Melanie Boyle hung a hand-painted Black Lives Matter sign on her home in July to show her support for the movement and its demands for justice. “I wanted to do this little act of putting up a sign and open more conversation about it in my area,” she said. Conversations with her neighbors went well, […]
Firefighters extinguish fire at 8-story Perdido Key complex (FL)
Firefighters rushed to an eight-story Perdido Key condominium complex Thursday after black smoke began billowing from its upper floors. Read the article…………………………………
Yes, HOA’s in Georgia can regulate political signs
With only days until Election Day, the pressure is on for candidates and their supporters to sway voters. Shows of support often come in the form of campaign signs in yards of neighborhoods. But can homeowners’ associations in Georgia regulate or restrict signs, including political ones? Read the article……………………………….
WMBF INVESTIGATES: Protections, solutions for local homeowners facing HOA issues (SC)
Homeowner association complaints have become one of the top issues that come through the WMBF Investigates email inbox. This kind of dispute has become a chronic problem along the Grand Strand. Oftentimes, it is neighbor versus neighbor, and the HOA is asked to step in to fix the problem, only to be told it’s out […]
Issues with some homeowners leasing out their homes, condos for overnight rental on Padre Island (TX)
The renting of neighborhood homes for a short-term, overnight stay is causing problems on Padre Island. More than 60 homes in residential neighborhoods are currently being offered for visits of one or two days. It’s causing friction between neighbors and is getting attention at city hall…..The city and homeowner’s association are working on new zoning […]
Funding for crumbling foundations study already paying dividends for condo owners (CT)
Fresh funding for the study of crumbling foundations in the state, appears to be paying dividends, lowering the cost of testing for pyrrhotite to nothing for some homeowners, including residents at Ryefield Condominiums in Vernon. Read the article……………………………..
Condo questions: Is a director entitled to team members’ wage information? (FL)
Q: I am on the board of directors of a large homeowners association. We directly employ our management and maintenance teams. It is budget season, and the president will only provide the board members with a summary of total wages and salaries. She is refusing to provide us with a breakdown of the various staff […]
The giant hole in Pasco County has stopped growing (FL)
The hole, which is now 46-feet wide and 130-feet deep, was 38-feet wide and 70-feet deep as of Oct. 8. The hole is located on the private property of Varsity Club Sports Bar and the Spring Haven Homeowners Association. The private property owners will be working with engineers to fix the depression. Read the […]
‘It’s upsetting — a brand new home’: Clover couple sues over flooding issues (SC)
A Clover couple is suing their homeowner’s association and the company that sold them their house, over flooding issues. Rodney Robinson and his wife bought the brand new home in 2016. “About six weeks after that was the first real bad storm,” Robinson told Action 9?s Jason Stoogenke. “We had stormwater basically up to the […]
Titans pay fans’ HOA fees so that he can keep his ‘Tennessee Tough’ sign in his yard TN)
A Tennessee Titans fan in Murfreesboro was told to remove his Titans yard sign or he’d be fined by his homeowner’s association. So what did the Titans do? They brought him a bigger sign of course. Read the article…………………………….
Condo residents sue Virginia Beach over proposed high rise that would block their view of the Chesapeake Bay (VA)
Two condo associations have sued the city and a senior living community over a proposed high-rise building that will threaten neighbors’ view of the Chesapeake Bay. The residents of Ocean Shore Condominium Association and Ships Watch Condominium Owners’ Association filed the lawsuit last week, one month after the the Virginia Beach City Council approved the […]
Officials: 18 residents displaced after car crashes into condo building (MD)
Eighteen people are without a home after officials say a car crashed into a condominium building, according to the Prince George’s County Fire Department. Read the article………………………………..
Thousands of renters (in HOA) won’t have their water shut off, thanks to new plan (FL)
A water company has pledged not to turn off the water for thousands of residents despite a mounting debt and a previous threat to shut the spigot. Residents of the Ramblewood East complex in Coral Springs fell behind in paying their bills since March, and their homeowners association couldn’t keep up with almost $300,000 in […]
Woman told to take down Halloween decorations of pole-dancing skeletons (TX)
woman is going head to head with her homeowner’s association after complaints were filed over her “inappropriate” Halloween decorations that show skeletons dancing on poles. Read the article……………………………………
1 dead after fire Inver Grove Heights condominium fire (MN)
One person is dead after a fire in an Inver Grove Heights condominium Sunday night, officials said. Crews said they were called to the condominium complex in the 3800 block of Conroy Trail, just before 9 p.m. on reports that a person might be trapped inside one of the units during the fire. Read […]
Crews respond to condo fire at Indian Harbour Beach (FL)
Crews responded to a condo fire in Indian Harbour Beach on Friday night. Firefighters with the Indian Harbour Beach Volunteer Fire Department said they were at the scene of the fire at Jamestown Condos on Palm Springs Boulevard. Read the article………………………………..
