Disaster Planning & Management for Condominium & Homeowner Associations

How to Save on Emergency Supplies – Disaster Prep on a Budget

• Bluffton homeowners sue Palmetto Bluff Club over mandatory membership waiver (SC)
  In an effort to reverse what some Palmetto Bluff residents see as an overreach by the developer to soften club membership requirements, five homeowners filed a lawsuit in March.  The lawsuit piggybacks off of a 2022 lawsuit that demands the club become a non-profit and ownership be moved from the developer to the homeowners, as ...
• Social Media Best Practices For Your Community
  The primary allure of social media in community associations lies in its ability to foster enhanced communication. Platforms like Nextdoor and Facebook groups offer a space for neighbors to share information — from community events to security alerts — and foster a more connected and informed community. This real-time interaction boosts transparency and aids in ...
• Helpful Tips for Effective Board Operations and Decision-Making (OH)
  Effective governance is the backbone of any community association. The board of directors plays a pivotal role in overseeing the association’s affairs and making decisions that impact the entire community. However, navigating the complexities of governance requires more than just good intentions—it requires a solid understanding of legal principles and best practices. Here are a ...
• Ensuring Financial Stability: When to Initiate the Collection Process for Condominium Associations (MI)
  Condominium associations occupy a critical role in maintaining the economic health of community living spaces, balancing the delicate intersection of collective responsibility and individual financial obligations. Ensuring financial stability within these communities hinges on the timely and effective management of assessment collections—a process crucial for sustaining essential services and upholding community standards   Read the article…………………………….
• Philippines: Makati condo refuses to release info for PDEA ‘leak’ probe, cites privacy
  The management of a condominium unit mentioned in an alleged leaked report of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has been subpoenaed by a Senate panel to attend its next hearing.  In its letter to the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, Rockwell Residential Towers Condominium Corp. invoked the Data Privacy Act in ...
• Litany of lawsuits blame former B.C. condo owners for massive fire
  Two years after a catastrophic condominium fire forced more than 160 people from their homes in Abbotsford, B.C., more than 20 displaced residents are suing three former neighbours, claiming prohibited BBQs and smoking in their units sparked the flames.   Read the article…………………………….
• Homeowner Associations, Condominiums, and the Corporate Transparency Act (WV)
  Since the enactment of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), property ownership associations such as homeowner associations and condominiums (collectively, POAs) have struggled to understand their beneficial ownership information reporting requirements under this new disclosure law. Recent guidance has provided much-needed clarity for POAs and their managers, and in many cases, POAs will be required to ...
• New York City’s Hidden Water Tax May Cause 8% Increase in Bills
  New Yorkers love to complain about taxes, including but not limited to property taxes, sales taxes and income taxes. Now all city residents — whether they live in co-ops or condos, rental buildings or single-family homes — may soon have a new tax to complain about: a hidden tax on water and sewer service that ...
• The Inalienable Rights Of Hawaii’s Condominium Owners
  As we look forward to additional years of decision making for legislation, I would like to offer an overview of common sense rights condominium owners can rightfully assert. I hope that you will affix these to your sensibilities relevant to owner efforts to initiate legislation:   Read the article…………………………….
• HOA board member doesn’t want to raise assessments (NV)
  Q: I’ve got a question about the board raising monthly dues. I was just voted to the board in December. I am the only one against raising dues. We are not in the red yet and are just breaking even budget-wise. I want to cut expenses first, and if that does not work, then, as ...
• Ask Amy: Can my HOA just raise my dues (TX)
  From fines and fees to unexplained expenses we commonly hear your complaints about issues some of you are having with your homeowner’s association. Investigator Amy Davis is getting answers to your HOA related questions.  Part of the problem people have with their HOA is that homeowners often don’t know what the rules are so they ...
• What’s an HOA and do you have to join? What Texas law says about homeowners associations
  Did you recently purchase your first home? Congratulations.  Owning a home is a big responsibility, and it can be more burdensome if your new neighborhood is part of a homeowner association and you’re not familiar with the association’s laws and regulations.  Here’s what you need to know.   Read the article…………………………….
