Managing a property requires a high level of business acumen. Being an HOA community manager is sometimes a thankless job. But someone needs to help manage the community, ensure that those are being paid, and help take care of maintenance/repairs that might need to be done. It’s also prudent to keep the neighborhood looking in […]
More on the Installation of Security Cameras (FL)
The installation of a security camera on condominium common elements is considered a material alteration or substantial addition to the common elements. In Sterling Village Condo., Inc. v. Breitenbach, 251 S.2d 685, 687 (Fla. 4th 1971), the court defined “material alteration or addition” as follows: Read the entire article……………………………….
7 Ways To Avoid HOA Data Breach
Homeowners associations deal with all sorts of private information — from the names of members to their individual bank account numbers. Protecting such information is paramount to skirting potential liability. But, how exactly can an association prevent an HOA data breach? Read the entire article……………………………….
License plate reader use expanding in local neighborhoods leading to privacy concerns (AL)
Police say new camera systems give them the edge alerting them of things like stolen vehicles entering their city, vehicles wanted in Amber Alerts, or even to search for a particular car description. But there are some privacy concerns. Read the entire article……………………………….
Ransomware attack exposed personal info of Hancock unit owners (IL)
A ransomware attack on a property management company in Chicago did not get ransom but exposed personal information about unit owners and prospective unit owners at John Hancock Center. Cancelled checks, credit reports, and loan documents were exposed in the attack that was first noticed by Sudler Property Management on October 31. Read the […]
KPRC 2 Investigates: How license plate readers are being used by HOAs, businesses (TX)
A tool commonly used by law enforcement agencies to recover stolen cars is also increasingly being used by neighborhood HOA’s and businesses to respond to crime. License plate readers, specifically the Flock Safety Cameras, have been used by Memorial Villages Police Department to recover a staggering amount of stolen vehicles. Read the entire article……………………………….
You Looking at Me? Video Doorbell Cameras Trigger Privacy Concerns and Potential Liability Risks (MA)
Video doorbells (VDs), hugely popular and increasingly ubiquitous, enable homeowners to see, record and communicate with visitors at their door, answer the door remotely when they are away, discourage thieves from stealing packages or video them if they do, and notice when the teen who’s supposed to be in at 10 doesn’t cross the threshold […]
Master-Planned Communities Embracing Next Generation of White-Labeled Mobile Apps
Bozeman, Montana-based real estate technology company Alosant is a pioneer in the burgeoning category of mobile apps for master-planned communities—sprawling developments that feature an array of amenities, such as schools, workspaces, shops, restaurants, bars, and golf courses. Read the entire article……………………………….
Trends in Multifamily Building Technology: Building Systems Better
The forward march of innovation is constantly changing the face of nearly every industry—including residential real estate. To keep co-ops, condominiums, and other multifamily communities functioning optimally, we need to keep abreast of the latest advancements in building systems. Here are a few of the latest trends. Read the entire article……………………………….
Robots to the Rescue for Costly Co-op and Condo Facade Inspections (NY)
Co-op and condo boards are accustomed to getting bad news – and big bills – in their never-ending quest to comply with the city’s stringent Facade Inspection and Safety Program, formerly known as Local Law 11. Today, we have some good news. Read the entire article……………………………….
Artificial Intelligence Is Changing The Condo Industry
Technology has changed our lives for the better in many ways, from employment to retail services. Now, AI technology has started to make inroads in the real estate and housing markets due to more people being indoors due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the United States Department of Commerce has noted that sales in […]
How to Hold Hybrid Zoom Board Meetings
As COVID-19 restrictions have loosened on group gatherings, many are questioning the best way to continue holding board meetings. Holding the meetings virtually has increased participation from the community, but communities are eager to meet in person again. This has led many to ask the following: Is there a way to successfully host a meeting […]
Bomb or a Balm? Navigating New Technologies for Associations with Aplomb (AZ)
Our Associations have taken notice of the efficiencies and cost savings offered by new virtual methods of public. They are simply too good to be ignored. But their dangers are not always obvious. While our advice may be cutting edge, the legal landscape we live and work in is still digitally lacking. Read the entire […]
Suburbs of Surveillance- Law enforcement officials are encouraging private homeowners’ associations to install license plate reader cameras
One day last April, a homeowner’s association board in Vacaville, California, convened a Zoom meeting to vote on a new way to automate their neighborhood watch. The community, located in the Sacramento Valley, already had an active page on the online platform Nextdoor, where residents swapped information on missing packages and mysterious loud booms, and […]
HOA Homefront: How to embrace hybrid meetings in your community (CA)
Before the pandemic changed our world in early 2020, who knew about WebEx, Zoom, or RingCentral, or the many other virtual meeting platforms used since that time to allow HOA members to “attend” board or even membership meetings? In what seems like one short year, HOAs large and small have found the virtual meeting to […]
Officials: Hacker stole identities of multiple victims killed in Surfside condo collapse
Disturbing reports are emerging of a hacker taking advantage of those who were killed in the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside. Officials said the criminal is seeing the victims’ names in the news and then stealing their identities. Read the entire article……………………………….