HOA board does not like the house paint color (NV)
Q: I’m a disabled American Veteran. I need help against what I believe to be an unfair request from my homeowners association, which is placing me in a physical and financial hardship. I called the HOA last spring and asked about the color I planned on painting my house and they agreed on that color: […]
Injunction allows Black Lives Matter sign to stay in Belchertown condo complex (MA)
A Hampshire Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction Friday allowing a Belchertown condominium owner to display a Black Lives Matter sign near her unit after she was ordered to remove the sign by condominium trustees. Read the article…………………………………
Four people dead after condo fire on Hatteras Island (NC)
Four people died in a large fire that broke out at a condo early Friday morning in Buxton. The fire caused severe damage to neighboring homes on Cape Hatteras Lane which is on Hatteras Island. Read the article…………………………………..
Political signs a violation in some developments (PA)
During this contentious presidential campaign, there seems to be a political sign everywhere you look. But there’s at least one planned community in Carbon County where displaying a sign can lead to fines. And not all the residents agree with that. Read the article…………………………………
Former HOA board members in Gilbert’s Val Vista Lakes sue fellow residents, claiming defamation (AZ)
Three former board members of a Gilbert homeowners association are suing residents for defamation, escalating ongoing tensions over the HOA board, free speech and harassment in the upscale neighborhood. The lawsuit names 20 Val Vista Lakes residents for “defamatory, harassing, and otherwise violative conduct” against three former board leaders, according to the complaint filed in […]
Judge Denies Beatrice Homeowner Association Request For Injunction (NE)
A District Judge has rejected a Beatrice homeowners association request for a temporary injunction, aimed at keeping a convicted sex offender from residing in their neighborhood. On October 15th, Judge Christina Marroquin found that Wildwood Estates Homeowners Association had not demonstrated a probability of success on their challenge, filed against Jeff Hawks and Thayer Farmland […]
Day 11 of sewer problems in Eagle Creek neighborhood in Moyock (NC)
Eleven days without a sewer system is 11 days too long for the residents of the Eagle Creek neighborhood in Moyock. About 440 homes have been affected. We began covering this story on Monday, when residents were on day nine without a sewer system. Since then, people who live there say no progress has been […]
Condominium Insurance Explained (FL)
Q: We recently discovered that the air handler drain in the unit above us became clogged resulting in water damage to our unit. Our insurance covered some of the costs, but not all. We were not in the unit when this occurred and it was some time before we discovered it, resulting in mold. Would […]
Ruskin woman says HOA threatened to fine her $150 a day over ‘Keep America Great’ flag (FL)
Belmont is a sprawling community of new homes in South Hillsborough County. If you zero in on one home on Ivory Drive, you’ll see an American flag flying above another flag with three words. Those three words have caused quite the stir. Read the article……………………………..
HOA Homefront: Who decides on the HOA colors? (A neighbor hates mine) (CA)
Q: Help! During a monthly meeting, I presented a petition signed by many homeowners concerning the color they were going to paint the complex – we wanted a newer look. They wouldn’t consider the petition, saying the subject had already been decided. Shouldn’t the board take into consideration what a goodly number of owners want? […]
Condo Board Objects to Decorative Cemetery for ‘Hate’ and ‘Racism’ (VA)
Two residents of the Fairlington Arbor condominiums were told by the condo board to dig up their spooky gravestones that seek to lay bigotry to rest. Katrina Reed and her husband Joe decked out their yard with six decorative gravestones, but they papered over the space for names of the deceased to bury hate, racism, […]
Fu reports bomb threats, calls for HOA to take action (TX)
Midland pastor Bob Fu reported in a letter to the Polo Park Homeowners’ Association that he and his family have experienced bomb threats. He also called for the association to consider “any and all legal or other measures” to remove protesters from their north Midland neighborhood. Read the article…………………………………
Pembroke Pines neighborhood finally getting mail after weeks of confusion (FL)
For weeks, about 300 households in one Pembroke Pines neighborhood suddenly stopped getting mail – no bills, no checks and no election ballots. We first told you about this issue on Local 10 on Tuesday when neighbors in the Honeywoods subdivision told us they weren’t getting their mail after the postal service decided the community […]
CONDO WORLD: Keeping your money safe (NH)
Very few associations suffer the devastating effect of having someone (e.g. a board member, officer or a manager) steal the association’s money. But it happens. One property manager in New Hampshire was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to pay back over $900,000 stolen from 27 condo associations she was managing. Read […]
Condo questions: Does an HOA board have to vote on every expenditure such as office supplies? FL)
Q: Our board is a lot, and I am proud we consider and vote on almost everything. The problem is we spend a lot of time voting on small expenditures such as office supplies. Is there a legal way to make this easier? Read the Q&A………………………………….
