After weeks of wrangling over the future of a small parcel of land that the homeowners owned and recently was cleared of trees, members of the Eagles View Homeowners Association (EVHOA) voted to remove its elected board of directors. Read the article………………
Rules set for boy with autism to keep ducks (MI)
Georgetown Township officials laid out a series of restrictions Wednesday to allow a 12-year-old boy with autism to keep the ducks he uses for therapy……..The family said it will work with its homeowners’ association to implement the ducks. Read the article………………
HOA board asks city to make overnight street parking illegal in Greenwood subdivision (IN)
A homeowners association board is asking the City of Greenwood to make overnight street parking illegal, but only in their subdivision. The president of the Tuscany Village HOA board presented a letter to the Greenwood City Council August 20. It asks the council to pass an ordinance that would reinforce existing Tuscany Village bylaws by […]
Get Gephardt: Clogged shared sewer pipe leaves lowest owner stuck with mess, bill (UT)
If somebody else was responsible for damage to you home, who should have to pay for it? A Roy woman was stuck with the bill after she says her condo complex left her home flooded with raw sewage. When the sewer line at the Rosewood Manor became clogged, it became a disgusting problem for Lorie […]
Springlakes subdivision looking for answers after sediment continues to fill lake (GA)
As water flows through Reed Creek and into the lake of the Springslakes neighborhood in Martinez, homeowners say something else is flowing- sediment and storm water run-off. The HOA president says they’ve dredged the lake twice but new EPA regulations have put a stop to that because the cost to dredge is more expensive. “It […]
Elderly Seal Beach Woman Accused Of Embezzling Over $100K (CA)
A 71-year-old Seal Beach woman was accused of embezzling over $115,000 from the Costa Mesa homeowner’s association, of which she was treasurer, court documents said. Bonnie Diane Harris, 71, of Seal Beach, served as the former treasurer for the Cedar Glen Homeowner’s Association, and was scheduled Monday to make her initial court appearance on charges […]
The Spider Woman of Facade Inspections (NY)
Sara Tsiropinas is a licensed architect who likes to spend her free time rock climbing. This unlikely pair of interests dovetails beautifully in her day job as head of RAND Engineering & Architecture’s Rope Access Team, five fearless souls who rappel down the sides of buildings inspecting facades, looking for leaks, performing emergency investigations, and […]
New Laws Don’t Always Apply (FL)
Q: I read your recent column which gave your opinion that the new condominium law on board member term limits is not retroactive. With so many changes to the law every year, how are we supposed to know which new laws apply to us and which ones don’t? Read the Q&A……………
Are HOA board members immune from lawsuits by residents? (FL)
Q: We live in an HOA and purchased a single-family home with a three-car garage. At settlement, we were given three electronic “clickers,” or garage door openers. The openers included a button for the community entrance gates. The HOA Board is changing the entrance gate access to windshield stickers and want to charge us for […]
San Francisco Judge Orders Transbay Transit Center to Pay for Millennium Tower’s Legal Defense (CA)
In a strange twist, a judge has found that the Transbay Joint Powers Authority – the public agency responsible for the $2.2 billion Transbay Transit Center next to sinking Millennium Tower – has the “duty to defend” against hundreds of millions of dollars in construction defect claims over the troubled building. Read the article………………
HOA Homefront: Meetings generally should not be recorded (CA)
Q: Our board announced that audio recordings of meetings would no longer be allowed. What are your thoughts on this? Does this action by the board violate the Brown Act, the Davis-Stirling or some other statute? Read the Q&A……………
How to get results from insurance carriers (FL)
Q: Our condominium sustained significant damage from Hurricane Irma. It has been a year and our insurance carrier is offering a settlement that is woefully inadequate to address our damages. We have been advised that we have window damage and the roofs must be replaced. The insurance carrier is ignoring our demands. What do we […]
Board isn’t allowed to restrict free speech of unit owners (IL)
Q. Our condominium association has a rule in place concerning distribution of written materials by owners to other owners. The rule prohibits the distribution of any materials, unless first submitted to the board for approval. Is this permitted? Read the Q&A……………
Oceanside homeowner says HOA wants him to evict his Marine tenants (CA)
When Ron Zurawski purchased his six-bedroom, six-bath Oceanside home in 2005, he said he did so for one purpose — to rent rooms to Marines. The home, located in the Arrowood community just outside the San Luis Rey gate to Camp Pendleton, was yet to be built. Zurawski, an unmarried Navy veteran with no kids, […]
Highland grandmother goes 43 days without running water, warns homeowners to beware condo bylaws (IN)
Loretta Brewer showed me all the gallon containers she used for 43 days to haul water upstairs to her second floor condominium. “Did you know it takes four gallons of water just to flush the toilet?” asked Brewer, 62, who lives in the Les Chateaux condominium complex in Highland. Read the article………………
