“Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen to our owner’s association meeting. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the quorum requirement to vote on anything tonight, so we’ll need to reconvene this meeting for a later date. Sorry.” Sound familiar? Lamentably this scenario is more frequently a reality than a hypothetical for many community associations. If you’ve ever served on […]
Running a Darn Good Meeting – What You Need to Know About Parliamentary Procedure
Legal counsel to community associations must be aware of parliamentary procedure basics. Numerous states have adopted statutes requiring associations to follow a specific parliamentary manual in association meetings. Even without such a mandate, courts generally hold that all organizations are subject to the principles and rules of common parliamentary law. In other words, all of these organizations must observe proper […]
How To Improve Participation in Condo Board Elections
Does the apple pie contest get more votes than your condo board elections? These tips will bring even the most reluctant of residents to the ballot box. Read the article……………
An Introvert’s Guide to Speaking Up at HOA Board Meetings from a Toastmasters Expert
Heights, spiders, snakes – these popular phobias are no match for glossophobia, better known as the fear of public speaking, which rank as the most popular phobia. Fear of public speaking can be characterized by profuse sweating, dry mouth, uncontrollable shaking and it can sometimes be debilitating. Read the article………..
Which HOA or Board Meetings Can Residents Attend?
HOA and board meetings aren’t the most exciting things in the world, and board members may assume residents want nothing to do with them. However, many residents are interested in understanding how the HOA runs. Unfortunately, however, allowing residents to attend may make it difficult to actually conduct the meeting, which is why many HOAs […]
Keeping HOA open meetings productive and on track
I am a big proponent of homeowners’ association (HOA) boards keeping their meetings open to members when possible. This promotes an atmosphere of transparency and gives homeowners an opportunity to see and understand how the HOA functions. It also helps homeowners better appreciate the often difficult situations board members grapple with on a routine basis. […]
Voting by Proxy at Homeowner Association Meetings
If you cannot attend the annual meeting for a homeowners association but you still want your vote to count, then voting by proxy might be for you! The planned community act allows a member of most homeowner’s associations to appoint a proxy to vote (or take any other action) for that member at a meeting […]
How To Increase Your Association’s Voter Participation
Community associations need a minimum number of voters to elect board members, or the election cannot take place. Assembling that number, known as a quorum, is a daunting challenge for many associations. The reasons owners don’t vote are varied. Some bear grudges against the board or association. Others like everything the way it is and […]
A Review of Some Best Practices for Association Annual Meetings, Elections
As the season for annual meetings and elections at South Florida community associations comes to a close, our firm’s other community association attorneys and I are reminded of the significance of following all of the necessary protocols to ensure that association meetings and elections run as smoothly as possible. Read the article……….
Pros and Cons of Videotaping an HOA Meeting
In some states, such as Florida, it is legal for residents to film community association meetings. While there are many benefits to this, there are also some disadvantages as well. Consider the pros and cons of having your association meetings recorded and create regulations to help prevent misuse of recordings. Read more………
Tips to Run an Effective Monthly HOA or Condo Association Meeting
All homeowner’s associations have meetings, but often those in charge do not take the meetings quite as seriously as they should. It’s not to say there can’t be some casual elements and some fun to the meetings. However, it’s important to remember that running a quality condo or HOA is akin to running a business. […]
Scheduling owners’ meetings: Did you check the date?
An interesting case is before the Human Rights Tribunal right now. Three owners have filed a claim against their condominium and property manager alleging discrimination because of creed, which is contrary to the Human Rights Code. The owners are Muslim and contend that they were discriminated against because an owners’ meeting was held on an […]
How to Prepare for Your Annual HOA Board Meeting
Now is a good time to set a date for your annual HOA board meeting if you haven’t already done so. Annual meetings are a common best practice to keep members informed and get them involved. You may be thinking that it’s going to be a waste of time because the majority of members don’t […]
Tips to Help HOA Board Members Manage Homeowner Forums
All meetings of the HOA board, excluding executive sessions, are open meetings. A required part of every homeowners association Board meeting is the homeowners forum (also referred to as “open forum” or “open comments to the Board”). Homeowner forums are typically held at the beginning or end of meetings, and any owner attending a meeting […]
Tips For Having a Better HOA Meeting- OR
Oregon law requires that incorporated homeowners associations hold at least one membership meeting per year—what is commonly called the annual meeting. ORS 64.201 (1). While associations may hold multiple owner meetings throughout the year, the annual meeting provides association members the opportunity to hear a recap of their association’s activities from the past year, and […]
Refresher – Robert’s Rules of Order (Part 1)
love the fall season. Thanksgiving, Halloween and AGM season (?). All jokes aside, another AGM season is quickly approaching and many notices have already been sent to the owners and mortgagees of record. This week I will provide a quick refresher for condominiums that use Robert’s Rules of Order at their meetings. Read more………
Tips For Annual Meetings: How to Get a Crowd
Does your community have its annual meeting planned? Are you wondering how to get your members there? We have compiled four simple tips to help increase your association attendance at this coming years annual meeting. Read more…….
