| News |
AZ: Gates give homeowners sense of
safety, real or not
Lt. Alan Laitsch, who oversees Paradise
Valley's patrol division, said property
crimes such as burglary, theft, mail
theft and criminal damage, are typically
lower in gated communities because the
chance for opportunity is far less.
Laitsch, who has been with the
department since 1988, has seen a
definite drop in crime at Finesterre,
which originally was not gated.
|
CA: Redondo condo group sued in legal
dogfight
A homeowners' association violated a
Redondo Beach condominium owner's rights
by not allowing her to keep a dog she
says is necessary for "psychological
comfort and companionship," claims a
lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior
Court.
|
LET IT ALL HANG OUT
She has heard that her drying habits
have been discussed at a homeowners
association meeting, but no one has
contacted her. "I think they shouldn't
be allowed to restrict this," she said.
"It's not very environmentally
friendly." A lawyer friend suggested
that if the issue comes to a head, she
should fly an American flag from her
clothes-hanging pole. A federal law that
took effect last year prohibits
homeowners associations from restricting
residential displays of the flag.
|
Between the homeowners association, the
Coconino National Forest and the local fire
department, hundreds of thousands of dollars
have been invested in protecting this area
of about 800 lots, with the homeowners'
association having the enforcement
authority.
|
WI: No contest plea in condo fee-bilking
case
A McFarland woman entered no contest
pleas to 19 felonies Friday for bilking
several area condominium associations
that contracted with her to handle
finances out of more than $140,000.
|
|
|
|
|
|
FL: Daily Survival: Help in dealing with
the condo commandos
The prevailing wisdom is that you were
provided with all the rules and
regulations before you bought your
property and knew what you were getting
into. Yes, that forest they killed to
regulate your homelife is legally
binding and they fully expected you to
read it before you signed it, like it or
not.
|
CA: Great views three hours a day
ROCKSLIDE REFUGEES: Two months after the
debris came crashing down, some
residents still can't get back into
their Telegraph Hill condominiums for
more than a few hours at a time
|
Q: I
have just been elected treasurer of our
condominium association. Recently, I read
that a property manager in Virginia may have
embezzled thousands of dollars from
associations with which he was associated. I
am scared because I am ill-equipped for this
task. What can I do to safeguard our
association's money?
|
|
|
A 60-year-old Cathedral City woman has been
charged with embezzlement for allegedly
taking more than $361,000 in a homeowners
association scam.
|
If you're like most homeowners, you've
probably never given much thought to whether
your neighbors pay their mortgages on time.
You've got enough to worry about.
|
CA: Property Manager Liable to
Unlicensed Contractor's Worker - C.A.
A professional property manager is
jointly and severally liable for payment
of workers' compensation benefits owed
the employee of an unlicensed and
uninsured contractor for injuries
sustained while working on a condominium
building, the Court of Appeal for this
district has ruled.
|
Communication between two homeowner
associations remains cut off because of the
possibility that a lawsuit between the two
associations could re-emerge in court.
|
A disabled Harford County man who won a case
he brought against his condominium
association because they wouldn't install a
ramp is now appealing the ruling.
|
2007 Advertising Policies and Rate Sheet
Word Doc
PDF |
|
|
|
Articles
|
More Owners Are Removing Community
Association Boards the Wrong Way and for the
Wrong Reasons
 Meetings
of community association boards are rarely
enjoyable; given the option, most people would
usually rather be doing something else. But the
board meeting I attended recently was
particularly unpleasant. The room was crowded,
the atmosphere was tense, and the owners, who
were shouting, listening, or both, clearly
weren’t happy. Neither were the board members,
who were targets both of the owners’ anger and
of a petition to remove the trustees from
office.
Read More
|
|
Overcoming
Resistance To Your Reserve Fund’s Contributions
Plans (Part II)
 Sometimes
it’s the Board itself (or, at least, some of the
Board’s members) that water down recommendations
to increase funding to the reserve plan.
And sometimes it’s the unit owners. It
doesn’t matter a whole lot who it is, what does
matter is that it happens and it’s dangerous. We’ve prepared a 3-part article that
begins with an overview of the problem’s
seriousness. Part Two examines the role
the Board plays both in being part of the
problem and part of the solution. And the
final part gets into the reasons owner’s offer
for coming out against increases. Most importantly, we add suggested
remedies. We provide a number of things
that right-thinking Board Members and owners can
do to help ensure that proper funding schedules
get voted for, passed, and implemented. Part One
and Part Two are available today.
