A luxury condo in Cobble Hill has radiated a shrill whistling sound for months, disrupting life in the quiet brownstone nabe with its piercing noise, according to locals. Read the entire article……………………………….
Homeowners in Florissant dealing with excess water in their backyards (MO)
Excess water has been an issue for Florissant homeowners. The local homeowners’ association says the Metropolitan Sewer District is supposed to clean it up. But MSD says it falls on the homeowners. Read the entire article……………………………….
35% of condominium in Nassau Bay damaged after large fire (TX)
Firefighters are battling a massive blaze at a residential building in Nassau Bay Monday evening. There are 74 condo units at the complex. Officials estimate approximately 35 percent of the building has sustained damage in the fire. Read the entire article……………………………….
HOA says homeowner must remove sign that reads ‘Botched Raid Sept. 1, 2020? (TX)
Louis Rodriguez calls it his right to speak freely. That’s why he placed a sign in his front yard, displaying a message to passersby of a “botched raid” that he says took place at his home on Sept. 1. While Rodriguez says the sign allows neighbors to know what happened, his HOA has given him […]
County Faces Lawsuits Over Developments (MT)
One suit is in regards to Baker 80, a proposed 16-lot, 80-acre subdivision that was approved by the county commission in February. The future development was the source of several contentious meetings as residents of the neighboring Whitefish Hills Village Subdivision argued against Baker 80 being allowed to utilize privately maintained subdivision roads. The county’s […]
Spring cleaning: a checklist for condos (VA)
The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the flowers are blooming. Are you feeling the spring-cleaning bug? It’s the perfect time to shake off the winter blues by freshening up your home, performing some preventative maintenance, and getting organized and ready to enjoy the warmer months. Read the entire article……………………………….
California active adult community offers tip line, cash reward for ‘hate letter’ sent to resident
A California active adult community has set up an anonymous tip line and is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who sent an anti-Asian hate letter to a resident whose husband had just died. Leisure World Seal Beach in Orange County, CA, posted a message on […]
Raise mailboxes to proper height, post office advises (VA)
Residents of Blue Ridge Shores and nearby neighborhoods received a strongly-worded advisory in their mailboxes earlier this month, warning them to make sure the boxes are not too low to the ground. Read the article………………………………….
HOA Homefront: How can we cap rentals in our community? (CA)
Q: Does Section 4741’s approval of rental caps as low as 25% of the HOA mean a community such as ours can disallow rentals above that percentage? We are a small community with surging rentals, creating automobile congestion on our streets. Read the Q&A………………………………………..
Hoover neighborhood association pens letter of thanks to community after storms (AL)
The Greystone Farms Homeowners Association wrote a letter on behalf of residents, after homes in the Hoover neighborhood were torn apart in Thursday’s severe storms. Below, the HOA Board acknowledges the various entities that came to their aid in the wake of the devastation. Read the article………………………………..
Connecticut’s first condo lifted for pyrrhotite removal in Willington
Congressman Joe Courtney joined community leaders, engineers, and residents were at the Willington Ridge Condo complex Saturday in an effort to improve condominium infrastructure in Willington. Read the article……………………………….
HOA may have authority to lease or sell HOA property without member approval (FL)
Q: Is there an equivalent to Section 718.110(4), Fla. Stat. in Chapter 720 [the HOA Act] that would require a 100% vote in favor of an amendment to the covenants which materially modifies the appurtenances of the units (in this case permitting boat docks)? We live in an HOA community, but the issue seems to […]
Being Threatened With Legal Action? What Community Association Board Members Can Do To Protect Themselves (NC)
For homeowner association volunteers, a very real concern is the possibility of legal threats that may be levelled against the board. In a recent “Ask the Experts” webinar, Attorney Chris Gelwicks provided information on what community association board members should do when faced with threats of litigation from homeowners. Read the article……………………………………
How to prepare for an annual meeting (IL)
Q: The annual meeting for our association will be held this spring. Do you have any recommendations for a timeline of issues the board should address leading up to the annual meeting? Read the Q&A……………………………………
Attempt at scaring vultures ruffled feathers of Sun City Center residents who say it’s disturbing all birds (FL)
The birds are a big attraction along Middle Lake in Sun City Center. Residents spend hours watching them. “We are not crazy people,” Lucia Perez shared. “We’re just people who moved here to enjoy the beauty nature has to offer to us.” Read the article……………………………………..
Some neighbors at Saturnia Lakes in Collier County unhappy about tree removal (FL)
Homeowners in a Collier County community are furious their HOA is tearing down a beloved part of the community, and it’s taking place without their approval. We visited Saturnia Lakes in Collier County Friday, where people living there are doing everything they can to save trees in their neighborhood. Watch the news report……………………………………..
