Condo & HOA News Items
Residents of affordable developments such as Park City Heights and Central Park Condos told the Park City Council Thursday about unexpected HOA costs that are squeezing their budgets. Luke McCarthy lives in one of the city’s 138 deed-restricted for sale units. McCarthy was able to get a condo last year after a four-year wait on the affordable housing list. At closing time, he said learning about the over $500.
Florida real estate struggles as ‘motivated’ sellers flood market
According to Redfin, the median time a Florida home spent on the market was 57 days in March. Two years earlier, that time span was
Park City affordable housing residents ask city council for HOA relief (UT)
Residents of affordable developments such as Park City Heights and Central Park Condos told the Park City Council Thursday about unexpected HOA costs that are
Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association meeting addresses community issues (NY)
Community members packed the Wantagh American Legion hall for the meeting, which was hosted by the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association to address those concerns and to
Lufkin subdivision files lawsuit to stop truck stop being built next door (TX)
A Lufkin subdivision has filed a lawsuit to stop RaceTrac, that operates a chain of gasoline service stations, from continuing its plans to build a
HOA Q&A: Does the selection of a contractor have to be done at a HOA Board meeting? (FL)
Q: When selecting a contactor to perform major work on the condominium buildings such as power washing or replacing roofs, does the selection of a
Timber Springs neighbors protest creation of homeowners association, say HOA was unwelcome surprise (TN)
When Ken Baker purchased his home in Timber Springs in 2022, he was glad to see there would be no homeowner’s association. As he signed
HOA Homefront: Is it our manager or is it us?
Many associations struggle with a poor manager relationship, resulting in frustration for both sides. However, such struggles are sometimes created by the board and not
Automakers are revved up over condominium towers
It’s the hottest trend in the automotive industry, and it’s not electric vehicles or autonomous driving. It’s something far more prosaic and unlikely: the automotive-branded
Fire engulfs condo unit in Shell Point Wednesday (FL)
A Shell Point condo unit caught fire late Wednesday morning, according to the Wakulla County Fire Rescue. Once firefighters arrived, they encountered heavy fire, according
Brookfield condo fire displaces 10 families (CT)
A fire broke out in a condominium complex on Boxwood Drive early Thursday morning, leading to the evacuation of several residents and displacement of 10
Neighbors watching neighbors? HOA vehicle surveillance irks some in NC neighborhood
By all accounts, the controversy over surveillance at Princeton Manor began at a pool party last summer. “Personally frustrated” by a string of car break-ins
Berks woman admits to $375,000 theft from Montgomery County condo association (PA)
A Berks County woman admitted that she embezzled more than $375,000 while working as the bookkeeper for the Gwynedd Office Condominium Association in Upper Gwynedd
Condo & HOA Informational Articles
How to Choose a Property Management Company
No two communities are identical; each community has various factors which influence what type of management will most effectively help them accomplish their goals. Some of these factors include the availability of resources and the complexity of the community itself. Read the article..................................
Untenable Tenants! How To Address Problem Renters In Your Condominium (MI)
Tenants in condominium communities are often viewed as challenging, since they may not be familiar with condominium living. Because of this lack of experience, tenants may interfere with management, refuse to maintain the decorum required by the bylaws, or damage general common elements. This article addresses how to deal with
Condo & HOA Articles , Florida Articles , Maintenance - General , Working With Contractor/Vendor/Engineer
Association Contracts (FL)
Whether your community association is a condominium, cooperative, or a homeowners’ association, Florida law empowers your association to enter into contracts in connection with the maintenance and operation of the community. Often times, your association is all but required to contract with third parties in order to maintain and operate
E-Bikes and Batteries (FL)
Florida has not escaped the growing epidemic of fires started by lithium-ion batteries, like those used in e-bikes and other battery-operated personal transportation devices. A recent Miami bike shop caught fire after the shop owner left an e-bike battery charging and closed the store for the day. Surveillance cameras caught
Masonry Maintenance: A Comprehensive Guide for Condos and Community Associations
Masonry and brick buildings are beloved for their enduring class and elegance, but much like any beautiful thing that is to be long-lasting, they require continuous maintenance. For condominiums and community associations overseeing such buildings, implementing technically sound maintenance protocols is crucial for not only preserving aesthetics but also for
A Guide To HOA Board Responsibilities
Serving on the board of a homeowner association is a high calling. Well meaning volunteers are elected to roles that are critical to the well being of the HOA. But what exactly is a board member supposed to do to fulfill this charge? Read the article..................................
Effective Committees – Maximizing Use of Community Volunteers
In a typical co-op, condo, or homeowners association, residents have a lot to say about how their building or community is or should be functioning … but few actually step up to run for and serve on the board that does the actual governing. One reason is that board service
Community Association Considerations
No one is building condos anymore. (UT) Experts are trying to figure out why
"Last year, builders assembled more housing units than at any time in the past four decades, and virtually all of them were rental homes. For decades, condominiums made up about
Review or Audit the Books – always do one of these………
.....because if money disappears while you're on the board, you might as well move, as your neighbors will blame you just as much as the crook. Over the last month
Industry News
Waterford Residential Community awarded CAI Seal
The Board of Directors of Waterford Master Residential Association has announced
ManorLane Launches Landlord and HOA Review
ManorLane, a cutting-edge platform designed to empower tenants through landlord ratings
FirstService Residential Raises the Bar on
FirstService Residential, Metro Vancouver's leading property management company, has raised the
Legal & Legislative Articles
WUCIOA For All (But Not Yet) (WA)
In 2028, all of us who reside in community associations, whether we reside in condominiums, co-ops, planned use developments (“PUD”s) or homeowners associations, will be governed by one statute, the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act
Florida tightens condo insurance claim deadlines to ease disputes
New legislation signed into law this week sets clearer, stricter deadlines for filing loss assessment coverage claims by condominium owners, aimed at reducing legal disputes and streamlining the insurance claim process. Read the article..................................
