&A: Who Can See the Names of Delinquent Condo Owners? (FL)

Question: I am an owner in a condominium. I have made a request to see the individual unit owner assessment ledgers for owners who are delinquent in the payment of assessments. The board has denied my request and they claim I am not allowed to see this information. Is this true?   Read the Q&A………………………………

The HOA Rule Game

The issue of rules in homeowner associations is one that can trigger a wide range of responses. While most HOAs require little rule enforcement, there are some that seem rule-driven or inhabited by I-eat-rules-for-lunch residents. This combination is a formula for trouble. That said, there are some recommended approaches to effective rules compliance that every […]

Sinking Millennium Tower Pile Retrofit to Start Next Month in San Francisco (CA)

Work on the nearly $100-million perimeter pile upgrade of San Francisco’s sinking Millennium Tower, to prevent significant future settlement, is set to start next month, now that litigation over the problem has been fully resolved.  The 645-ft-tall residential tower settled about 17.3 in. since its completion in 2008.  Millennium Tower Association, the homeowners’ group for […]

Jones Creek golf course fails to sell (GA)

Tripp Nanney, the president of the Jones Creek Homeowners Association, has said that Saul is asking too high a price. Nanney said interested investors have told him that even after buying the land, it would cost a new owner several million dollars more to rebuild the course to peak playability after being closed and untended […]

Iowa City reaffirms homeowners association is responsible for stormwater management

Although the City of Iowa City has reaffirmed its position that the city is not responsible for maintenance of the stormwater management facility located in the Olde Towne Village subdivision, it continues to receive complaints from residents about the system that the appearance of the wetland is an “eyesore and nuisance.”    Read the article……………………………………

St. Louis grand jury indicts McCloskeys on gun charges, tampering with evidence (MO)

City attorneys for St. Louis refused to charge nine protesters who were ticketed for trespassing after members of the Portland Place trustees said they did not want to press charges against them.  Following Tuesday’s hearing, the McCloskeys’ attorney said his clients own the sidewalk in front of their home and that they, and other members […]

Woman takes swing at HOA (TN)

A Point Drive woman made her point recently when she took a baseball bat to her own mailbox in defiance of her homeowner’s association.  The woman arrived at police headquarters to self-report the damage but noted it was interference by her homeowner’s association that pushed her over the edge. The woman explained that she was […]