Nevada Q&A
Q: Do vacant positions count to establish a quorum? Our HOA should have a seven members on the board, but we currently have three vacant positions. If we do not count the vacant positions, we would need three members to establish a quorum, but if we counted the seven positions, we would need four members. […]
In Rossmoor, governance again becomes an issue (CA)
The Rossmoor Community Services District has signaled a retreat just weeks after asking a local legislator to file a bill seeking to pave the way for more control over the unincorporated area. Read the article………………………………………..
Verbal altercations reported over effort to remove “plantation” from neighborhood name (SC)
Verbal altercations have been reported in one Mount Pleasant neighborhood over an effort to remove the word “plantation” from its name. The Belle Hall Plantation Homeowner’s Association sent a letter to residents this week saying there have been several individuals distributing door-hanger notices throughout the neighborhood, attaching them to mailboxes and doorknobs. Read the article………………………………….
Investigation: Fight for light between homeowners and associations over solar power, despite new law (VA)
In a power struggle involving a family in Chesapeake, there’s hardly a ray of hope that it won’t result in a lawsuit. Will Rivera says he wants to save some money and help save the environment. He wants to install solar panels on his roof in the Edinburgh community in Chesapeake. Rivera got a one-sentence […]
Special assessment, $9,546, for roof repair stuns Thornton condo owners who purchased units long after storm (CO)
Lucille Ulibarri bought a condo in Thornton’s Peachtree complex in December and three months later, she got stuck with a special assessment for storm damage that occurred in 2018. Read the article…………………………………….
Sun City homeowners calling on community to stop trapping deer with nets (TX)
A handful of homeowners in Sun City are raising concerns over a deer trapping program that’s been in place in their exclusive retirement community for 17 years. “The primary reason why we relocated here was because of the wildlife and the natural beauty,” said Laurel Mulvey. Read the article………………………………….
Hugo hailed as pioneer of stormwater reuse via neighborhood-wide irrigation system (MN)
Marketing materials for the Adelaide Landing housing development in Hugo tout its idyllic natural setting, proximity to downtown White Bear Lake and its architect-designed home plans. But there’s another selling point not normally seen on brochures for new suburban developments: a neighborhood-wide irrigation system that recycles stormwater. Read the article…………………………………
HOA changed rules after Black Lives Matter flag clash, homeowner says (TX)
“I feel like they made a whole new policy based on my yard,” said Gloria. She’s referring to the Hearthstone Homeowner’s Association. In early March, management sent out new flag and sign rules that state the association can enter a lot and remove any sign, banner or flag that isn’t on the approved list or […]
How a homeowners association plans to block Norwell’s affordable housing project (MA)
A homeowners association is trying to block the building of more affordable housing in town by pushing a citizen’s petition that could transform a parcel designated for housing into conservation land. Read the article………………………………………
Restitution fund created for residents of Salinas HOA whose vehicles were unlawfully towed (CA)
A restitution fund has been created for residents whose vehicles were unlawfully towed at a Salinas-area Homeowners Association, and the first check was delivered on Saturday. The Monterey County Superior Court entered its judgment in the case People v. Regency Management Group, and the ruling provided for an $82,000 restitution fund. Read the article………………………………..
Condo Questions: Is a special assessment for storm damage refunded when a renter moves? (FL)
Q: Our condominium association adopted and collected a special assessment for Hurricane Irma damage. Now we have finally settled with the insurance company and have surplus of funds. The board is considering refunding the surplus funds to the owners who paid the special assessment but some of those owners have sold their unit and moved. […]
City paves the way for HOA park project (KS)
Times, and plans, change. In regards to a certain tract of land in Derby’s Stone Creek Addition, both brought a potential property ownership change before the Planning Commission at its March 18 meeting. Originally dedicated to the city for use as a public park, Reserve S (northeast of the new elementary school at the corner […]
Clubhouse Goes Private, Expires Lease on Neighborhood Daycare Program (CA)
The Glenshire Devonshire Residents Association is pulling the plug on tenant leases in its clubhouse, limiting access to association members and their guests. The decision affects Play Date, a daycare program which partly operates out of the building, and Town Church Truckee — both of which up until recently offered services to the broad public. […]
Cancer patient sues Heritage Hills to get back her health insurance (NY)
An office manager at Heritage Hills condominium community in Somers claims she was demoted to part-time status and stripped of health insurance because she was diagnosed with cancer. Read the article…………………………………..
Man hospitalized after downtown Las Vegas condo fire (NV)
A man was hospitalized with second-degree burns to his legs after a downtown Las Vegas condo fire Monday morning. Read the article…………………………
Red Bank: Condo Unit Owner Sought (NJ)
Housing officials in Red Bank are preparing legal action against a Cedar Crossing homeowner they say has both illegally sublet her condo and skipped years of fee payments. Read the article……………………………….
