Good community rules and regulations (called operating rules in Civil Code 4340) help set standards and encourage neighborly conduct. However, good rules also must be enforceable and associations must follow a prescribed rule amendment process. Because rules are amended only by the board, the law requires special procedures to alert members in advance when boards […]
Residents up in arms after treasurer reportedly admits to stealing $153K from Hurricane HOA (FL)
A former treasurer of a homeowner’s association in Hurricane reportedly admitted to stealing more than $153,000 from the community’s main account — but a recent audit revealed the losses were significantly higher. Read the article……………………………….
Los Lunas community confused over HOA rules (NM)
People living in a New Mexico community are up in arms over a recent move by their homeowner’s association. They’ve suddenly been told they can’t park work vehicles on their property unless it’s in a garage. Many argue it’s a rule that is impossible for some of them to follow. Read the article…………………………….
Association can file a joint appeal of assessments (IL)
Q: The owners in our association are complaining loudly about the substantial increase in the real estate taxes for their units. I understand the board of directors can file a group tax appeal for all of the units. Read the Q&A……………………………….
Vero Beach condominium building evacuated for fire (FL)
Fire officials confirm the loud bang was lightning that struck the building and sparked the blaze. Within minutes, Chief Richard Marini says all residents were evacuated and no injuries were reported. Read the article…………………………
HOA Treasurer confesses to embezzling more than $150K thanks to persistent homeowner (UT)
After years of questioning and independent research from a persistent homeowner, the former treasurer of the Lava Bluff HOA in Hurricane confessed to embezzling more than $150,000. Read the article………………………
Big Island Condo Owners Navigate Troubled Finances (HI)
Condo owners in a Big Island community are unexpectedly digging deeper into their wallets after being blindsided by a surprise budget hit. By Friday, owners of Elima Lani Condominiums at Waikoloa Village must pay a $1,000 “special assessment” on top of their regular $400 monthly fees to cover unpaid expenses. Read the article……………………………..
Captains Cove Residents Sue Townhouse Developer (VA)
The lawsuit alleges that past and proposed actions by the development company, CCG Note LLC, by virtue of having a controlling majority of its own representatives on Captains Cove’s property owner’s association board of directors, “represent self-dealing in breach of its fiduciary duty owed” to Captains Cove property owners. Read the article…………………………..
Creekside residents defeat golf club funding plan, but course will stay open for now (OR)
Creekside neighborhood residents have overwhelmingly voted against financially supporting the adjacent Creekside Golf Club. Club owner Larry Tokarski, who had threatened to close the 18-hole course and develop the property without that support, now says the club can stay open in the short-term. Read the article………………………
State Passes Structural Safety Inspection Regulations (FL)
Emergency services personnel throughout Florida will have June 24, 2021 etched in their minds the same way other catastrophic events remain in the forefront of their memories. At 1:22 AM on that date, residents of the Champlain Towers South Condominium Complex in Surfside, Florida awoke to a rumble as much of the building collapsed. Read […]
I Team: Condo fears, new laws, Surfside disaster’s 1st anniversary (FL)
Since the tragedy in Surfside, condo residents all over Florida have been paying close attention to the conditions of their own buildings and wondering if small blemishes that have been ignored could be a warning sign of a collapse, later on down the line. Read the article…………………………..
Hundreds of residents are without power after pipes burst at Hyde Park condo building (OH)
Power went out at The Regency on Madison Road early Monday morning. The sprinkler system burst, leaving all 20 stories in the dark. Read the article…………………………
Condos heavily damaged by fire during Feb. freeze still in disrepair amid construction holdups (TX)
Residents and homeowners at the One Orleans Place Condos say they want answers after a fire demolished their homes during the February freeze. According to those who live in the area, their homes have been under construction ever since. Read the article………………………….
Highlands Ranch HOA sues Xcel Energy over dual wildfires sparked by utility’s equipment (CO)
Two Douglas County wildfires four years apart that were sparked by faulty Xcel Energy equipment show the company has failed to properly maintain its infrastructure, a homeowners association alleged in a lawsuit filed this week. Read the article………………………….
City Manager provides update on Kings Crossing Golf Course (TX)
The last time the Kings Crossing Golf Course was in use was December of 2008, according to Kings Crossing Homeowners Association board member Mandy Alsop. Read the entire article………………….
Boca Raton holdout tests condo law regarding forced-sales to investor groups (FL)
Fellman’s years of laissez faire co-existence are being challenged again, and the condo law that once protected him many years ago has changed in ways that make it tougher for holdouts. Read the entire article……………………..
