Club West course owner sues couple for $5M (AZ)

The four partners who own the Club West Golf Course under the name The Edge last week filed a lawsuit against the Foothills Club West Community Association Board president and her husband, co-founder and a former president of the Club West Conservancy.   Read the article………………………..

Wild Hogs in Florida Are Tearing Up Lawns, Terrorizing Neighborhood (FL)

Wild hogs are terrorizing the Florida neighborhood of Sun City Center, digging up lawns and acting aggressively towards residents.  The hogs are likely drawn to the area due to the mango trees, which provide food, as well as the nearby lake, providing water   Read the article………………………..

Man dies in Oxnard condo fire; woman badly burned (CA)

A fire Wednesday morning at a south Oxnard condominium left a man dead and a woman with serious burns, authorities said.  The incident left multiple units uninhabitable and displaced about 17 people, he said, with Red Cross personnel offering assistance.  Read the article………………………..

Supervisor: Richland Township can’t accept streets not up to code (PA)

Several residents of the Skyview Estates Homeowners Association attended the Richland Township Supervisors’ meeting on Monday to request that the township absorb the development’s private roads — Bella Lane and Julz Drive.  Cindi Cort, president of the homeowners association, said residents would like its streets to be public.  However, the area of Skyview Estates is […]

Dead-End Solution Hits Pothole (MA)

Last winter’s contentious situation between residents of Marion Village Estates and developer Ken Steen over snowplowing responsibilities on Fieldstone Lane sent the newly formed homeowners association onto Town Meeting floor looking for acceptance as a town street.  Their motion failed, as the town cited the hammerhead dead end to Fieldstone Lane as a key obstacle […]

Water-conserving cisterns run afoul of Eldorado rules (NM)

Carol Sanguinetti, the Eldorado community improvement board’s president, wrote in an email that the intention is being misconstrued.  “We are not asking them to remove the cisterns nor are we discouraging water conservation,” Sanguinetti wrote. “We are asking them to comply with the architectural guidelines, which require that the cisterns be screened in some way […]

Homeowner says letter wasn’t nice but it wasn’t harassment (NV)

Q:  My question is: Can an HOA fine you for something not in the bylaws?  I sent management a couple of emails they didn’t like. Now I’m being charged for harassment. There is no bylaw covering “you have to be nice to management,   Read the Q&A……………………………….

Community rallies behind Balch Springs fire victims (TX)

In response to the blaze, members of the Spring Ridge Homeowners Association quickly turned their planned summer block party into a large benefit and donation drive for the affected residents. More than 10 organizations pitched in to assist, along with volunteers from the neighborhood.   Read the article………………………..

A meeting occurs whenever a quorum of the board discusses association business (FL)

Q:  Our association board of directors schedules workshop meetings of the full board without notice to owners. They discuss business and projects but never follow through with a regularly scheduled board meeting. Owners are never informed on association business. A friendly board member advised me that their association attorney told the board that it’s legal to […]

HOA Homefront — Reader Questions: Rising HOA insurance rates and broker advice (CA)

Q: Our community’s liability insurance policies are up for renewal soon. Some neighboring associations are reporting ten-fold increases in fire insurance premiums due to brushfire proximity concerns. Even though our community does not appear to be in a fire-prone area according to real estate sources, are we in for a huge shock?   Read the Q&A……………………………….

Broken mailbox deadlock delivers headaches in USPS, HOA dispute (TX)

At least 16 Leander households are stuck in a saga of missing mail, misinformation and misery — part of a nearly four-month dispute between a local homeowners association and the U.S. Postal Service that’s delivering nothing but headaches, residents said.   Read the article………………………..

“Master” Association Documents Usually Controlling Authority (FL)

Q: I own a unit in a condominium association that is part of a larger community made up of a number of other condominium associations and homeowners’ associations, all of which are governed by a master association. This raises questions about which documents control   Read the Q&A……………………………….