Privacy and Data Security for HOAs: What Your Community Association Needs to Know (NC)
Privacy and Data Security is the body of law that addresses how an organization can collect, handle, and use personally identifiable information and how that information needs to be protected. Read the entire article……………………………….
Modern Tech | Automation and Today’s Homeowners Associations
If you are like us, the term “technology” can seem a bit intimidating. When you view it in the context of an HOA community, however, tech becomes just another way of getting things done around your property. One of the better ways, in fact. Let’s explore this insight in more detail below. Read the entire […]
Hundreds of Co-ops and Condos Suffer Data Breach (NY)
Douglas Elliman Property Management is the most recent company in the co-op/condo management sphere to have had its data network breached. Personal information for building residents and employees, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, mailing addresses, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers and financial information may have been stolen. Read the entire article……………………………….
HOA Security Cameras: Maintaining Security And Privacy
HOA security cameras can help give residents peace of mind, but they can also be a source of conflict in the community. Thus, it is important to understand the legalities and intricacies of installing such cameras, whether you are a part of the HOA board or just a regular member. Read the article……………………………………
Smarter Violations in Your Large HOA (FL)
Does your HOA have 500 units, 1000 units or 2000 units? How effective is your inspection process? Are tours completed in a routinely and timely manner? The reason this may not be happening is because the process is just too time consuming, and the manager is consistently putting it off in favor of less time-consuming […]
Wifi Woes: students in off-campus housing hire lawyer to fight dispute over promised internet, cable
The Pointe at Adams Place Apartments is a popular choice for students, just a few blocks from Florida A&M. The apartments technically reside in a Condominium complex, making for a tangled management system adding to the issues here. Read the article…………………………….
License Plate Readers Installed Natomas Neighborhood Generate Leads For Police (CA)
A Natomas neighborhood association said license plate readers installed just weeks ago are already generating leads for police. It’s a battle against petty crime, getting fast results. And what the cameras are able to track goes beyond street crime. Read the article……………………………….
Staying connected: How communities are benefiting from virtual meetings
Virtual meetings were uncharted territory for many community associations before the COVID-19 pandemic forced boards and managers to conduct business remotely. Despite concerns over the privacy and security of online platforms and requiring legal guidance, some communities feel that meeting virtually provides several advantages. Read the article…………………………………….
Natomas Community Installs License Plate Readers In Hopes Of Deterring Crime (CA)
Fighting crime, one license plate at a time. A Natomas neighborhood fed up with law-breaking drivers has installed license plate readers throughout the community known as “The Hamptons.” “We’ve been out here for 15 years and there’s a lot of drive-by crime in the area,” said Amy Gidding-Mora. Read the article…………………………………
Enforcing HOA Data Retention Policies
With all the changes going on in the world today surrounding consumers’ data privacy rights concerning personal data collected by businesses, you may hear a lot of advice about building a solid data retention policy. However, what HOA boards and members need to know are ways to enforce a data retention policy. Read the article……………………………….
Unstable connection: Internet company sues Marquis Miami condo association (FL)
The rooftop of a luxury condo high-rise marks the center of a vicious legal battle for cable and Internet supremacy in downtown Miami, according to a lawsuit recently filed in Broward County Circuit Court. Winter Haven, Florida-based ITCSAT Corp. is suing the Marquis Miami Condominium Association, a competitor cable and Internet provider named Broadwave, and […]
Condo World: The coming kidnapping of condo associations (NH)
Let’s be clear. Your computer, where you store your condominium association’s records, or the association’s computer system, will get hacked. Make no mistake about it. To pretend otherwise would be a mistake. Read the article…………………………………
Hosting Virtual Meetings via Zoom | What You Need to Know (FL)
The most asked question of 2020 is this: Can our association host our board and annual meetings using Zoom or another similar virtual/electronic platform? There is no doubt that technology will always advance faster than legislation. In fact, advances in technology seem to take place in light speed whereas advances in legislation seem to travel […]
Differences Between Virtual and In-Person Large Annual Meetings or Conventions (NC)
At this point, the genie of virtual meetings is out of the bottle. And likely not to go back in. While it was inevitable that electronic meetings would become more commonplace, the pandemic has instantly made everyone fairly expert at Zoom, GotoMeeting, Microsoft Teams, and other virtual platforms. Read the article……………………………….
BR homeowners displeased with Entergy’s installation of new tech devices in neighborhoods (LA)
While technological advances bring welcomed convenience to daily life, the new tech gadgets that make such convenience possible often seem to go through an ‘awkward phase’ before evolving into a more attractive product. Read the article…………………………………
Online Homeowner Associations: The Future (CA)
Managing a Homeowners Association is beneficial as you contribute to your local community, but it’s not without its drawbacks. Communicating with other board members and residents can take a large amount of personal time. . It is especially true in light of the statewide closures and social distancing measures. Many homeowners associations are still relying […]
High-tech cameras used to fight neighborhood crime (TN)
Bellevue HOA say license plate readers are the newest technology for area neighborhood watch groups. In the Poplar Creek Estates neighborhood in Bellevue, your license plate is guaranteed to be caught on camera. Read the article………………………………..