Read More
(Scroll down to article title)
|
HOA Reserve Failure
Modes
 Reserve
planning is something that every homeowner
association, regardless of size, should do
because the HOA is entrusted with very expensive
assets that affect member home values. Failure
to maintain them causes home values to fall. The
"reserve study" breaks down common elements into
components and analyzes their current cost of
repair or replacement and predicts when that
event should take place. Reserve components come
in all shapes, sizes and values. They are not
all created equal.
Read More
|
Educating
Owners and Promoting Harmony in Your Community
From Condominium to Gated Community, the common
thread is people. A diverse village is created
within each association. Finding ways to educate
and encourage members, and at the same time
protect and preserve their physical assets, can
be challenging as well as rewarding. As more and
more people are moving into community
associations for the first time, it should be a
priority for board members and community
association managers to develop a sense of
belonging and ownership for each new member.
Educating them from the start in a constructive
way can plant the seed for a long-term positive
relationship within the community.
Read More
|
[Management] Negotiating the
Contract: Good Relations Develop When Terms Are
Clear
The management contract defines the relationship
between the condominium and management company,
but the document's provisions frequently receive
only cursory review or discussion by
the condominium board. If troubles crop up down
the road, they often can be traced to a failure
to include expectations, rates of
compensation, and specific legal duties and
roles in writing in the contract.
Read More (First article on page)
|
Thinking of Running for the Board?
Eight Questions You Need to Ask Yourself
First Do I have the time to devote to my duties
and responsibilities as a board member? Being a
board member can consume significant amounts of
time each month. Don’t volunteer if you don’t
have the time to do the job right or can’t
attend meetings.
Read More
|
Giving Facilities an Information
Edge
Though the changes happening today are
evolutionary, new technology is bringing steady
gains to facility management. Better technology
makes facility organizations more intelligent
and more nimble, getting the right information
to the right person faster than before. The
payoff is better and quicker decisions that are
implemented sooner. And emerging technology
promises to transform the industry much as
direct digital controls did when they emerged in
the ‘80s.
Read More
|
Limited HOA Amenities
Homeowner
associations often come with common amenities
which all members can enjoy. Examples include a
clubhouse and pool. While not all members may
use them, they are available for use, so all
members share in their maintenance and repair.
There are other common amenities, however, that
are limited in use to certain members, because
there aren't enough for everyone. Two common
examples include parking spaces and vehicle
storage facilities.
Read More
|
Are You in the Zone?
Besides the usually Covenants, Conditions, and
Restrictions (CCR's) or Rules & Regulations in
your homeowner association declaration, the
association can also access and review the
ordinances of its local municipality. Your city,
town, or county will generally have a complete
set of zoning ordinances that are laws that
govern residential, commercial, or industrial
development. These ordinances cover a wide range
of architectural, health, and safety standards
that can aid your association in protecting and
enhancing property values. Most municipalities
have posted the Zoning Codes online. This makes
a quick review easy, and more importantly a wise
choice when reviewing architectural submittals,
enforcing CCR's, or providing an alternative for
homeowners who are seeking additional resolution
to disputes with neighbors.
Read More |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
NCB FSB
Need
financing for your HOA? Call us at (800) 766-2622 or
click on
the link
|
Parker Finch
The Community Association Experts
Own Your Own Management Company
|
Condo Manager
Accounting and Management
Software - For HOA and Condominium Associations
|
Popular Association Banking
a Division of Banco Popular
North America
We provide financial services to community associations
nationwide
|
Reserve Fund Essentials
A refreshingly readable and
levelheaded 17-chapter book on fund-related how-to’s
and must-do’s to keep balances healthy.
Check it Out
|
CAI’s bookstore:
Preventative Maintenance titles
Check
out the latest titles on
preventative maintenance
offered by CAI’s bookstore – the premier resource in the
community association industry.
|
TOPS Software
Software Solutions That
Work For YOU
|
Reserve Advisors
The most accurate and
comprehensive Reserve Study
|
Collectronics
Collectronics provides the
community association law industry with proven
assessment collection technology and business solutions.
|
HOATalk.com
Meet with thousands of HOA
leaders online. HOA news & information too. Free!
|
Join Community
Associations Institute Today!
Gain access to expert
resources and the latest trends in community association
living, governance, and management.
Join today!
|
Community Association
Leadership Series DVDs!
Four
hot topics on a
two-disc DVD set:
The Board, Meetings, Insurance, and Reserves. CAI
members get 40% off!
|
|
Editor's Notes |
We're adding
data to the state pages for the revised web site, and
that includes the directory pages. Remember, the
directory listing is for service and product companies,
that work with community associations. The
directory provides links to web sites only. If you
don't have a web site, you won't be listed, after all,
this site is internet based. If you want to be
listed send company name, HQ city and state, and web URL
to
webmaster@
communityassociations.net
Joe |
| |
| What's New in the Blogs |
|
|
|