Fontelle Hills residents face choice of buying golf course, welcoming new neighbors (NE)
The former Fontenelle Hills Golf Course is for sale. Plans call for the land to be sold for single family residential development, unless neighbors organize to purchase some or all of the lots abutting their properties. But the owners are first going through the process of redrawing lot lines to make it suitable for estates […]
Homeowner wants rental cap for new community (NV)
Q: (The builder) is in the process of completing (our development). They are adding 164 units in eight new buildings. We are concerned that investors will buy a significant number of these units and we will become overpopulated with renters. Read the Q&A……………………………….
Local Residents Get $250 First-Time Speeding Fine From Their Own HOA (FL)
When Parkland resident Rob Camhe retrieved his mail on June 15, 2022, he found an interesting letter included in the pile. The letter was from the Homeowners Association of Miralago, and it stated that he and his wife, Alison, were being fined $250 for speeding within the community in May of 2022. Read the entire […]
Homeowner fined $40,000 for a few inches of fence takes HOA to court (MD)
Disputes between homeowners and their condo or homeowners association (HOA) aren’t uncommon, but a Maryland woman said her Board took it too far. The disagreement involved a fence and its boundaries. And while the fence cost around $8,000 to construct, the litigation that followed amounted to nearly $40,000. Read the entire article……………………………….
Residents in Las Vegas community asked to pay about $11,000 for tree, grass removal (NV)
Some homeowners are having to put forward money to help support the Sun City Anthem HOA in a major change of removing trees and grass throughout the community. The HOA’s goal is to conserve water. Homeowners said they don’t understand why they are being asked to pay so much in such a short amount of […]
Florida woman stole $228K from HOAs, spent some money on Bucs tickets: deputies (FL)
A Pinellas County woman is accused of ripping off three HOAs to the tune of nearly $230,000 and using some of that money to buy Buccaneers game tickets. Read the entire article……………………………….
HOA Homefront – Reader questions about solar installations (CA)
Q: I live in a planned development and was told we could not install solar because it would void our roof warranties. Can our management company ban installation of solar because of that reason or do the new regulations override that argument? Read the Q&A……………………………….
Board members cannot be forced to serve on board (FL)
Q: Our annual meeting for board elections is coming up. At present, the board consists of nine members (per our governing documents). Each year, three board member positions expire (also per our governing documents). We go out each year to the community to ask for candidates to volunteer for the expiring positions, and most times […]
Unit owner can be charged for insurance deductible (IL)
Q: I fell asleep in another room while filling the bathtub in my condominium unit. The water overflowed and damaged the drywall ceiling and walls in two units below my unit. The board is now telling me I am responsible for the association’s insurance deductible portion of the damage. If the association purchased insurance with […]
Condo Q & A (FL)
Q: My condominium has to take out a loan to pay for some infrastructure repairs. The board is currently discussing how to pay for the loan – either via special assessment or building the payments into the budget and making the payments part of the quarterly assessments that we pay. Do the members get any […]
Water damage riles condo owners in Plymouth (MA)
The need for repairs at two condo complexes in a popular Plymouth development is once again bringing special assessments — and the battles royal that can accompany them— to the forefront of debate in Greater Boston real estate. Read the entire article……………………………….
Sinking-Condo Dispute Lands In Court (CT)
When Vanessa Brown bought her first home, she was proud to have saved money to make a generational investment in her family. Decades later, she is facing foreclosure?—?and fears that the walls of her condo may come crumbling down before she finds out her court date. Read the entire article……………………………….
Creekside neighbors battle over proposal to fund private golf course (OR)
Tensions are rising in a south Salem neighborhood as a vote approaches on whether residents should pay to help operate a nearby private golf course. More than 200 residents of Creekside Estates attended a chaotic town hall meeting on the proposal Wednesday night. More than a dozen stormed out before the meeting ended. Read the […]
Jill Biden to Speak at Event in Florida, Honoring Victims of Condo Collapse
U.S. first lady Jill Biden is expected to speak Friday in Surfside, Florida, marking the anniversary of the nighttime collapse of a 12-story oceanfront condo building that killed 98 people. Read the entire article……………………………….
Lancaster Twp. to enter into cooperative property maintenance agreement with development (PA)
The township will enter into cooperative property maintenance agreements with the Gable Park Woods homeowners’ association and Lancaster city Read the entire article……………………………….
Miami Condo Residents Protest Association Over Buildings’ ‘Alarming’ Issues (FL)
Owners of a condominium near Miami International Airport aired their grievances in a protest Thursday over worries about the condition of their buildings, saying there’s cracking, roof leaks and other “alarming” issues. Read the entire article……………………………….
HOA Revokes Cat-Feeding Fines, But Condo Owner Still Unhappy With Decision (HI)
The homeowner’s association that levied $26,000 in fines against a Keauhou condo owner for feeding two wild cats rescinded the fines. Read the entire article……………………………….
How a Shelby County HOA president hopes to stop future rentals & investors, help homebuyers (TN)
The push by a Cordova HOA to change its charter comes as Shelby County Assessor reiterates his call to change zoning laws & limit investors buying homes. Read the entire article……………………………….
