Handling conflict is a regular part of governing, managing, or advising HOAs, which are corporations but also neighborhoods. Unlike clubs or churches, when things get unpleasant, a member cannot simply resign, because it is one’s home. Read the article……………………………
Huge utility poles installed in Estates; residents furious (NY)
Village of Garden City residents in the Estates Property Owners’ Association section are outraged at the series of massive utility poles installed for PSEG Long Island power transmission along the LIRR Third Track project, which they believe has forever altered their neighborhood and potentially their property values. Read the article……………………………
Access spat divides South Jackson (WY)
Across from the gate is the under-development Pine Glades neighborhood, a mix of upscale and affordable townhomes. The no-trespassing signs, marking that the road is private, have fed malcontent from neighbors who’d grown accustomed to a cohesive neighborhood and being able to pass through the property on walkabouts to access Snow King and its trail […]
Video shows tense confrontation when local man blocked truck driver trying to make delivery (OK)
Many people have shared a video on social media showing a local delivery truck driver blocked during a tense confrontation for nearly 30 minutes in the Oklahoma City metro. Travis Miller told KOCO 5 that he and a co-worker recently were making a delivery to a home in a neighborhood near Northeast 131st Street and […]
Goats escape, take over California neighborhood (CA)
For a few minutes today, it looked like goats were invading one northern California neighborhood. A local homeowners association in San Jose brings in goats now and then to eat dead grass on the hillside, but today the goats managed to knock over an electric fence and take a leisurely stroll through the streets. Read […]
HOA Homefront: Can the pandemic push up my monthly dues 10%? (CA)
Q: I received a letter from my HOA notifying me of a large (more than 10%) increase in my monthly dues. This is an outrage to subject people to this type of nonsense during the health and financial crisis in the world. I was unable to find anything in current legislation covering HOA payment increases […]
HOA Homefront – Board contacts, discussions and elections (CA)
Q: Is the HOA required to supply the state a current list of the board members? Is the list available for public view? I am not a member of the HOA. Read the Q&A………………………………
Parkland’s Pine Tree Estates Sues the City Over Ownership, Maintenance of Streets (FL)
A legal battle is brewing among residents of Pine Tree Estates against the City of Parkland, and it’s not getting resolved for a while. Hundreds of homeowners have put together a grassroots campaign to fight the city’s efforts to take part of their land as well as the allure of their Parkland community. Read the […]
Are condo owners entitled to see correspondence between the board president and the association’s attorney? (FL)
Q: Are condo owners entitled to see correspondence between the board president and the association’s attorney? Are owners the client or is the board the client especially if association monies are used to pay the legal fees? Our board is stalling the annual meeting and election and refuses to hold either via teleconference where owners […]
Escambia County to review how it became responsible for Innerarity Island’s sewer system (FL)
Escambia County will be re-examining how it became responsible for building a new sewer system on Innerarity Island, after a revelation from the county attorney that the county did not have to take over the project. The Escambia County Commission discussed the project Thursday after the Innerarity Island homeowner association board of directors passed a […]
Car crashes into San Jose condominium complex, setting it on fire (CA)
A car crashed into a condominium complex Friday night in San Jose, hitting a gas main and setting the entire building on fire, according to a San Jose Police Department official. Read the article………………………….
REAL ESTATE MATTERS: Interpretation of condo board rule goes up in smoke
Q: I live in a condo with four smokers living below me. They continually blow smoke out the windows and it rises and enters my unit. Our revised rules and regulations state that no smoke is allowed to migrate to another unit. What can I do when the president of the board advises me that […]
Venice homeowners association fines resident $2,500 over legally-protected clothesline (FL)
The location of the clothesline — the perfect, sunny spot in Wuetcher’s backyard — is visible from the road, which the HOA does not like. “In February of 2019, I got a violation letter saying, ‘You didn’t do what you were supposed to do. We can see it from the street. You have to move […]
Woman killed by alligator in SC was doing homeowner’s nails
The woman attacked and killed by an alligator in a gated community along the South Carolina coast was visiting the homeowner to do her nails and was trying to touch the animal when it grabbed her, authorities said. Read the article………………………………..