• Murrysville homeowners’ association wants dredged sediment cleared away (PA)
  One of the main reasons homeowners associations exist is to ensure the neighborhoods they govern remain clean and tidy.  It’s little wonder, then, that members of the Lyons Run Estates Homeowners Association are not pleased they’ve had several tons of dredged sediment sitting on their property for nearly two years.    Read the article…………………………….
• Granite Co. residents frustrated over decision to stop maintaining Lakeshore Drive (MT)
  Granite County Commissioners have made good on their pledge to halt all maintenance on Lakeshore Drive, located along Georgetown Lake.  This 3.1-mile-long gravel road is under U.S. Forest Service jurisdiction and features dozens of homes and several fishing access sites, but is plagued with potholes. The county has helped maintain and plow it under a ...
• Construction underway to fix sinkholes that have plagued Phoenix condo complex (AZ)
  Most people don’t like to hear the sound of construction but for people who live at a north Phoenix condo complex, it’s music to their ears.  People who live at the Parkside Condominiums at Bell and Cave Creek roads sent us photos of construction being done to fill a handful of sinkholes in the area.  ...
• Lawmakers to refile bill to stop HOAs from taking people’s homes after Channel 2 investigation (GA)
  Just a day after Channel 2 Action News aired an investigation into people losing their homes over aggressive homeowners’ associations, we have learned that lawmakers plan on refiling legislation to prevent people from losing their homes in the future.  Several state representatives said they will refile House Bill 1032 which would make it illegal for ...
• POA to ask county for tornado clean up aid
  “A lot of debris remains,” Keck said, adding that it took six months to clean up after the winter ice storms of 2012 and 2013. He says the winter storm damage was more widespread, while damage from the March 14 EF-2 tornado was very concentrated.  If any assistance is received from Saline County, it will ...
• Boca Raton HOA Sued Over Electric Scooter Accident (FL)
  A Boca Raton Homeowners Association is being sued by a man who claims the HOA’s poorly maintained parking lot led him to crash his electric scooter.  Robert Clarfield claims that the Villas of Boca Barwood is responsible for his accident.    Read the article…………………………….
• What can homeowners associations enforce in Illinois? Here’s what state law allows
  If you’re a part of a homeowners or condominium association in Illinois that has a long list of rules, you may have wondered just how much authority they have and what you should do if you feel like you are unfairly fined.  Read the article…………………………….
• Firefighters battling another two alarm fire at Rosslyn condo building (VA)
  For the second day in a row, there’s a fire in a large Rosslyn condominium building.  After a vehicle fire in the parking garage of the Atrium Condominium at 1530 Key Blvd on Monday morning, there’s now a reported electrical fire in the garage area. A second alarm has been called in to help extinguish ...
• SE Houston neighbors say mailboxes have been busted up for 3 months (TX)
  A resident told KHOU 11 News the cluster box units in the Bay Knoll subdivision of Clear Lake were broken into three months ago and still haven’t been fixed.  Read the article…………………………….
• Condo Smarts: Depreciation report rules differ within province (BC)
  Dear Tony: As a follow up to last week’s column on depreciation reports, our management team attended an information session and we were informed strata corporations can continue to exempt from depreciation reports until July 1 2026, but at that time we are required within 18 months to have a report completed, so this extends ...
• Peace flag defender sparks online debate: The Ridge at Eagle Crest bans all flag displays but the Stars and Stripes (OR)
  The Eagle Crest area west of Redmond is home to seven neighborhoods’ homeowners associations, one of which recently sparked debate by moving to ban the display outside homes of all flags except the US flag.   Read the article…………………………….
• Mount Pleasant village president dumps waste from private pond on public land to avoid cost (WI)
  The village president of Mount Pleasant is facing public criticism for using a village-owned property slated to become a public park as a dumping ground for the waste created by his homeowners association’s dredging of a pond in his neighborhood.  Residents who live near the property say the president, Dave DeGroot, has used his position ...
• Electric Vehicles – Still an Unsolved Issue
  In 2011 I wrote an article for Common Ground, the national magazine for the Community Associations Institute (CAI).  In looking at it, not much ground has been covered since then.  I am afraid the issue will be dealt with by state legislatures, who will probably screw it up royally.  Here’s the article (PDF):  https://communityassociations.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Common-ground-pgs-39-43-2017_10_23-20_24_34-UTC.pdf  
• Managing Cashflow for Community Associations
  The highest use of a community association manager is as an experienced, certified professional who eases the burden on volunteer board members with expert guidance and hands-on management of administrative, financial and maintenance tasks.  Read the article…………………………….
