There are some very big issues festering in Alabama’s biggest subdivision. Around 3,500 families make up Lake Forest in Daphne. They all pay homeowner’s dues that add up to nearly $3 million a year. Read the entire article……………………………….
Real estate Q&A: How do I make HOA keep neighbors’ emotional support animals’ fur out of my laundry? (FL)
Q: Our condo association recently allowed several residents to have emotional support animals, supposedly with proper vetting of the paperwork. I am very allergic to animal fur, and I will be sharing our floor’s laundry facilities with the animal owners. Is there anything I can do to prevent them from using the laundry facility, so […]
HOA Homefront: Drought emergency is back; did your community notice? (CA)
California has experienced many drought periods, but in January 2014 the drought situation became sufficiently severe that then-Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of drought emergency. Soon thereafter, several laws were added to the Davis-Stirling Act, Civil Code Sections 4735 and 4736. Read the entire article……………………………….
To the List of Rising Costs for Co-ops and Condos, Add Water (NY)
The list of rising expenses for co-op and condo boards keeps getting longer — from property taxes to energy, insurance, facade repairs, staff pay and the looming cost of reducing building carbon emissions. Now boards can add water to the list. Read the entire article……………………………….
Ask The HOA Expert
Question: Our homeowner association’s landscaping is looking pretty ragged and needs renovating. Our landscape contractor has offered to put together a design that he will install. Do you think this will work? (and more) Read the Q&A……………………………….
Condo Q&A: Can HOAs Ban Political Signs? (FL)
Question: With the midterms right around the corner, our HOA board of directors is considering banning political signs in the community. We had a lot of community fights two years ago that seemed to divide the community and the board wants to prevent that from happening again. Can the board ban political signs by adopting […]
Commissioners hand off Legacy apartment details to HOA, developers, mediator (WY)
Commissioner Luther Propst brought forth the reconsideration and timeline, effectively pushing the next iteration of a conditional use permit to a collaboration between Stage Stop and the Rafter J HOA, instead of being worked by the county. Read the entire article……………………………….
5 injured, 36 units left uninhabitable after Park Ridge condo fire (IL)
A late-night fire that swept through roof of a three-story, 36-unit condominium complex in Park Ridge Tuesday injured five people and left the entire building uninhabitable. Read the entire article……………………………….
Condo termination, teardown in store for Edgewater property following $143M sale
Two Roads Development has bought out the majority of the Biscayne 21 condo in the Edgewater neighborhood of Miami for $143 million with plans to tear it down and build a luxury condo. Read the entire article……………………………….
Florida lawmakers are adding condo reform to their special session on property insurance
The state legislature has added condo building reform to this week’s special session on property insurance. Lawmakers faced pressure to overhaul current laws after a deadly building collapse in South Florida last year, but the two chambers failed to reach a compromise on forcing condo owners to pay to repair aging buildings earlier this year. […]
Sale of Champlain Towers South property may prompt condo owners to sell their buildings (FL)
Fay says condo associations in South Florida are already showing interest in selling the land beneath their buildings instead of owners reselling their individual units. With the Champlain Towers South property selling for $120 million, it could lead to more interest in putting properties on the market because it can be more lucrative to sell […]
Fire hits Amesbury condominium complex (MA)
Firefighters from numerous communities battled a three-alarm fire in a Pond Street condominium complex Monday afternoon. Read the entire article……………………………….
Neighborhood fights back, puts up police flags after resident told to remove it (OH)
Almost a dozen people living in the Cumberland Crossing neighborhood have put up police flags since last week. Read the entire article……………………………….
No Running Water For Her Condo (FL)
The water stopped flowing into her condo in January, and her association won’t let her fix it. The result? She has not had running water for nearly four months. Is it legal to do that to someone? It’s why she called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser. Read the entire article……………………………….
Fishhawk Lake set to upgrade infrastructure (OR)
Fishhawk Lake Reserve and Community, which was fined by the state over the deaths of thousands of fish after its reservoir was drained, is looking to turn the page as it nears construction of a new spillway and fish ladder at its dam. Read the entire article……………………………….
Longboat ready to move ahead on condo safety if Tallahassee doesn’t (FL)
Keeping an eye on the Florida Legislature’s special session discussions this week on property insurance, Longboat Key town leaders also are hopeful the state takes the lead on building inspections for high-rise condos. Read the entire article……………………………….
