Fountain Inn’s planning commission has rejected a final development plan for 118 homes along Carolina Springs Golf Course after nearby residents voiced strong opposition to the proposal — one that has been in the works for more than a decade. Read the entire article……………………………….
Commentary: No easy answers in Surfside condo collapse, except a failure of imagination
On July 7, the grim mission at Champlain Towers South transitioned from search and rescue to recovery. Equipment has been removed, and the dogs have been sent home, but crews still are combing the rubble for the few still missing. Blame has been cast at the homeowners’ association, the land on which the tower was […]
Board affirms decision to protect neighborhood’s oaks (SC)
A homeowners association will have to find an alternative to cutting down trees that is says are damaging the community. The Reunion Hall Homeowners Association at Willbrook wants to cut down 30 live oaks because the trees’ roots have damaged sidewalks and roads and could eventually damage the stormwater system and houses. The trees were […]
Residents angry after geese removed from West Ashley neighborhood, euthanized (SC)
Residents in a West Ashley neighborhood are upset after they say a large flock of geese was removed from the neighborhood and euthanized. Village Green’s homeowner’s association said about 70 geese were removed at the end of June after years of issues with the growing flock. HOA officials say the non-migrating geese have been a […]
Retirement community files lawsuit against home builder (SC)
The homeowners association of a Berkeley County retirement community is suing a home builder for what it called “substandard common areas.” The Dell Web at Cane Bay Association filed a lawsuit Friday against Pulte Home Company, according to court documents. Read the entire article……………………………….
Lowcountry neighborhood considering making community gun-free space (SC)
A Lowcountry neighborhood is considering making their community a gun-free space. The Homeowners Association of Del Webb at Cane Bay Association, Inc is considering a change to its by-laws that would ban weapons from the area of the community owned and operated by the HOA. Read the entire article……………………………….
Video of an altercation in a SC neighborhood led to BLM protests and an unlikely friendship
It all started with a Facebook Live of the neighbors debating the fallout from a viral video of a Fort Jackson soldier. Read the entire article……………………………….
‘My God, it was scary’: Massive fire ravages 40-year-old condo building in North Myrtle Beach (SC)
Multiple agencies responded to a fire at a condo complex early Tuesday in North Myrtle Beach, according to officials. Crews were called to the Coastal Dunes at 941 South Ocean Boulevard just after 1 a.m., North Myrtle Beach Fire Chief Garry Spain said. Heavy fire was coming from the building when crews arrived on the […]
Goats Get To Work Cleaning Up Neighborhoods (SC)
When homeowners in the Retreat at Beresford subdivision off Clements Ferry Road started looking into ways to trim back brush around a creek in the neighborhood, they decided to go a more natural route. Read the entire article……………………………….
Dorchester County making speed hump installation easier, but at more cost to HOAs (SC)
The county has updated its speed hump requirements with the goal of being more in line with surrounding jurisdictions. For example, in the town of Summerville, homeowner associations or neighborhood residents pay the town to build traffic-slowing devices such as speed humps. Read the entire article……………………………….
Residents vote down measure to remove ‘plantation’ from neighborhood signs (SC)
Residents in a Lowcountry neighborhood have voted down a measure to remove the word “plantation” from their community signs. On Monday, residents of the Belle Hall Plantation subdivision voted to keep “plantation” on community signs. The vote was 225 who approved the measure to remove the word, to 369 who disapproved of removing the word. […]
Diverse Columbia neighborhood hoping to fix image damaged after soldier charged in fight (SC)
In two minutes, the reputation of a sprawling, decades-old and racially diverse community in northeast Richland County was cemented in the minds of many as an enclave of prejudice. The short video showing what police allege is a White Army sergeant berating and shoving a smaller Black man on a sidewalk outside his home in […]
25 HOA’s, one access road: Island Green residents protest additional development (SC)
With the prospect of hundreds of new neighbors quickly becoming reality, Island Green residents in the Burgess area of Horry County are trying to make their calls for change heard. Even they fear it may be too late. Read the entire article……………………………….