WUCIOA For All – SB 5796 (WA)
Did you know that the “WUCIOA for all” bill also makes changes to WUCIOA as it governs communities already subject to the statute? Most of those changes will take effect on June 6, 2024, while the
The Uncertainty in Fla. Circuit Courts Concerning Section 553.84 Causes of Action Against Design Professionals
As most construction litigation practitioners are aware, the vast majority of construction defect cases settle before trial and even those that proceed through trial may not get all the way through the appellate process. Read the
NC House Select Committee on HOAs Files New Bill
As the short session continues and the legislature continues to negotiate House Bill 542 with interested parties, a new bill was introduced on May 1, 2024 by Representatives Frank Iler, Steve Tyson and Ya Liu. Read the
My Safe Florida Condo Pilot Program: Frequently Asked Questions
On April 24, 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1029 into law, marking a pivotal moment in bolstering condominium resilience against hurricane damage. This significant milestone is important for Florida’s condominium owners’ associations to
Op/Ed
Recent court ruling threatens property rights of 2.5 million Florida condo owners | Opinion
More than 2.5 million Floridians enjoy the benefits of a condominium lifestyle. Multi-story towers allow residents to live close to beautiful views, their workplaces, their families, and/or fun recreational activities. However, owning a condominium unit also
Solano Real Estate Scene: Condo crisis in California
When a person buys a condo and needs a loan, the buyer must qualify, the condo must be appraised, and the condo project and HOA must be analyzed and approved by the lender. The last time
Editorial: HOAs and metro districts can foreclose on your home. Two new laws could stop this “equity theft” (CO)
Little by little, Colorado lawmakers are reining in out-of-control metro districts and homeowner associations. But much more needs to be done. We are dumbfounded that a state law is necessary to prevent these quasi-governmental boards from
Instead of Hating Your HOA, Make Your City Take Responsibility
Homeowners associations (HOAs) are notorious punching bags, shamed for bullying widows to mow the lawn or telling residents what color they can paint their front door. But long before you came to loggerheads with your HOA,
Banning bulk billing threatens to impair broadband access
The importance of high-speed internet in today’s world cannot be overstated — impacting everything from telehealth, to remote learning, to small business growth. Thanks to the Biden Administration's effort to bridge the digital divide through broadband
Australia: Isn’t it funny … how everyone is strata splaining managers?
Since the 2024 Strata Insurance Crisis broke 4 weeks ago strata managers are getting a lot of attention at the moment [good and bad] and that’s fine. But it seems to have prompted a lot of
Canada Condo, Strata & HOA News
B.C. strata owners ordered to pay $8,500 for rental violations
B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal has ordered three Vancouver strata unit co-owners to pay $8,500 for violating rental bylaws.In the May 1 decision, tribunal vice-chair J. Garth Cambrey said Wendy Chow, Patricia Fong
Burnaby owner accused of tossing garbage from 9th-floor balcony wins strata battle (BC)
A Burnaby condo owner has won a victory over his strata after it accused him of lobbing bags of household garbage off his ninth-floor balcony to the common area below. Gandong Xu
Condo Smarts: Strata fees apply even when owners vacate for building repairs (BC)
Dear Tony: Our building experienced a major flood during the cold snap in January. Everyone had to move out to allow the restoration contractor in for repairs. We are one of three
Canada Condo, Strata & HOA Articles
What’s next for condominium insurance? Current realities and what condo boards can plan for (ON)
In recent years, we navigated a challenging insurance environment known as a “hard market”. This term describes a period when multiple factors make it more challenging to secure and maintain suitable insurance
The intricacies of EV infrastructure remain at odds with condo legislation (ON)
The electric vehicle landscape is complex, ever-changing and at the cutting edge of technology. For condominium corporations and their owners, this means that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Unfortunately, the current iteration
CAT Deals with Noise and Light from Traffic on Nearby Major Road (ON)
In the case of Taplin v. YRVLCC 1002, an owner in the vacant land condominium asserted that noise and light (from car headlights and streetlights) coming from a nearby major road were
International Condo, Strata & HOA News
Australia: NSW Fair Trading to review Netstrata
After their media investigation @LintonBesser and @NinahKopel from @ABCNews published an article High-profile strata company Netstrata caught charging excessive fees and taking kickbacks reporting on their business practices relating to
Singapore: Flooding at condominium car park at Balmoral Crescent not caused by rainfall: PUB
Flooding at a condominium car park along Balmoral Crescent was not caused by rainfall but by a faulty valve at a sprinkler storage tank, national water agency PUB said on
Dubai homeowner associations can use emergency funds to take on repair works from April 16 rains
Homeowner associations in Dubai have started to receive approvals from RERA to use their emergency/reserve funds to take on urgent repair works of common areas in communities and high-rises alike.