Fire erupts at Larkspur condo complex (CA)
Fire crews extinguished a fire at a condominium complex in Larkspur on Monday. Central Marin Fire Department Chief Ruben Martin said the fire was reported on the 1100 block of South Eliseo Drive. He said as many as 15 residents may have been displaced by the fire. Read the entire article……………………………….
Bear visits front office at Colorado condo complex
A front desk worker at a Colorado condo complex captured video when a bear wandered into the office through an open back door. Kailee Duryea said the back door had been left open to let the warm breeze inside at The Lodge at Steamboat condo complex in Steamboat Springs and there were some cookies left […]
Drainage Board approves Lakeview Estates contract (IN)
The Shelby County Drainage Board approved to use funding from the Lakeview Estates Maintenance Fund to pay a company to annually treat algae and other growth on the neighborhood’s lake. Read the entire article……………………………….
South Berwick, Maine, Fire Damages Condo Units
The South Berwick Fire Department responded to a fire in the roof of a building at a condo complex on Saturday. The smoky fire in the Woodland Hills Condominium damaged the roof and caused extensive fire, smoke, and water damage to two of the four units, according to the South Berwick Fire Department. Read the […]
HOA won’t do anything about ‘Adams Family’ house (NV)
Q: I live across the street from people who live in chaos. The children have been removed by Child Protective Services for neglect and drug (use), and parental rights have been terminated. The police have been there at least 50 times in 10 years. The house hasn’t been painted since it was new 20 years […]
Goats inadvertently save condo complex from catching fire (CA)
While evacuations were not needed, unlikely heroes helped protect the condo complex: West Sacramento’s goats who recently had come by to eat underbrush off the near the complex. Read the entire article……………………………….
Harden your home: How property owners can protect their house from fire danger, assist firefighters (CO)
Wildfire experts call the process “hardening a home,” or creating defensive space, which is what homeowners need to do if they want wildland firefighters to try to defend their home during an emergency. When trying to protect multiple homes, firefighters with limited resources must make tough decisions to rate a property as defensible or non-defensible, […]
Condo Q & A (FL)
Q: I live in a condominium and was just told by management that it will need to access a common drain line in my bathroom wall in order to fix a leak. While I have no problems with providing the association with access to the drain line, I need to know if the association is […]
Lawsuit: Valencia Bay to Remove Hundreds of Oak Trees (FL)
In what could be the latest blow to the so-called ”Agriculture Reserve” in South Palm Beach County, the Valencia Bay Homeowners Association is preparing to remove hundreds of ”tall oak” trees that line the community off of Lyons Road, north of Clint Moore. Read the entire article……………………………….
Private York County community fighting to find solution to pay for lake repairs (PA)
Residents and leaders of the private Fairview Township community have the same goal: saving the lake. However, their opinions differ on how to do it. Read the entire article……………………………….
HOA Homefront — Free speech; flyers and flags (CA)
Q: Under Civil Code 4515, are homeowners allowed to post community gathering notices near the mailboxes or on the mailboxes if they are not blocking association notices? Read the Q&A……………………………….
Dubai developer to buy Florida condo collapse site for $120M (FL)
A billionaire developer from Dubai is set to purchase the site of a South Florida condominium that collapsed last June, killing 98 people, for $120 million after no other bids were submitted by the Friday evening deadline for next week’s auction. Read the entire article……………………………….
Ask The HOA Expert: Manager Fees & Services, Quorum
Question: Our professional manager charges a 5% oversight fee for renovation and insurance repair projects that the homeowner association enters into. Is this common? Read the Q&A……………………………….
Condo Column: Access to your money (NH)
An issue arises occasionally at condominium associations that arose lately at an association I am fortunate enough to represent, and a board member thought it might make a worthwhile column. He was right, so here we are. Besides, I don’t want to lose one of the readers or a client. Read the entire article……………………………….
Lawsuit filed by homeowners holds SoCal Edison responsible for sparking Coastal Fire (CA)
The Coronado Pointe Homeowners Association blames the utility company’s equipment for sparking the fire, which raged through a Laguna Niguel neighborhood, destroying 20 homes, and damaging 11 others. The homeowners association’s lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Read the entire article……………………………….
Condo’s prepare for safety inspections in Boca Raton (FL)
City officials say they are dividing the city into four zones, putting the buildings closest to the ocean with the proper height and age requirements first in line for the recertification program. Read the entire article……………………………….
Ask a real estate pro: Are homeowners who want to paint bound by obsolete rules? (FL)
Q: The guidelines in our homeowners association have not been revised for decades. A question came up about exterior paint colors. Are the homeowners still bound by the most recent, although antiquated, guidelines? Read the Q&A……………………………….