Condo column: HOA covenants not being enforced; what recourse do we have? (FL)
Q: We live in a community that has a HOA with covenants. During the past year, many of the covenants have not been enforced by the property manager nor elected board. They have constantly allowed random homeowners to do as they please without regard to the written covenants and restrictions. Most in our community moved […]
FDLE reviewing altercation involving Fred Hawkins, HOA security guard (FL)
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is considering investigating an Osceola County Commissioner who is running for the Florida House of Representatives who was involved in a raucous homeowners association meeting that led to the arrest of a security guard. Read the article………………………….
‘More power than a bank’: HOA uses loophole to foreclose on Beulah dad’s home, lawyer says (FL)
Caleb Leitch’s wife passed away unexpectedly in 2013, six months after they bought a new home in Beulah. Leitch, now 31, has spent the last few years putting himself through school, working as a counselor for folks trying to quit tobacco and raising his elementary school-aged son. The last thing on his mind was his […]
Fire Crews Rescue a Dozen in Hayward Condo Blaze (CA)
Firefighters rescued at least a dozen people Monday morning in a two-alarm blaze at a condo complex in Hayward, according to fire officials. Watch the news report……………………………….
Longboat condo installs Mini Reefs underneath docks (FL)
Residents and leaders of the Longboat Harbor Condominium watched on Friday afternoon as 12 Mini Reefs were installed on docks throughout the complex, designed to attract marine life and naturally filter the surrounding water. Read the article…………………………….
HOA board likely has power to enact new rules regulating storm shutters (FL)
Our small HOA has decided to pursue a homeowner who has had his storm shutters closed for most of the last two years. Several of his neighbors are raising a fuss so, in secret, the president and board members passed a rule regarding hurricane shutters, which rule was imposed at a meeting last year. Read […]
Indian Harbour Beach Volunteer Fire Unit Rescues Woman from Fourth Floor Condo Blaze (FL)
Upon arrival, fire units discovered a woman trapped on a fourth-floor balcony, who was rescued by Truck 56 crew, which extended its ladder to extract the occupant. According to Indian Harbour Beach Volunteer Fire Department officials, the fire was contained to the condo unit of origin on the fourth floor, although multiple other condo units […]
Are HOA board term limits allowed? (CA)
Q: According to our election rules and bylaws, no director shall serve more than two consecutive terms. The president now claims that SB323 has done away with term limits and she can run again and continue to serve on the Board for a third consecutive term. She also claims our attorney said there are no longer […]
Homeowner says builder has not provided guard-gated community as promised (NV)
Q: Our HOA board is still controlled by the builder with two declarants and one resident member who is the HOA president. We live in what is being sold as a guard-gated community. It has been over three years, and there is still no gate guard. However, we’ve been told we will be getting a […]
Dam in Middle Georgia Bursts, Draining Lake
A middle Georgia dam has burst, with a local official saying the failure was caused by recent heavy rains…..Bacon said she found in February that the dam needed repairs. Ivey Mayor Brenda Broach says the city, county and Holiday Hills Homeowners Association have been working together in recent months on repairs. She called the breach […]
Community Association Meetings: What You Need to Know (NC/SC)
For those who own property in homeowners’ associations, it is important to understand the different types of association meetings that take place throughout the year. It is especially important that board members not only understand the different types of meetings but the rules surrounding who can and should attend these meetings, how to properly and […]
Yard Sign Saluting McDowell Senior Allowed to Stay Up (PA)
After Millcreek Township School District leaders delivered yard signs to salute all the McDowell seniors last month, the family of senior Conner Williams was told by their homeowners association (HOA) that it would cost them $100 per day to have the sign posted in their yard. The family contacted Erie News Now Friday morning […]
Gran Paraiso construction debris rained down on Edgewater condo building, lawsuit alleges (FL)
At 54 stories, the Gran Paraiso luxury condo tower looms over the seven-story Bayside Terrace Condominium in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood. So when the 319-unit building was being built, construction debris caked Bayside Terrace from all angles, according to a recently filed lawsuit. Read the article…………………………
Co-ops and Condos Making Good Use of the Construction Lull (NY)
In this time of uncertainty, it is difficult for many co-op and condo boards to decide if they should push ahead with construction projects that have been deemed essential under the state’s mandatory pause on nonessential work during the coronavirus shutdown. That same uncertainty is overshadowing many planned capital projects. Read the article…………………………..