Verbal altercations reported over effort to remove “plantation” from neighborhood name (SC)
Verbal altercations have been reported in one Mount Pleasant neighborhood over an effort to remove the word “plantation” from its name. The Belle Hall Plantation Homeowner’s Association sent a letter to residents this week saying there have been several individuals distributing door-hanger notices throughout the neighborhood, attaching them to mailboxes and doorknobs. Read the article………………………………….
Mount Pleasant neighborhoods, others in SC seek to remove ‘plantation’ from name
Residents of Plantation, Fla., have petitioned authorities to change the town’s name. Residents of Plantation Estates, a senior retirement community southeast of Charlotte, succeeded late last year in changing the name to Matthews Glen. And homeowners in Hilton Head Plantation have been trying to get that troublesome word replaced for months. Read the article…………………………………
Horry County leads the state for HOA complaints in 2020 (SC)
A report released by the South Carolina Dept. of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) on Monday shows that more than 33% of the complaints filed against Homeowner’s Associations (HOAs) in 2020 came from Horry County. Read the article……………………………..
2021 Homeowners Association Complaint Report Released (SC)
he South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) is releasing the third Homeowners Association (HOA) Complaint Report. The 2021 Report is a compilation of data from complaints received January 2020 through December 31, 2020. Some of the highlights include: Read the article………………………………..
HOAs, Santee Cooper still searching for compromise on street light costs (SC)
Santee Cooper’s street light policies may be in line with other utilities, but some Grand Strand HOAs insist that doesn’t make them equitable. Last week, a group of Horry and Georgetown county HOAs met with the utility for the third time to discuss ways to reduce the cost of their street lights. Read the article……………………………………..
Court rules in favor of DeBordieu Colony’s beach nourishment plan (SC)
South Carolina’s Chief Administrative Law Judge has upheld DeBordieu Colony Community Association’s permit for beach nourishment. The plan includes placement of up to 650,000 cubic yards of sand and three groins on DeBordieu Beach at the southern end of the development. Read the article…………………………………..
Community association to homeowner’s Christmas display: Bah, humbug (SC)
You’d think Ebenezer Scrooge or The Grinch wanted to take down Samantha Mangum’s Christmas display. Every Christmas, Mangum spends hours meticulously designing the family’s holiday decorations that dominate her front yard in the Persimmon Hill subdivision. The display has enough lights, Christmas trees and inflatable snowmen to make Santa Claus smile. Read the article…………………………………….
‘It’s about the kids’: HOA tells SC man to take down some Christmas decorations
A South Carolina man said his Home Owner’s Association is being a real “Grinch” — it sent him a letter telling him to take down parts of his holiday display or face legal action. Mike O’Hea is really into Christmas, according to WCIV. His Dorchester County home is filled with lights, animals and even a […]
WMBF INVESTIGATES: Protections, solutions for local homeowners facing HOA issues (SC)
Homeowner association complaints have become one of the top issues that come through the WMBF Investigates email inbox. This kind of dispute has become a chronic problem along the Grand Strand. Oftentimes, it is neighbor versus neighbor, and the HOA is asked to step in to fix the problem, only to be told it’s out […]
‘It’s upsetting — a brand new home’: Clover couple sues over flooding issues (SC)
A Clover couple is suing their homeowner’s association and the company that sold them their house, over flooding issues. Rodney Robinson and his wife bought the brand new home in 2016. “About six weeks after that was the first real bad storm,” Robinson told Action 9?s Jason Stoogenke. “We had stormwater basically up to the […]
When private security guards shoot someone on the job, SC law treats them like police (SC)
On a private South Carolina island, a fight ended in death and legal questions when a security guard, sent to the scene ahead of deputies, shot and killed a man last week. Authorities said Beaufort County deputies were on their way to a domestic disturbance call that Tuesday but asked two Fripp Island Security officers, […]
Woodlands floor collapse lawsuit filed 2 years after 30 were injured (SC)
A floor collapse that injured dozens during an off-campus fraternity gathering at the Woodlands of Clemson near Clemson University in October 2018 has led to a lawsuit. Morgan Pinson, of Greenville County, filed a personal injury lawsuit Friday afternoon in Pickens County Circuit Court. Pinson suffered serious injuries when the floor collapsed and seeks actual […]
Could Santee Cooper sell street lights to Grand Strand HOAs? Utility meeting with HOA officials today
Santee Cooper is meeting with homeowners associations to discuss the possibility of selling street lights to the HOAs. Some Carolina Forest residents hope the utility will be willing to sell the lights at a reduced rate, especially since they have already spent years paying for them. Read the article……………………………………..