Stonington condos to serve as example of green pollution controls (CT)

The Eastern Connecticut Conservation District will be installing a variety of stormwater management components at a condominium complex in Quanaduck Cove to help prevent contaminated water from flowing into Stonington Harbor and Long Island Sound.   Read the article………………………..

The wild west of homeowners associations in South Carolina

Michael Cassar has been locked in a costly, two-year legal dispute with his homeowners association over three steps he wanted to build off his backyard deck in an upscale Greenville neighborhood. And now he gives newcomers here a heads-up.  “If you’re buying a home in Greenville and it’s under 20 years old, there’s probably 90% […]

Ask The HOA Expert: Changing The Management Company

Question: Our management company seems too busy to handle our HOA business. The board wants to evaluate other management options. Is there some form or checklist we can use? There are many management companies. How do we determine which one is best for our needs?   Read the Q&A……………………………….

Flag flap: Peoria woman claims HOA told her to remove U.S. flag painting from curb (AZ)

A Peoria woman who was trying to show her patriotic spirit ends up violating her neighborhood’s homeowners association (HOA) rules without even knowing it.  “Both my husbands were very patriotic,” said Donna Cordero. “Both fought for the country, my sons were in the military so I thought OK, an American flag.”   Read the article………………………..

Florida community being overrun with ‘aggressive’ wild hogs

Homeowners in Sun City Center say they’re dealing with a population explosion of wild hogs — and they have the video to prove it.  “This year, all of the mamas were pregnant here and one of the videos I’ll show you has eight or nine babies,” Dr. Gail Dudley said. “They don’t have two or […]

Special assessment to push Tamarac condo owners out? (FL)

A group of investors got on the board of a condo association, approved a large special assessment and said it had to be paid by unit owners by Aug. 1. Can they do that? Find out in tonight’s Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.   Read the article………………………..

Inflation at the Shore: HOA residents struggling through fee hikes (NJ)

There probably was never a great time to replace the decks at the Knox Hill Townhome Condominium Complex, but when owners got word in early June of the cost ? an extra $160 a month for 29 months starting Aug. 1 ? they wondered how they would afford it.   Read the article………………………..

Dealing with disruptive association members (MI)

Q: We have an unruly co-owner in our condominium association who is always disruptive at the annual meeting of members. There is time allowed for individuals to address the membership, and we have set a 3-minute limit for each speaker, but he always goes over time and interrupts other speakers, including board members. What can […]

Police discuss crime prevention after 80-year-old attacked in his Summerlin home (NV)

Mitzi Mills, Executive Director of the Sun City Summerlin Community Association, says the association has worked hard to inform residents of area crime. The association puts out emails to residents when crimes happen. She says the association holds Zoom meetings on Fridays to discuss crime and other topics, and the association even has a monthly […]

El Dorado County Grand Jury investigates LLADs (CA)

The El Dorado County Grand Jury recently published results of an investigation into the El Dorado Hills Community Services District’s management of Landscape and Lighting Assessment Districts. The analysis, released June 30, focused on calculation of assessment amounts, the appeals process, rental income credits and possible conflicts of interest between the CSD and LLADs.   Read […]

How to Deal With an Unresponsive HOA

Dear Monty: We recently purchased a condo in a community with a homeowners association board and bylaws. This property was only a slab when we bought it with a July closing date. The builder did not complete the unit until the middle of October.   Read the Q&A……………………………….

A Lakefront Brawl Poisons Oregon’s Most Exclusive Waters (OR)

Oswego Lake is like a page out of a Sierra Club calendar.  Towering Douglas firs cling to hillsides that slope down to sparkling waters. A lone kayaker pauses to watch a soaring osprey, his silhouette framed by a lakeshore lined with some of the state’s most expensive residential real estate.   Read the article………………………..

HOA Homefront — Establish standards for HOA meetings with meeting rules

Along with the property’s overall condition, another positive initial impression upon new members can be board meetings which are effective, positive, and orderly. However, how does a new owner or director learn how board meetings are to be conducted? The law does not require associations to have meeting rules, but such rules can be extremely […]