Lake Charlene residents flooded by Hurricane Sally seek to revive FEMA mitigation project (FL)
Last year, a tiny sliver of property in the Lake Charlene community became a political and ideological battleground. Last month, more than two dozen homes became casualties of that battle. Hurricane Sally caused severe flood damage to numerous homes in the Lake Charlene subdivision last month despite a fully-funded plan in place to improve flood […]
Condo World: Freedom of speech and political signs in condominiums (NH)
Let me start with a clear, unequivocal statement. Owners in community associations, be they part of a condominium association or a homeowners association, do not have freedom of speech. Every arm chair constitutionalist will disagree, but it’s true. Read the article…………………………………
More than 50 people evacuated after condo fire in St. Matthews (KY)
Dozens of people had to be evacuated from their homes after a condo caught on fire in St. Matthews overnight. According to a spokesperson for the St. Matthews Fire Department, the fire started sometime after midnight on Thursday inside one unit at a condo on Lyndon Way near Hubbards Lane and Westport Road. Read the […]
Frisco police respond to child drowning in HOA Pond (TX)
The Frisco Police Department responded to and investigated the circumstances that led to a 3-year-old child being found in an HOA Pond. The child later died after being hospitalized overnight. Read the article………………………………….
Election-themed Halloween display causing neighborhood rift in the northwest Valley (AZ)
Just two weeks before Election Day, politics are on everyone’s mind and can be a divisive topic among neighbors. But an election-themed Halloween display in the northwest Valley is causing a downright rift. Some think it’s funny and harmless, while others say it’s offensive. Read the article…………………………………..
Residents of Pembroke Pines neighborhood concerned over closure of community mailboxes (FL)
Residents of a Pembroke Pines neighborhood are concerned because their mailboxes have been shut down. They are concerned that they aren’t receiving important documents, like their ballots. Read the article…………………………………
Woodlands floor collapse lawsuit filed 2 years after 30 were injured (SC)
A floor collapse that injured dozens during an off-campus fraternity gathering at the Woodlands of Clemson near Clemson University in October 2018 has led to a lawsuit. Morgan Pinson, of Greenville County, filed a personal injury lawsuit Friday afternoon in Pickens County Circuit Court. Pinson suffered serious injuries when the floor collapsed and seeks actual […]
Betting on distress: Bulk condo website launches, aimed at investors (FL)
Miami-based Condo.com founder Richard Swerdlow and South Florida developer Bruce Goldstein are partnering to launch an online platform for bulk condo deals, The Real Deal has learned. They’re betting on the growing distress of condo markets across the country and developers’ desire to keep their offers confidential. Read the article…………………………………
Holiday Time in your Condo/HOA (FL)
As cold weather begins to invade the northern part of the country, folks are beginning to make plans to go south to take up residence in their winter homes, and guests are not far behind them. Your Association has likely established rules that, for now, may limit visitors because of COVID 19. Now is the […]
Can Political Flags Be Flown? (FL)
Q: I went on a walk in my community and saw at least 8 homes flying either Trump or Biden flags. Is it legal to fly a political flag on a home located in a homeowners association? Read the Q&A……………………………….
SIGNS UP FOR DEBATE: Local HOAs attempt to regulate political display (IN)
Political signs lining neighborhood streets are commonplace during election season, but in some Johnson County neighborhoods, there are few or none to be found. Local party leaders have heard of about 20 cases in multiple neighborhoods of local homeowners associations (HOA) asking residents to take down their political signs. In many cases, HOA leaders said […]
Residents angry over deal that may take plaza away from Newberry Plaza (IL)
Plans appear to be afoot to add three floors of commercial space to the east side of Newberry Plaza, but some building residents feel they’re being left out of the conversation. Residents of the mixed-use building say their condo board has gone silent, refusing to answer their questions. They believe the plaza is being taken […]
Homeowner fed up with HOA; wants to publish newsletter (NV)
Q: I read your column every week. It is very informative. Our homeowners association board has been cited by the state twice in the past couple of years. Once for trespassing on property that the board had no easements to be on (a total of 10 different properties). This complaint was started by myself and […]
Unit votes cannot be split in elections (IL)
Q: Each condominium unit in our association is entitled to one vote, regardless of the number of co-owners of the unit. Can the bylaws be changed to allow each of the co-owners of a unit to have a vote? If not, can the bylaws be changed to permit the vote be divided among the multiple […]
Lake Forest families raise safety concerns about speeders, reckless drivers (AL)
Lake Forest families are pleading for help as they say speeders and reckless drivers are creating a dangerous situation in the large Daphne neighborhood. Diamond Reddick, who lives on Wedgewood Drive, said she and her baby were nearly hit by a speeding driver on Thursday. Read the article………………………………..
Fire breaks out at South Ocean Boulevard condo (FL)
A fire broke out Thursday afternoon at a condo in the 2000 of South Ocean Boulevard, around the area of Sloan’s Curve. According to Palm Beach Fire Rescue Division Chief Sean Baker, there was heavy smoke and flames coming through the front door of the area, in addition to “extensive” water damage. Read the article………………………………..
Lincoln Hills board procedures questioned (CA)
A few Sun City Lincoln Hills residents wrote critical letters this week to The Lincoln News Messenger about its Aug. 27 story on the executive director’s firing at an executive session on Aug. 21. (The front page story was “Sun City Lincoln Hills board fires executive director Friday.”) Read the article…………………………… “Inside the Sun […]
Westlake condo association asks resident to remove Trump flag (OH)
A Westlake man said one of his neighbors complained to the management company after he put up a flag supporting President Donald Trump outside his home in the Village Green condominium complex. Read the article………………………………..