One person seriously injured in fire at Windsor Green condo complex (SC)
Crews are responding to reports of a structure fire in the Carolina Forest area Friday afternoon. Firefighters were called to the 4900 block of Windor Green Way around 12:45 p.m., according to Horry County Fire Rescue spokesperson Tony Casey. Read the article……………………………….
SC couple fighting neighborhood HOA over Trump flag (SC)
A Fort Mill family is fighting to keep flying their Trump flag outside their home after they say their HOA told them to take it down. “We love our flag and we love our president,” Sarah Martin said. Read the article………………………………
Barefoot Resort HOA files lawsuit over ‘design and construction defects’ (SC)
The construction of a new beach cabana for Barefoot Resort and Golf has encountered a hurdle after it was discovered the wrong building materials were used for the oceanfront amenity center located in North Myrtle Beach. In a lawsuit filed by the Barefoot Resort Residential Owners Association on Aug. 11 in the Court of Common […]
North Myrtle Beach passes new tow truck rules despite resident opposition, workshop to come (SC)
“You’re talking about a registered agent or owner having to call the police themselves and waiting for the police officer to get there,” said Pam Stanley, HOA manager for Pierwatch Villas in Cherry Grove. “There is no way for us doing that without hiring security, which we can’t really afford to do, honestly. Rents are […]
Rock Hill neighborhood discovers racist bylaw, comes together to remove it (SC)
A movement to change a racist bylaw in a homeowners association in Rock Hill is still going on. The change is bringing the Rock Hill neighborhood, Fewell Estates, closer together. Read the article……………………………
Hundreds of fish die suddenly in Summerville community’s backyard lake (SC)
Residents of a Summerville neighborhood woke up to an alarming surprise Sunday morning when the fish in their subdivision’s lake started floating to the surface, one by one. Within a few hours, people living in the Ashborough community off Dorchester Road said it seemed as if most of the fish were dead. Some were as […]
Homeowners association on private SC island received federal bailout funds amid pandemic
The homeowners group on another private island near Charleston — Dewees Island — has accepted money from the federal bailout fund meant to assist small businesses and nonprofits financially damaged by the coronavirus pandemic. Read the article………………………..
West Ashley neighborhood association stops musician from performing porch concerts (SC)
Local musician Eric Vaughn has been serenading his neighbors at The Commons in Grand Oaks Plantation in West Ashley on Friday afternoons since the coronavirus upended his traditional bar gigs and prompted social distancing requirements. He’s been playing concerts from his porch, and neighbors have gathered in chairs along the streets and in their yards […]
Woman killed by alligator in SC was doing homeowner’s nails
The woman attacked and killed by an alligator in a gated community along the South Carolina coast was visiting the homeowner to do her nails and was trying to touch the animal when it grabbed her, authorities said. Read the article………………………………..
Community Association Meetings: What You Need to Know (NC/SC)
For those who own property in homeowners’ associations, it is important to understand the different types of association meetings that take place throughout the year. It is especially important that board members not only understand the different types of meetings but the rules surrounding who can and should attend these meetings, how to properly and […]
Kiawah Island Community Association returns $1 million loan after Cunningham’s statement (SC)
Earlier Thursday morning, representative Joe Cunningham released a statement calling out the Kiawah Island Community Association for taking a $1 million loan from the Paycheck Protection Program. Now on Thursday late afternoon, the association has returned the money back. Read the article…………………………..