• ‘We want the ticks gone’: Organizers calling for action against state parks “no mow” policy (NY)
  The West River Homeowners Association called for action against the New York State Parks “no mow” policy to prevent ticks from latching onto children and dogs along the West River Greenway Trail.  Chris Russell, a member of the organization, wants the grass along the trail in Grand Island to be completely cut down.   Read the ...
• 1 dead, another injured in condo fire near UNLV (NV)
  One person died and a second person was injured in a fire early Monday on the fifth floor of a luxury condominium building near UNLV in south-central Las Vegas.   Read the article…………………………….
• Family jumps from second-story in St. Peters condo fire (FL)
  Two adults and two children were transported to the hospital with smoke-inhalation injuries, according to the fire chief.  “They jumped from the second (floor) to the first. And then there was a little bit of space between the ground and that balcony. There was a neighbor that was assisting the family to get their little ...
• ‘You broke us.’ GA lawmakers to rein in aggressive HOAs after hearing homeowner horror stories
  HOA nightmares are one of the most frequent calls into the Channel 2 Action News investigative tipline. Now there are new bipartisan efforts by state lawmakers to look at how to rein in homeowner associations that go too far.  Read the article…………………………….Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray looked into how an HOA can take your ...
• Homeowners fund their own fire prevention efforts using an aggressive team of goats in a volatile canyon (CA)
  Homeowners in the Eucalyptus Hill Improvement Association (EHIA) have brought in a herd of goats to begin reducing the fire dangers in a canyon that could be explosive in a wildland fire.  The EHIA said its 700 members want to get ahead of the wildfire dangers this year as they have before, in this very ...
• Hurricane Preparedness: Beyond the Basics (FL)
  As Floridians, the dance of hurricane prep is an annual occurrence. From June to November, vigilance cannot wane as we keep our eyes on the tropics and our hurricane kits ready. But as a seasoned property management company in Florida, we’ve learned that there’s more to hurricane preparedness than just the standard checklist. Let’s delve ...
• Uncovering Asbestos During Condo Refurbishment: Navigating Challenges and Options (ON)
  Embarking on a major refurbishment project for a condominium is an exciting endeavor, promising revitalized spaces and enhanced living experiences for residents. However, amidst the renovation excitement, the discovery of asbestos can present a significant hurdle, requiring careful navigation and decisive action. Here, we explore the implications of finding asbestos during condo refurbishment, along with ...
• Enhancing Condo Aesthetics: Window Replacement vs. Repainting Considerations (ON)
  In the realm of condominium maintenance and improvement, decisions regarding windows and exterior aesthetics are crucial for maintaining property value and resident satisfaction. However, determining whether to replace windows or repaint them requires careful consideration of several factors unique to condo living. Here, we explore when it’s advisable to replace windows and when repainting is ...
• Big Changes to Condo Record Laws (FL)
  If the association is still doing things the old fashioned way and making deposits by filling out a deposit slip and going inside to see the teller, that deposit receipt issued by that teller is now an official record of the association and unit owners are entitled to see it.   Read the article…………………………….
• Refund Rights Run with Title (FL)
  Q: My condominium association board assessed seven thousand dollars per unit right after the Hurricane Ian in 2022, which I paid. The board has now decided they do not need the funds and have voted to return them to the owners. I sold my condo unit after the refund decision was made, but before the ...
• Some Arizona property deeds contain racist restrictions. A new law seeks to nullify them
  Dianne Post didn’t believe it until she saw it, right there in the deed to her central Phoenix home.  “Sure enough, on page 13 there it is: ‘This property may only be sold only to Caucasians’,” Post said, reading from her paperwork.  Racially based restrictions on property sales are unenforceable. But a new law that ...