After decades of neighborhood flooding, redesigned creek debuts in Charlotte’s Hidden Valley (NC)
A redesign at the headwaters of the Little Sugar Creek, along with a new garden, is intended to resolve an ongoing flooding problem in the neighborhood. Read the entire article……………………………….
HOA tells father of fallen officer to take down Thin Blue Line flag (OH)
Five years and one week ago, a gunman killed three people at a Licking County nursing home. The father of one of those victims — who was the newly-appointed police chief in Kirkersville at the time — had been flying a “Thin Blue Line” flag at his Etna home off and on since then. But […]
From Insurance to Landscaping, Homeowners Are Paying More for Just About Everything
Homeowners are getting hit with higher costs from all angles. Take Eric Hegwer, a homeowner from Leander, Texas, for example. He saw his home’s assessed property more than double this year. That would be good news if he was looking to sell or take out a home equity loan, but he’s not. “This means my […]
Two Firefighters Hurt In Blaze At Springfield Condo Complex (IL)
Two Springfield firefighters have been hurt and three townhomes may be total losses after a fire at a condominium complex on the city’s south end. Read the entire article……………………………….
Kellam High School parking issue irks neighbors (VA)
There’s a parking battle brewing in West Neck Commons in Virginia Beach. Kellam High Students are using the neighborhood across the street from the school as their parking lot. Read the entire article……………………………….
Couple hoping to rebuild after Marshall Fire hits snag with HOA over style (CO)
“We talked to the architects, obviously, and said, ‘What happened here?’” Seth said. “And they said, ‘Well, we were under the impression there was — that was a guideline and there was flex room.’” The HOA shared design guidelines adopted by the architectural committee with the whole community before the Goldmans submitted their plans, the […]
Meadowcrest to fight affordable housing complex inside its community (FL)
About 168 affordable rental apartments are being proposed for the Meadowcrest subdivision in Crystal River and not everyone in that community is happy. “This is something we’re not going to take lying down,” resident Debra Cleary told the Chronicle. “It is worth fighting for.” Read the entire article……………………………….
Henderson man threatened with HOA fines for anti-Biden sticker (NV)
A Henderson resident believes his freedom of speech is being violated over a bumper sticker on his truck. A bumper sticker that reads “Let’s Go Brandon” is causing all the trouble for the man who is being told by his homeowner’s association that displaying the sticker on his truck is considered an offensive trader activity. […]
Grand Manor Condo owners still owed millions from Lowell, property remains contaminated (MA)
Any first-time homebuyer or young family moving to Lowell may think Grand Manor Condominiums are a steal. The affordable prices and idyllic neighborhood would be enough to pique anyone’s interest. But with a quick Google search, the condos quickly lose their luster. Read the entire article……………………………….
Florida receivership currently handling 8K claims, 2K lawsuits in homeowner insurance crisis
One Pinellas County woman discovered she had black mold growing in the walls of her new home, but when she contacted her homeowner’s insurance company, she felt like everyone was avoiding her. She later found out it was because her insurance company was was going into receivership. Read the entire article……………………………….
Co-op and Condo Monthly Charges Will Keep Going Up. Here’s Why. (NY)
Monthly maintenance in co-ops and common charges in condominiums will continue to rise over the long term. But, Brick Underground reports, there are certain red flags that may indicate to residents and buyers that steep hikes are coming. Read the entire article……………………………….
HOA cannot fine renter for license plate display (NV)
Q: I have gone over the bylaws and the covenants, conditions and restrictions of our homeowners association. Nowhere does it address that a homeowner or his or her renter can have absolutely no license plates on the vehicle (or on the back of the vehicle). Read the Q&A……………………………….
90-year-old woman stuck in HOA, insurance blame game (CO)
A 90-year-old Denver woman is stuck in a damaged condo as her homeowner’s association and insurance company point the blame at each other for a pipe burst in her building hallway. Read the entire article……………………………….
A land where lawns are outlawed (NV)
With drought and growth taking a toll on the Colorado River, the source of 90% of the region’s water, a new law in Las Vegas mandates the removal of turf, patch by patch Read the entire article……………………………….
Capron Ridge residents trying to save 9 Oak trees (FL)
More than 120 residents have signed a petition seeking to save nine giant Oak trees from being removed along the corridor entrance to the Capron Ridge subdivision off Viera Boulevard. Read the entire article……………………………….