Crews battled a condo fire in Bar Harbor on Sunday. The Bar Harbor Story reports a building with two condominiums on Stephens Lane caught fire shortly after noon. Read the article…………………………….
Q&A: To Insure or Not to Insure?
Q. Given the recent disasters on both the East and West Coasts, from flooding to fires, it seems obvious that property insurance is important. But it’s also getting very expensive. Owners who have mortgages are required by their banks to carry insurance, but if you own your property with no mortgage, is it still required? Read […]
Are monthly condo dues regulated in Maine?
Maine has nearly 2,000 community associations made up of homeowner associations, condominiums and co-ops, according to the Community Associations Institute, which estimates those residents pay $278 million a year to maintain their properties. Read the article…………………………….
Clash over Munjoy Hill condo building could be resolved soon (ME)
A yearslong legal battle over whether a Munjoy Hill condo building meets city requirements and fits in with the rest of the neighborhood is inching closer to resolution. The proposed four-story, 12-unit development at 19 Willis St. has been slowly moving through the state’s court system since the Portland Planning Board first approved plans in […]
Why it’s so hard to build affordable condos in Maine
Affordable condominiums could be a great first foray into homeownership for working Mainers, but building them is one of the least profitable ventures a private developer can undertake. Despite financial and cultural roadblocks, some, like Merritt Carey, are trying it anyway. Read the article…………………………….
Disaster assistance for privately owned roads and bridges (ME)
For Mainers who live in Cumberland, Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington or York counties and had a privately owned road or bridge damaged or destroyed by the severe storms and flooding that took place January 9-13, FEMA or the U.S. Small Business Administration may provide financial assistance for replacement or repairs. Read the article…………………………….
Davis Island residents seek selectmen’s help with disaster relief funding (ME)
Three December storms resulted in severe flooding at Davis Island properties and a resident is now looking for help. John Allen requested Feb. 20 Edgecomb selectmen assist their homeowner’s association with submitting a Maine Emergency Management Agency application for natural disaster funding. Read the article…………………………….
Lewiston nonprofit helps renters buy their first home by turning apartments into condos (ME)
From renting to owning, a nonprofit is developing condos in Lewiston’s “Tree Streets” neighborhood. A two-bedroom condo at 51 Howard Street is available for $150,000. The other two floors will be up for sale next year. Read the article……………………………
Saco retirement development plagued by problems, some residents say (ME)
More than half the homeowners at The Cottages at Pine Meadow have complained to the attorney general’s office but have not gotten any recourse. The developer and builder, meanwhile, deny the claims and have criticized the owners. Read the article………………………..
Falmouth mother says she’s not taking down her Pride flags despite complaint (ME)
Brooke Hackett said the homeowners association told her all signs and flags are banned in her neighborhood, a rule that she says was never enforced until now. Read the article………………………..
Washington County condo complex near Cutler Navy base deals with water pollution by “forever chemicals” (ME)
Several types of PFOA and PFAS, which stand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were found in more than half of the 60 wells the Navy tested in the area, including those providing water for the 64 condominiums in 2019. Read the article………………………..
Homeowner shares best way to combat HOA’s overly intrusive lawn rules: ‘I’m glad a state dealt with that nonsense’ (ME)
Gardeners in Maine scored a huge victory against HOAs and corporations that want to restrict what they can grow in their own yards. In 2021, Maine amended its state constitution to assert that residents have a “right to food,” Modern Farmer reported Read the article………………………..
How condos built decades ago in Portland began a battle for Maine’s waterfronts
Karen Sanford had a quiet life planned when she arrived in Portland in the mid-1980s. Earlier, while living in Seattle, she became politically active as that city’s waterfront faced transformation from a diverse, active maritime zone to one dominated by hotels and condos. Read the article………………………..
South Berwick, Maine, Fire Damages Condo Units
The South Berwick Fire Department responded to a fire in the roof of a building at a condo complex on Saturday. The smoky fire in the Woodland Hills Condominium damaged the roof and caused extensive fire, smoke, and water damage to two of the four units, according to the South Berwick Fire Department. Read the […]
Augusta residents on private roads seek city trash pickup (ME)
Residents on Three-Cornered Pond want something the residents of most other homes in the city get now: their trash picked up at their homes by the city. But not all of them are willing to sign over a public easement to their private roads that officials say is required for city crews to venture onto […]
Court sides with Falmouth in homeowner association sewer suit (ME)
The Maine Superior Court has ruled that the town of Falmouth has the “unambiguous” right to extend a sewer line through The Woodlands neighborhood. The Woodlands Homeowners Association filed a lawsuit against the town in November, claiming that an existing sewer easement didn’t allow the town to build a new line through the private neighborhood. Read […]
With sewer construction looming, West Falmouth neighborhood plans to take town to court (ME)
The homeowners association for The Woodlands plans to file a lawsuit in early November to stop a West Falmouth sewer improvement project that is scheduled to start next month, the group’s attorney says. Read the entire article……………………………….
Falmouth neighborhood plans to take legal action against town over sewer project (ME)
There’s a fight in Falmouth over plans to build a new sewer line. A lawyer for one neighborhood is ready to take legal action, but the town says it’s doing what’s most cost-effective. The Woodlands Homeowners Association says it’s challenging a $3 million sewer project that was just approved. Read the entire article……………………………….
Portland bets on co-ops to meet need for affordable housing (ME)
Back in March, Houssein Abdi attended a special meeting to find a way to help fellow tenants whose lives were just starting to be upended by the coronavirus pandemic. They hatched a plan to prevent any tenants from being evicted for nonpayment of rent and to help find additional support for five households struggling to […]
Neighbors battling over who should pay $20,000 to fix private road (ME)
A road to a housing development in Woolwich that residents said was never built properly has sparked a feud among neighbors. The argument centers on who is responsible for paying $20,000 to fix Norway Drive. Read the article…………………………..
Why prospective buyers are asking Saddlebrook condo owners to pitch in on resort’s revitalization (ME)
A Boston investor that plans to buy the idled Saddleback Mountain ski area in Rangeley has asked the owners of the resort’s 121 condominiums to donate $5,500 each to help revive it Read the article……………………..
West Harbor Pond siphon resumes operation (ME)
When the new West Harbor Pond siphon began operating in early March, drawing water from the bottom of the Pond and expelling it into the Harbor, there was an odor of hydrogen sulfide in the immediate vicinity of the siphon outfall. In mid-April, the West Harbor Pond Watershed Association (WHPWA) and the Boothbay Harbor Yacht […]
Seasonal Maintenance: A Year-Round Responsibility
Building maintenance follows a schedule based on the seasons, each of which presents a unique set of challenges to a co-op or condo. At certain times of the year, it just makes sense to do certain regular maintenance projects: weatherizing, boiler maintenance, winterizing gardens and landscaping in the fall; cleaning, repainting, pruning, and switching off […]
The 2014 Legislative Agenda in New England
The old saying that the only sure things in life are death and taxes leaves out a third certainty: legislation. Across New England each year, thousands of bills get filed in state legislatures, many of them as mundane as the naming of a bridge or a new state “something”—like designating the Fluffernutter as Massachusetts’ official […]