• CINC Systems launches Cephai, the CAM Industry’s First GenAI Solution
  CINC Systems, the leading provider of software solutions for the community association management (CAM) industry, announced the launch of Cephai (pronounced see-fee-i), a revolutionary generative artificial intelligence platform with the ability to answer common homeowner questions. Breaking new ground in the CAM space, Cephai is set to transform how homeowners and community managers interact, making ...
• HOA rejects own committee’s recommendation (AZ)
  How does the Ahwatukee Board of Management spell diversion, set-up and please let us ignore you further? C-O-M-M-I-T-T-E-E.  Last spring my Center Court neighbors and I started getting letters threatening $200 “attorney’s fees” for doing what many of us have done for 20 years – park an extra car on the public street in front ...
• Neighborhood dispute has HOA calling foul on youth ball field in East Sarasota (FL)
  The president of a Sarasota homeowners’ association is calling foul on a church’s youth baseball field where he says lights were installed without proper permits and county officials refuse to enforce regulations.  After investigating the alleged violations, County officials dispute that they ignored zoning and building codes.   Read the article…………………………….
• Effort to limit lawsuits over construction errors — and in turn boost Colorado condominium construction — fails at Capitol
  An effort to encourage condominium construction in Colorado by reducing the chance of lawsuits over building errors failed in a state House committee Friday evening, a sign of how complicated and politically fraught the issue is. Senate Bill 106, the so-called construction defects bill, was unanimously rejected by the House Transportation, Housing and Local Government ...
• New Hawai‘i law aimed at tackling illegal short-term rentals, provides counties with home rule authority
  Gov. Josh Green touts it as a pivotal tool to tackle Hawai‘i’s housing crisis. Opponents say it doesn’t even address the real causes of the housing shortage.  No matter which side you’re on, it’s significant for the state’s short-term rental industry.  Green on Friday signed Senate Bill 2919 into law. The bill is aimed at ...
• Essential Guide to Understanding Your HOA Board of Directors
  HOAs play a crucial role in maintaining residential communities, ensuring they operate smoothly and preserve property values. Central to the functioning of an HOA is its Board of Directors, comprised of volunteers elected by members of the association (owners). This article provides a comprehensive guide to understanding HOA board members’ roles and responsibilities.  Read the article…………………………….
• Californians are Protecting Themselves from Wildfire. Why is there still an Insurance Crisis?
  Fire officials, lawmakers, insurance agents and others are asking homeowners to help lower the risk of devastating wildfires by making improvements to their properties — in some cases at great expense — and often in the context of trying to hang on to their insurance policies. The state has spent about $3.7 billion on forest ...
• No peace symbol! Eagle Crest HOA cracks down on unauthorized flags (OR)
  No peace symbols. That’s the message one man in Eagle Crest got from his homeowner’s association in what he calls a newly enforced ban on most flags.  Ken Bauman was notified this week his tie-dyed peace symbol flag did not meet the requirements, in a letter sent from The Ridge at Eagle Crest Owners Association. ...
• Delray Beach HOA Goes To Real Court Over Sport Court (FL)
  The Delray Beach gated community of Casabella is suing a Palm Beach County sport court installation company which allegedly took the community’s money and ran. Sport Surfaces of 7011 Wilson Road in West Palm Beach is the defendant.   Read the article…………………………….
• Divided Gilbert community ousts HOA board (AZ)
  About 12 years after he moved into the newly built Greenfield Lakes community in Gilbert, Brett Woolley noticed his perimeter wall was tilting toward the canal in back of his property.  Woolley said that he contacted the HOA board and the management company because it was their responsibility to fix it but for the next ...
• Warren fire investigators working to determine cause of fatal fire (MI)
  Warren fire officials say a man killed in a Saturday afternoon fire at his Bear Creek condominium likely suffered a medical emergency and did not die from smoke inhalation.  “We are still investigating the scene to determine a cause of the fire and we won’t be able to confirm what killed the victim until we ...
• A few owners are holding up move to hurricane impact windows that would save condo money (FL)
  Question: I am on the board of our condominium. I have been charged with reviewing our ever-increasing insurance costs. After a review, it has been determined that we need to upgrade to impact windows and doors or shutters to save a substantial amount on our annual insurance bill. Out of 20 units, roughly five owners ...
• 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 (“WUCIOA”). Until then, we continue to understand that the time at which our condominium or homeowners association was created ...