Gutter dispute raises concerns for residents (NE)
A long-running dispute over who should pay for water damage in several southwest Omaha condominiums has created a storm of controversy. Rain pouring inside a bedroom window last year shows why there’s so much gutter talk around Deauville Condominiums. Read the article………………………………
Signs in Wekiva Cove neighborhood mark area for residents only (FL)
A Seminole County Homeowners Association says it will not take down signs warning that, ‘In light of the current shelter-at-home orders, only residents are allowed in.’ A full day after the Seminole County Sheriff’s office said it would ask that the signs be taken down, they remain at the entrance to Wekiva Cove. Read […]
Homeowners’ group apologizes after calling Alabama child’s sidewalk art ‘unsightly’
A Riverchase mother is speaking out after her young daughter’s encouraging message left in chalk on the sidewalk was met with assertions that they were defacing the neighborhood and lowering property values…….Shortly after this article published, Seaton received an apology call from the president of the association. Read the article…………………………..
Neighborhood fights over blue Christmas lights to honor medical workers (UT)
It’s four months past Christmas, but one Saratoga Springs neighborhood has been fighting over Christmas lights that a homeowner said he put up to to honor medical workers. Jeff Noorda is a homeowner in the Legacy Farms neighborhood. He still has Christmas lights strung up around his house, even though it’s almost May. But the […]
Homeowners buy community golf course, plan upgrades (FL)
Bonita Fairways Community Association, the homeowner’s association of the Bonita Fairways community, recently purchased the Bonita Fairways Golf Club. Financial terms of the purchase weren’t disclosed. Read the article………………………….
Grandmother says she was told to take down graduation yard sign (FL)
A graduation sign celebrating a local high school senior has caused quite the commotion in one Volusia County community. Barbara Novak said she put up the yard sign over the weekend to honor her granddaughter but said she quickly received a call from someone claiming to be with her homeowner’s association telling her it needed […]
Neighbors talk effort to preserve Carmen Court condo complex off Speer (CO)
Neighbors looking to preserve a 95-year-old condo complex off Speer Boulevard already have crowdfunded the $875 they’ll need to submit a landmark nomination for the structure to the city. Sarah McCarthy, one of the three Denver residents who recently submitted a notice of intent to the city, and Lisa Purdy, who is assisting in the […]
Who should pay for Springboro dam repairs? Fight continues in court (OH)
The owners of the Marketplace at Settlers Walk are weighing whether to solve issues with a substandard dam between the shopping center and homes in the Springboro planned community without waiting for resolution of the state lawsuit brought to force action on the dam. Read the article………………………….
Bend neighborhood clears overgrown trees, bushes to prepare for wildfire season (OR)
A small group of residents in Bend’s Tillicum Village walked through their neighborhood Friday to assess the progress they made to protect the area from wildfire. Bert Neumaier, a Tillicum Village resident who organizes the volunteer effort through the national program, Firewise USA, was pleased with what he saw. Read the article……………………………
HOA Homefront: Harassment and handicapped parking questions (CA)
Q: A homeowner in our HOA is said to have harassed a new homeowner couple based on his objection to their interracial marriage. Some homeowners are asking the board to take action against the harassment, they claim cases like this have been ruled to be an HOA’s responsibility. I am looking at it as a […]
Island Golf and Country Club permanently closes in Plaquemine (LA)
For homeowners, the biggest question is what happens now. The HOA does not subsidize the Island with any of their fees. The burden on golf courses is not a unique one, as others have encountered the same fate nationwide. Read the article…………………………….