REAL ESTATE MATTERS: Moving to avoid board-run condo development
Q: I read your response to the 66-year old buyer who was considering the purchase of a home. I’m 84 years old. I live in a small (75-plus unit) condo development. I love my unit but there are things I don’t like in the board-run community. My dilemma is whether to simply accept the issues […]
Mount Pleasant neighborhoods, others in SC seek to remove ‘plantation’ from name
Residents of Plantation, Fla., have petitioned authorities to change the town’s name. Residents of Plantation Estates, a senior retirement community southeast of Charlotte, succeeded late last year in changing the name to Matthews Glen. And homeowners in Hilton Head Plantation have been trying to get that troublesome word replaced for months. Read the article…………………………………
Local board makes decision in millionaires’ squabble over iconic Arizona golf courses
A nearly two-year legal fight over non-golf activities at two of Arizona’s most iconic courses — a dispute that pitted millionaire Phoenix homeowners against high-profile business leaders — has been decided in favor of the residents and their desire to maintain the status quo at the courses. Read the article…………………………………..
Lowest Bidder Need Not Be Hired (FL)
Q: My homeowners’ association recently put out bids for repaving of our roads and hired the lowest bidder. Is this legal? Read the Q&A………………………………….
Can owners review association books? (IL)
Q: An owner in our association made a request to review certain books and records of the association. The requested documents are not described in the Condominium Property Act. Can the association nonetheless provide copies to the owner? Read the Q&A………………………………….
Columbia Association to permanently shut down Haven on the Lake, keep 8 pools closed this summer (MD)
Budgetary challenges due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will once again impact the Columbia Association’s services this summer. Last month, the association’s board approved its fiscal 2022 budget, which included keeping eight of its 23 pools closed and the permanent closure of wellness center Haven on the Lake. Read the article…………………………………..
Former Bainbridge home association treasurer pleads guilty to grand theft (OH)
Joseph Kolenic, 83, the former treasurer of the Bainbridge Pilgrim Village Homeowners Association, recently pleaded guilty to one count of grand theft, a fourth-degree felony, in Geauga County Common Pleas Court. (Need subscription to read entire article)………………………
How the Idea for the American Flag Drop-Off Box Got Rolling in Tamarac
Thanks to one community association that heard our proposal back in 2015, a flag drop-off box has been located in the city for a patriotic place to dispose of damaged or tattered flags for retirement. Read the article…………………………………..
PD launches program to access community surveillance video (AL)
With your permission, the Spanish Fort Police Department could have remote access to your surveillance footage to help fight crime more quickly. Read the article……………………………………
Golf course owner plans new homes, townhouses and recreation center (FL)
Golf courses nationwide have hit on hard times because the outdoor sport has fallen out of favor with many who would rather get the same thrills from a computer screen. The popularity decline has forced golf course owners to think out of the box and the new owner of the Pine Ridge Golf Club in […]
Fishhawk Lake fights fish kill fine (OR)
The Fishhawk Lake Reserve and Community is fighting a $439,200 penalty from the state for allegedly killing more than 30,000 fish after draining the reservoir in 2019. The lake, considered state waters, is held back by an earthen dam built along Fishhawk Creek in the 1960s for a private community on the border of Clatsop […]
23 homeless after 2-alarm fire at attached condos in Willoughby Spit (VA)
A fire that began Monday morning in the middle of an Ocean View condominium complex spread quickly. The Norfolk fire department reported no injuries but the fire displaced the 23 residents. Read the article………………………………………….
Tall grass, weeds and water damage land Avondale property owner in court (OH)
Nearly three years after the Avondale Community Improvement Association took property owner Tom Woosnam to court, the property remains unoccupied and the case is still unresolved. Read the article…………………………………….
Tomoka Oaks residents anxious over future of golf course (FL)
Uncertainty continues to plague the residents of Tomoka Oaks as they await what will be built on the former golf course property, which is being sold to a local developer. Read the article…………………………………
Landlords, condo associations sue to end ban on eviction writs in Miami-Dade (FL)
A group of Miami-Dade County landlords, condo associations and others are pushing to end the moratorium on executing residential writs of possession filed during the pandemic. Read the article…………………………………..
Q&A: Statute of Limitations on Condo Balcony Alteration (NY)
Q. A homeowner in a condo asks the board to allow the alteration of the balcony enclosure to a taller height. The board and management company agree and the alteration takes place. Twenty-five years later, a new manager says that was improper and the balcony must go back to original standards. Is there a statute […]