Community Association Voting: Evolving Trends in Membership Elections of Directors and the Authorization of Corporate Action
2014 CAI Law Seminar Best Manuscript Award Community Association Voting: Evolving Trends in Membership Elections of Directors and the Authorization of Corporate Action David J. Graf, Moeller Graf, P.C. & Steven S. Weil, Berding & Weil LLP
Monster Meetings: Stick to the Rules to Control Meetings
The headline of a recent Walpole, Massachusetts newspaper article read: “Fight between Walpole selectmen cuts meeting short.” The first sentence of the article stated, “Selectmen came to verbal blows on Tuesday night, prompting other board members to cut the meeting short as two of their colleagues took the altercation outside.” Read more………
How to get Homeowners to Attend HOA Meetings (AZ)
What do ghost towns, Arizona saunas in the summer, and HOA meetings have in common? If you’re a board member and you hold regular meetings—as you should—you probably already know the answer to this question, and it has nothing to do with the heat; yes, the answer is a distinct emptiness and lack of enthusiasm […]
Should Annual Meetings Approve Minutes?
Like board meetings, an annual meeting of a nonprofit, condominium association, or homeowner association should keep accurate minutes. After all, adopted minutes are the official record of actions taken at a meeting. Well-written minutes may be the best proof of whether a proposal was adopted or the exact wording of a motion, possibly even years […]
Meeting Minders: A Guide to Running Better Meetings
You may love your building. You may even love your neighbors and the members of your board. But there are few people who can say that they love their monthly board meetings or annual owner or shareholder meetings. Read more…..
Annual HOA Meeting Celebrations
The annual homeowner association meeting is required. But rather than approach it in the “Do I have to?” mode, make it a celebration of accomplishments: Bills got paid, volunteers served and survived and projects were completed. There are always things to celebrate. So, while the business meeting may be mundane, dress it up for a […]
Voter Apathy — It is not Just a Community Association Problem
Many California community associations have a difficult time achieving a quorum to hold board elections or to vote on other important association matters. Some condo and planned development homeowner associations have not been able to hold a vote for a new Board of Directors for many years because they require a quorum of at least […]
Take charge of that meeting: 8 ways to make sense of Robert’s Rules of Order
If you’re going to chair meetings or rise to a high post in your professional society, you’re likely to run up against Robert’s Rules of Order. In the U.S., it’s the most widely used authority on parliamentary procedure–and many a meeting chair has struggled to follow those rules. A reader of The Eloquent Woman wrote […]
The Quorum Requirement: A Creative Solution to Getting Stuff Done
“Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen to our owner’s association meeting. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the quorum requirement to vote on anything tonight, so we’ll need to reconvene this meeting for a later date. Sorry.” Sound familiar? Lamentably, this scenario is more frequently a reality than a hypothetical for many community associations. If you’ve ever served on […]
Getting Out the Vote: Holding Fair Elections
When it comes to running board elections in a condo or co-op community, the biggest concern among those involved is making sure the elections are fair and balanced and nobody has a reason to cry foul. Elections can be heated as it is, so the voting process should run smoothly and without any hiccups. Read […]
Last of the Breed (or a Total Corruption of It)
Linda Stover needs help. She’s president of the Clayton Crossing Condominium Association, which has it’s annual meeting in November, and per usual, she expects no one in the Ellisville, Missouri community to step forward and fill a vacancy on the three-person board. Read More……PDF
Recovering Attorneys’ Fees in HOA Election Disputes
The California Court of Appeal’s recent ruling in a case underscores how crucial it is for HOAs to strictly comply with the Civil Code’s election procedures and requirements. The court in That v. Alders Maintenance Association (2012) applied Civil Code § 1363.09 to hold that a HOA’s attorneys’ fees and costs are generally not recoverable […]