New Rebates for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (NY)
Co-ops and condos are among the potential beneficiaries of $5 million in New York State rebates for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced. The initiative is part of the state’s drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by the year 2030. Read the article………………
Check out this ancient condo complex in Arizona — built 900 years ago (AZ)
A multi-level condo complex with about 100 rooms — built some 900 years ago — has held up far longer than we can expect for comparable housing units today. Known as Wupatki Pueblo, the ancient stone-walled site is the striking centerpiece of a national monument northeast of Flagstaff. Read the article………………
Dispute near the lake; Lawsuit alleges mishandling of Western Shores subdivision by county, land developer (KY)
A $1.6 million lawsuit has been filed against Calloway County Judge-Executive Larry Elkins, current and former magistrates, a land developer and members of a property owners association claiming those entities were negligent in allegedly abandoning a subdivision project and improperly handling a bond. Read the article………………
True Life likely to bid goodbye to Ahwatukee Thursday (AZ)
The True Life Companies is headed for the exit door from Ahwatukee as former owner Wilson Gee prepares tomorrow, Sept. 20, to foreclose on his $8.6 million note the developer signed more than two years ago in its ill-fated quest to build an “agrihood” on the site of the defunct Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course. Unlike […]
Why Hundreds Of Mililani Residents Must Pay Thousands Of Dollars To Save A Few Homes (HI)
About eight homes in the Launani Valley community are threatened, but owners of more than 800 homes will have to cough up $3.2 million to save them. Read the article………………
City Inspectors Return to SF’s Millennium Tower After Declaring It Safe (CA)
City inspectors who had previously deemed San Francisco’s Millennium Tower safe were back inside the building this week to check on a cracked window. They may have inspected the wrong side of the sinking and tilting tower, NBC Bay Area has learned. Investigative reporter Jaxon Van Derbeken reports. Read the article………………
Detention pond gobbling up land in Gonzales neighborhood (LA)
….In the last week, the less than two-years-old Mossy Oaks Homeowner’s Association has gotten involved and Ascension Parish Department of Public Works visited the site last week. DPW says it’s the HOA’s responsibility and not the parish. The HOA has contacted a bulkhead expert and Langlois says he’s also contacted the developer. “No one wants […]
Josh Meyers to Star in Homeowner Association Comedy in Development at NBC
Josh Meyers is set to star in, write, and executive produce a comedy currently in development at NBC, Variety has learned. The single-camera series is titled “The Exceptional.” In the show, The homeowners association board members of the Exceptional, a Los Angeles condo building, find themselves hopelessly deadlocked. That is, until a fellow resident, Justin […]
How a stalemate in Garland’s first upscale subdivision was broken by a Plano nonprofit’s unique plan (TX)
After nearly five years of rancorous debate among residents, the City Council late Tuesday unanimously approved a concept plan for Eastern Hills Country Club. Plano-based nonprofit My Possibilities is taking over the land, which was the centerpiece of Club Hill, the city’s first affluent subdivision. The group’s plan is to fully convert the former country […]
Condo Association Discriminated Against Resident With Allergies (NJ)
A condominium association must pay a resident $12,500 for discriminating against her regarding her medically verified allergies, the New Jersey State Attorney General’s Office said. The woman, referred to only as K.L. in court documents, had asked Twin Lights Condominiums in Highlands to remove carpet from her second-floor, one-bedroom condo and install hardwood floors. The […]
Shade can ease heat, but one neighborhood finds trees are just part of the solution (AZ)
Don McNeil walks the tree-lined streets of Westbrook Village in Peoria to keep his blood pressure down, but hotter weather limits his daily outings. He suffered several strokes two years ago, which stymied his body’s ability to regulate heat. Since then, he’s become more passionate about rising temperatures due to climate change and heat-absorbing urban […]
Sugar Land residents say they face feral hog danger (TX)
Frustration is mounting in the Riverstone community in Sugar Land, where residents are facing more than a feral hog nuisance. They are facing a burden and possibly a danger. On Monday morning, neighbors woke up to nearly a half dozen lawns torn up. They say they don’t feel like they are getting enough help from […]
Indy woman caught on video attacking neighbors to sell home; HOA lists numerous complaints (IN)
According to the HOA, more than 20 residents have come forward to report harassment from New. “Unfortunately, the situation has escalated. In fact, as I understand, incidents of harassment have grown significantly in frequency and intensity to a point where residents are fearful of leaving their own homes,” the letter reads. “Most disconcerting is that […]
At Issue: Millennium Tower Woes (CA)
Phil Matier talks with Thomas Miller, the attorney representing homeowners in the sinking, tilting Millennium Tower in downtown San Francisco Watch the interview…………….