POA seeks permits to build beach and dune at Litchfield (SC)
Property owners on the southern tip of Litchfield Beach are seeking state and federal permits to pump up to 700,000 cubic yards of offshore sand along nearly a mile of beachfront. The project, proposed by the Peninsula Property Owners Association, includes building a 6-foot tall dune along 4,000 feet of beach. The purpose is to […]
How South Carolina’s Reopenings May Affect Your Homeowners Association
Whether your community chooses to keep its common areas open or closed is a matter of discretion and all HOA / Condo boards in South Carolina must use their best business judgment to make that determination. Over the past two days South Carolina has reopened some retail establishments, beaches, and state parks. Although the State […]
POA will gather property records to put county on notice of restrictions (SC)
The creation of a new oceanfront lot at North Litchfield has prompted the area property owners association to ensure that Georgetown County is aware of deed restrictions in the area that prohibit subdivisions. By one estimate, 10 percent of about 700 lots are large enough to be subdivided under the current zoning if the restrictions […]
SCDCA: 2020 HOA Complaint Report available now (SC)
The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) has released the 2020 Homeowners Association (HOA) Complaint Report. The report covers complaints received from January 2019 through December 31, 2019, according to the SCDCA. Complaints are categorized within the report, which is available in a “filterable and searchable format” on the agency website. Read the article……………………………
As SC island homes fall into ocean, owners behind them wonder if they’re next
Their owners are locked in legal battles, both with their insurance companies and the island’s Owners’ Association, which says the houses need to be removed. Beaufort County declared it’s unsafe to be inside any of them. Many on the island are hesitant to discuss them at all so as not to upset friends in the […]
Horry County ranks top in the state for HOA complaints (SC)
The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs released its 2020 HOA Complaint Report on Friday. The department received more than 200 complaints in 2019 against 143 homeowners associations across the state. Read the article…………………….
One person transported to hospital following fire at Murrells Inlet condominium (SC)
One person has been transported to the hospital following a fire at a Murrells Inlet condominium Thursday night. Georgetown Sheriff Carter Weaver said deputies and firefighters responded to the Ellington condominiums at Wachesaw East around 6 p.m. for a welfare check. Read the article…………………………
Solar panels were rare in Sun City until SC residents convinced HOA (SC)
When Jeff Foreman bought his home in senior-oriented Sun City, he traded a condo in New York City for a suburban neighborhood that seemed social and active. But with the new neighborhood near Bluffton came a homeowners association, which made Foreman’s plans to reduce his carbon footprint a challenge. Read the article……………………….
SC homeowners have fallen victim to companies exploiting HOA foreclosure loophole
South Carolina does not require including mortgage companies in lawsuits when homeowners associations foreclose over unpaid fees. Surrounding states, including North Carolina, Florida and Georgia, allow for HOA foreclosures but have statutes governing them. But in South Carolina it’s left to the courts’ discretion, said Columbia lawyer Brian Gambrell, who has a number of these […]
Year in Review: WMBF Investigates looks at HOA complaints, pool companies, more (SC)
2019 has been quite the year, from HOA complaints to property scams to construction issues. One investigation that impacted so many was an investigation into pool companies along the Grand Strand. Read the article……………………………
New Bill in South Carolina Can Limit HOA Foreclosures on Owners Who Fail to Pay Their HOA Dues
There has been a great deal of controversy regarding how far the influence of an HOA can stretch to the members of its community. There have been many residents that have attempted to eliminate their association from requiring dues on the properties that they own. One issue that has gained a great deal of press […]
Treasurer to look at office’s relationship with special tax districts (SC)
Cathy Miller is looking to make changes at the Greenwood County Treasurer’s Office. The former Beyond Abuse director was named treasurer in October and wants to change how her office handles special tax districts, which Greenwood County Council approved creating in December 2014. Read the article…………………………….
Myrtle Beach residents face HOA violations for driving commercial vehicles into neighborhood (SC)
A Myrtle Beach resident is facing nearly $1,000 in homeowners’ association fines after getting picked up for work in a commercial vehicle. Marcos Andrade has lived in the Burcale Commons community for nearly three years and said he was picked up for work every day. Read the article………………………..