The Superior Court of Pennsylvania said an occupancy agreement, not an operation agreement, was the key document in deciding the fate of a residential dispute action centered around a condominium in Philadelphia’s affluent Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Read the article…………….
Sign of the Times
With the Republican and Democratic National Conventions behind us, campaign season is now in high gear. Many people feel very strongly about who should become our next President and would like to convince as many people as possible to vote for their preferred candidate. While not everyone has the time to volunteer for a campaign or the means to make donations, many people will […]
TRID Rule Technical Correction?
In the pre-TRID rule environment, property taxes, homeowners association dues, condominium fees, and cooperative fees that a borrower was required to pay in advance to the applicable parties (and not into an escrow or impound account) were not subject to a specific percentage tolerance. However, based on a typographical error in the supplementary information to […]
Commonwealth Court (PA) vacates trial court order in remanding of condo case
Per a Sept. 18 ruling from the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, a default judgment in excess of $16,000 now has the chance to be opened in its remanding to the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. The Commonwealth Court overturned a May 2014 decision of the trial court, which denied Kristina A. Nash the opportunity […]
Who Pays to Restore My Broken Outdoor Water or Sewer Service Lines??
Many homeowners who are part of an association have a common misconception that they are not responsible for maintenance outside of their home. As a matter of fact, they very well may be. Read the article……….
Recovering Condominium and Homeowners Association Fees Due Prior to Sheriff’s Sale
Under Pennsylvania statute, when real estate subject to homeowner’s association assessments or condominium association assessments is sold at sheriff’s sale, the homeowner’s association or condominium association is entitled to recover delinquent assessments/charges accruing in the six (6) months prior to the sheriff’s sale. All other assessments/charges accruing prior to the sheriff’s sale are ordinarily divested […]
5 Rules For Solving Pet Problems in Your Homeowners Association – A Guide For HOA Board Members
The Joneses have a very friendly golden retriever named Sparky. But they let him off leash in the common areas of your homeowner association and the mutt bounds up to neighbors and jumps on them to say hello. The neighbors like the Joneses and Sparky, but they’ve asked you to remind them that they must […]
Philly Building Engineers Want Share Of $5M Verdict Axed
A Philadelphia construction engineering firm asked the Pennsylvania Superior Court on Tuesday to overturn a $350,000 judgment that was part of a $5 million jury verdict in a case where a condominium association claimed it was deceived by statements about its building’s structural integrity. Read more………
Poconos a pioneer in community associations
Known as the green backdrop to the New York City metropolitan area, the Poconos helped pioneer the development of homeowners’ associations in the years after World War II. Read more……….
CAI Best Practices: Ethics
Simply put, when someone is employing ethics, he or she recognizes what is right and what is wrong and is choosing to do the right thing; however, as a great deal of business ethics literature will attest, “the right thing” is not always straightforward. For example, most ethical dilemmas in the workplace are not simply […]
Q&A: What Could Happen If Our Condominium Association Does Not Hire Lifeguards?
Q: Our condominium association has a swimming pool and every year we hire lifeguards for the pool season even though there is no ordinance that requires the association to have lifeguards. This year the board is contemplating the need for lifeguards. If the association does not hire lifeguards: Will it impact our insurance costs or […]
Pa. High Court Won’t Hear Developer’s Arbitration Push
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear an appeal of an appellate ruling that denied a developer the ability to push claims brought by a homeowners association over construction defects into arbitration. Read more…….
From Good to Great: Principles for Community Association Success
Every community has its own history, personality, attributes and challenges, but all associations share common characteristics and core principles. Good associations preserve the character of their communities, protect property values and meet the established expectations of homeowners. Great associations also cultivate a true sense of community, promote active homeowner involvement and create a culture of […]
Airing Dirty Laundry
I have a bit of apprehension in writing today’s column — it’s a little like airing one’s dirty laundry, not mine but the dirty laundry of my neighborhood. For that reason no names will appear. All of this stems from the annual WillowBrook Homeowner’s Association meeting held this past Tuesday evening. Read more…..
Amendments to Pennsylvania’s Uniform Condominium Act and Uniform Planned Communities Act
Recently, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed into law House Bill 1122 (the “Amendment”), which amends the Uniform Condominium Act and the Uniform Planned Community Act (together the “Acts”) by extending the time period for a developer—which the Acts refer to as a declarant—to exercise certain special declarant rights. Read more…….
So Now You’re On the Board
The first steps to superior board performance are clarifying your board’s job and then following through with appropriate plans, actions and evaluation of results. The checklists presented here are intended to assist you in those tasks. They cover a significant number of your responsibilities. The checklists will apply to virtually any association. To use them, […]