Associations Can Require a Key (FL)
Q: I recently received an e-mail from my condominium association asking for a key to my unit. I have a problem with the board having a key to my unit. Am I required to provide a key? Can the association enter my unit at any time? Read the Q&A……………
Are rules adopted by board of directors part of public record? (FL)
Q: Do rules adopted by the board of directors have to be recorded in the public record? Read the Q&A……………
Can a Felon Be the President of My Condo Board? (NY)
Q: A candidate for the president of the board of my Park Slope, Brooklyn, condo has a past felony conviction. I believe that some states do not allow people convicted of felonies to run for seats on condo boards. What are the rules in New York? Can this person legally run for a seat on […]
Millions of Americans still trapped in debt-logged homes ten years after crisis
As of June 30, nearly one in 10 American homes with mortgages were “seriously” underwater, according to Irvine, California-based ATTOM Data Solutions, meaning that their market values were at least 25 percent lower than the balance remaining on their mortgages. It is an improvement from 2012, when average prices hit bottom and properties with severe […]
Is new term limit restriction retroactive? (FL)
Q: Is the new director term limit law for condominium associations retroactive? Read the Q&A……………
Woodlake embezzler sentenced (CA)
A man accused of embezzling millions of dollars from the San Mateo Woodlake Condominium Association between 2007 and 2013 was sentenced to seven years state prison Friday and was ordered to split the restitution with his co-conspirator, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. Read the article………………
Beaumont residents turn to social media after political sign controversy (TX)
As local and statewide races heat up political signs have popped up in yards all over Southeast Texas as many believe they have the right to show support for their favorite candidates. Read the article………………
Deck Marker Containing Radium Discovered At Naval Shipyard Site (CA)
A naval deck marker containing radium was discovered earlier this week at the former U.S. Navy shipyard site in San Francisco’s Hunters Point, California Department of Public Health officials said in a letter to homeowners in the neighborhood on Thursday. In a letter to The San Francisco Shipyard Homeowners Association, state health officials revealed that […]
Erie Airport officials sound alarm over nearby residential drone use, citing threat to planes (CO)
An uptick in recreational drone usage in Broomfield’s Anthem Ranch neighborhood has spurred officials with the Erie Municipal Airport, the subdivision’s neighbor, to reach out to its homeowners association out of concern the activity could soon affect air travel. Read the article………………
Safety measures ordered at sinking San Francisco Millennium Tower (CA)
San Francisco officials demanded Thursday that managers of a sinking condominium building where a window recently cracked comply with safety measures needed to keep the public safe. Ronald Tom, assistant director of the Department of Building Inspection, said management at Millennium Tower must inspect all units and install a canopy around the perimeter of the […]
Beaumont resident at odds with home owner’s association over political signs (TX)
As local and statewide races heat up political signs have popped up in yards all over Southeast Texas as many believe they have the right to show support for their favorite candidates. Read the article………………
Wild hogs taking over a northwest-side neighborhood causing thousands in damages (TX)
A northwest-side neighborhood has a hog problem. Wild hogs are tearing up yards and causing thousands of dollars in damages to many of the homes. Read the article………………
Hurricane Florence: Will FEMA help your community?
As community association managers and boards of directors prepare their residents for Hurricane Florence, they are burdened with the knowledge that the Federal Emergency Management Agency likely will not be there to support disaster recovery in their community. That’s because FEMA classifies community association streets as private and won’t remove debris without prior approval. […]
HOA Allows Man to Sell Home After Intense Roof Dispute (TX)
For the last six months, a Fort Worth man has been in a heated battle with his HOA. He said the HOA had a problem with the color of the roof. NBC 5’s Samantha Chatman stepped in and had his back. Read the article………………
Shaky dams haven’t been repaired since 2015 flood. Now Florence is coming. (SC)
The hole in the Windsor Lake dam isn’t hard to miss. It formed on the side of the old earthen structure, just below a public road that runs over the dam, upstream from hundreds of homes. Behind the dam is a sparkling lake, built decades ago to enhance development. Despite state efforts to make S.C. […]
In The Spring Creek Fire’s Wake, Heartbreak Before A Long Recovery (CO)
The name almost seems cruel now. Paradise Acres. It’s a subdivision full of second homes and retirees just off La Veta Pass in southern Colorado, and it was one of the areas hardest hit by last summer’s massive Spring Creek Fire. “Welcome to paradise,” resident Michael Dent said, standing outside his scorched, but still-standing home. […]
Lake Katherine HOA board members prepare for Hurricane Florence by lowering water levels (SC)
Bruce Guignard knows the drill all too well, “We had about five feet of water inside of our house and about eight to nine feet outside,” explains Guignard. The 2015 floods caused severe damage to Guiginard’s Lake Latherine home. ….”This will likely be more rain then we saw with Hugo or other Hurricanes,” Gov. Henry […]
Community Associations Prepare for Hurricane Florence
Community association homeowners in the path of Hurricane Florence are readying disaster preparedness plans. Florence is forecasted to make landfall between South Carolina and North Carolina as a Category 3 or 4 storm late Thursday night or Friday morning and could stall over the region, bringing catastrophic flooding similar to what the Houston area experienced […]
A New, Less Expensive Proposal to Shore Up Tilting Millennium Tower Being Considered (CA)
A new fix for the tilting and sinking Millennium Tower is on the table at closed door talks this week, NBC Bay Area has learned. The goal is to find a solution that will settle the massive legal fight, and stabilize the troubled building. The $80 million proposal can’t come soon enough for residents of […]
Live in a condo? Here’s what you should do before severe weather hits
The higher you live in a condominium, the stronger the wind will be during a storm. So if your condo has a balcony, patio or lanai, clear it of loose items. “Things that are being dislodged at height from a building will become wind borne debris missiles that can strike other portions of your building […]