Wildfires are a part of life in the White Mountains. Here’s how Arizona towns are preparing
To be designated a Firewise site, neighborhoods — usually through homeowners associations, or HOAs — commit to spending a small amount of money on fire mitigation. The money could be used to remove leaf litter and needle cache, cut down some trees or other actions that reduce fire spread. Read the entire article……………………………….
Ask the HOA Expert: Must All Owners Share The Cost?
Question: I live in a condominium with three buildings and the one I live in has an elevator that needs substantial repairs. The Home Owner’s Association Board plans to assess all repair costs to our building. Can the board charge only our building or must all owners share the cost? Read the Q&A……………………………….
Buckhorn Ranch HOA passes STR policy that includes big fines (CO)
The Buckhorn Ranch Homeowners Association (HOA) board of directors earlier this month passed an amended policy on short-term rental (STR) rules and regulations fine schedule. The key points of the policy are to ensure that each STR has a local contact available should any issues arise, establish rules and regulations for neighborhood safety, and initiate […]
Raleigh couple says local HOA targeting them based on race, gender identity (NC)
A couple who lives in a Raleigh townhouse said they were told by their neighborhood’s homeowner’s association to take down a Black Lives Matter sign from inside their window. They believe they are being targeted because they are an interracial, same-sex couple Read the entire article……………………………….
Sinking-Condo Dispute Lands In Court (CT)
When Vanessa Brown bought her first home, she was proud to have saved money to make a generational investment in her family. Decades later, she is facing foreclosure?—?and fears that the walls of her condo may come crumbling down before she finds out her court date. Read the entire article……………………………….
Condo Q&A: Can Owners Install Video Doorbells?
Question: Can an owner install a security camera to monitor his or her unit front door entrance area in a condo complex, and can the board approve this as an agenda item? Read the Q&A……………………………….
Whispering Knoll issues continue (PA)
At least 20 residents of The Village at Whispering Knoll attended Tuesday night’s meeting of the Latrobe Municipal Authority. Residents at the 55-and-over patio home community located in Derry Township have complained in past months of not only low water pressure, but also power outages affecting the pump station at the development. Read the entire […]
Researcher Warns About Sea Level Rise Impacting Buildings Like Champlain Towers South (FL)
Investigators continue to look into what was the official cause of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South nearly a year ago. A local researcher studying sea level rise told NBC 6 Investigators that saltwater intrusion may have played a role in damaging the foundations of the building. Read the entire article……………………………….
Four families displaced in condo fire in Germantown (TN)
Battling the blistering heat while fighting a two-alarm fire. Firefighters from three different departments responded to a blaze at the Park Place condominiums on Park Trail Drive near Farmington in Germantown on June 20. Read the entire article……………………………….
Who is responsible for repairing damaged insulation in a condominium?
Q: My condominium association has repeatedly repaired our roof. It has also paid for repainting parts of the ceiling in my unit on multiple occasions. I live on the top floor of a five-story building. Whose responsibility is it to replace rain-damaged ceiling insulation? Read the Q&A……………………………….
Displaced residents moving forward after massive downtown fire (NV)
When Bill Monnett got home from a bar early Sunday, the condominium he’s lived at for over a year was surrounded by firefighters. “It was probably one of the most stressful days of my life,” the 42-year-old said, recounting the aftermath of the massive fire in downtown Las Vegas that officials said is the largest […]
WRAL Investigates homeowners’ association: Window fight costing man $50 a day (NC)
Homeowners associations in North Carolina have enough power to take a home if a homeowner starts racking up fines. It’s the fear of a Cary resident Andy Cheng, who is getting fined $50 a day because of his windows. Read the entire article……………………………….
Condo Owners Bracing for Impact of Condo Reform, New Reserve Funding Requirement (FL)
The deadly building collapse of Champlain Towers South forced many condo owners to start asking questions. The disaster also highlighted a need for change. Starting in 2025, state law will require condo boards to set money aside to cover future major repairs. Read the entire article……………………………….
Homeowner has long list of HOA complaints (NV)
Q: Anyways, its been almost six years of harrassments, name calling, threats, intrigues and unpleasantries that we ignored hoping a new board president will be able to change the unlivable conditions, thus creating peace and harmonious environment in the community. Read the Q&A……………………………….
Fire in downtown Las Vegas burns at least 10 buildings (NV)
At least 10 buildings were damaged or destroyed and more than two dozen vehicles were burned in a four-alarm fire overnight in downtown Las Vegas, authorities said Sunday. Read the entire article……………………………….
Association requiring owner to upgrade roof to match aesthetic changes
Q: Where can I find information about the power of homeowners’ associations? Can an association force me to replace a perfectly good roof because they want me to upgrade to their new favorite roof style of shingles? Read the Q&A……………………………….