POA seeks permits to build beach and dune at Litchfield (SC)
Property owners on the southern tip of Litchfield Beach are seeking state and federal permits to pump up to 700,000 cubic yards of offshore sand along nearly a mile of beachfront. The project, proposed by the Peninsula Property Owners Association, includes building a 6-foot tall dune along 4,000 feet of beach. The purpose is to […]
Club West board seeks dismissal of golf course suit (AZ)
Foothills Club West Community Association board members have asked a judge to toss a suit that a resident-based nonprofit filed against them. In a petition filed earlier this month, the HOA board members said that the Club West Conservancy failed to back up its lawsuit with facts supporting its allegations and that it has no […]
Kissimmee property management company owner arrested, charged with fraud, impersonating officer (FL)
The former property manager exposed by 9 Investigates for allowing her ex-cop-turned-felon boyfriend to run security in a Kissimmee neighborhood was arrested for fraud and impersonating an officer, according to Osceola County Jail records. Sherry Raposo is the owner of the property management company that was fired by the homeowners association at Turnberry Reserve earlier […]
Condo residents concerned about La Jolla nursing home’s ‘garbage’ (CA)
The Racquet Club and nursing center share an alley, Leary noted, “and the nuisance of overflowing garbage from the center is a big concern for me and my neighbors. There are latex and nitrile examination gloves blowing around on the ground, as well as on the hill and road opposite the center where employees often […]
Condo column: Do emails meet the 48 hour requirement for board notices? (FL)
Q: We do not have a convenient place to post our notices in our 48 home HOA subdivision. In this electronic modern day, is posting on our website, which every owner has access to, appropriate to meet the 48-hour requirement or will we still need to send notice by mail or email seven days in […]
When Homeowner Associations Shade Out Solar Energy (MI)
Rick Freiman has a couple of reasons for wanting to put solar panels on his roof. They would save him money on his energy bill. But also, Freiman is a climate activist. He and his wife Deb want to shrink their carbon footprint. The Freimans live in a subdivision in Portage. They got a couple of […]
HOA admits timing error after homeowner Turns to Ted (TX)
Mary Peck walks to the shady side of her house and points up to the second floor siding. “That’s it,” she jokingly says. “This is our wretched green siding. This is what all the hubbub is about.” Peck and her family live in the Middlegate Village subdivision in northwest Harris County. The Pecks moved to […]
26 displaced after fire at Mpls. condo complex (MN)
Firefighters in Minneapolis responded to an early-morning fire that fortunately left residents uninjured. Crews were called to a condo complex at 3600 Penn Ave. North around 1:15 a.m. Tuesday. The fire, which raged to 2-alarm, required some of the building’s residents to be rescued by fire ladders. Read the article……………………………
Cedar Highlands residents to vote on whether to stay an incorporated town or go back to HOA (UT)
Cedar Highlands residents will soon vote on whether their town should remain a municipality or be formally disincorporated……If a majority of voters opt for disincorporation, the mountain community of Cedar Highlands would revert to its former status as an unincorporated portion of Iron County, operating under its own homeowners association (HOA). The mayor and Town […]
Homeowners can display political signs with some conditions (NV)
Q: We need your expertise in a controversy within our homeowners association. It has to do with when residents are allowed to put up signs in regards to elections. Read the Q&A……………………………..
Bogus battle over street parking puts Sunset Pass in HOA Hall of Shame (NV)
When the first parking violation notice arrived last summer, homeowner Robert Liang thought it would be easy to sort out. He was wrong. “I do believe that the HOA thinks you’re guilty until proven innocent,” said Liang. The car in the picture included with Robert’s notice of violation is breaking the Sunset Pass HOA rules. […]