Co-op Board Learns That Emails Can Bite Back (NY)
The brawl begins. Back in 2017, the actors Justin Theroux and his then-wife Jennifer Aniston got approval from their Greenwich Village co-op board to combine their apartment with the newly acquired apartment next door, then embark on a $1 million renovation of the expanded space. But the downstairs neighbors, Norman and Barbara Rescinow, complained about […]
About 100 Houston-area neighborhoods using license plate readers (TX)
In northwest Harris County, Westlake and Westlake Forest are among the newest neighborhoods in the Houston-area to use technology once only available to police: license plate readers. Read the article…………………………………….
How HOA-Specific Technology Can Position Your Business for Success
The events of the past year have prompted many to reevaluate how their business operates. What modifications were required? Did you have the resources needed to make changes happen smoothly? Read the article……………………………………
Surveillance camera videos are private property (IL)
Q: The board of our condominium association installed surveillance cameras at various common element locations in the association. What if I suspected my spouse is cheating on me with an old flame while I am at work? Could the board refuse my request for a copy of the surveillance camera video that could support my […]
Twin Cities Neighborhood Association Turns To New Camera Technology To Deter Car, Home Break-Ins (MN)
A west metro neighborhood association is taking a new approach to preventing car and home break-ins, and so far it appears it’s working. Heritage Park is a 37-home development nestled in Plymouth. It’s where Jim Russell and his wife are raising their boys. Read the article……………………………….
The Pros and Cons of Bulk Cable / Internet Service Agreements
Fast, reliable internet service is an amenity that most residents value in their homes. Some even want that to extend this to common areas, expecting the community association to provide at least some additional wireless connectivity. In many cases, Condo Associations and even some traditional Homeowner Associations are turning to Bulk Service Agreements to provide […]
Neighborhoods use police-linked license plate readers to monitor drivers in Hillsborough County (FL)
Tampa Bay residents are turning to license plate readers to keep an eye on who’s coming and going. A homeowner’s association in Temple Terrace says it’s an effort to keep homeowners safe and plans to install a system linked with police, just in case they have to share the information when a crime happens. Read […]
Drones and 3D Property Reconstructions for Homeowners Associations (CO)
For HOA’s, it can be very useful to have a tool to document a house or property to view later. Often, this would entail just taking photographs of anything relevant or particularly specific on a property. However, photos can only get you so far. Say perhaps you want to have a measurement on a wall […]
Holding Virtual Annual Meetings (CO)
Many HOAs are hosting their required annual meetings towards the end of the year. In addition to the stress of making sure such meetings run smoothly, Boards and managers have to also navigate annual meetings during the COVID pandemic. Read the article………………………………….
License Plate Cameras Raise Privacy Concerns in One Neighborhood (TN)
A Cordova neighborhood has installed cameras to reduce crime, but not everyone who lives there thinks they are a good idea. The solar-powered camera appeared recently in the Carrollwood Lakes subdivision in Countrywood. Carli Squires was happy to find out it is a license plate reading camera. Read the article………………………..
Burr Ridge Expands Surveillance Camera Program (IL)
Fourteen subdivisions in Burr Ridge have surveillance cameras that are connected to the village’s police department. On Monday, the Burr Ridge Village Board approved an agreement where a 15th subdivision — Carriage Way — would join the program. The neighborhood is investing $32,000 into cameras at the entrance to the subdivision, according to the village. […]
3 Ways That Technology Can Improve Community Experience (FL)
Modern technology has shifted the way we function in all aspects, creating higher expectations for better, effective communication and cost saving efficiency. Pre COVID, many community associations were slow to embrace and leverage technology, likely because technology is often perceived to come with an initial learning curve and financial cost. Present day, we have come […]
South Tulsa Neighborhoods Install High Tech Security Cameras (OK)
Several Tulsa neighborhoods are adding unique cameras to help solve crime. Two neighborhoods that cover a square mile near 81st and Sheridan have installed tag reading cameras. They can even sort out cars based on a vague description and help police get a tag number that might identify the driver. There are signs all over […]
Understanding the Legal Aspects of Privacy in the Age of Smart Phones and Residential Security Cameras (VA)
With most people in modern society having smart phones that have cameras and video recording capability coupled with the soaring popularity of residential security cameras, one may wonder to what extent does one have a right of privacy should their image and/or behavior be captured. One may also ponder such question when perusing through ample […]
Benefits to Cloud-Storage of Your Association Information
Running a Condominium Association or Homeowner Association requires hard work and lots of patience. For most COAs and HOAs, it makes more sense to hire a management company to streamline daily operations. For any professional HOA/COA manager, data management is a very crucial skill. Any association requires that the management company they hire organizes their finances, vendor lists, […]
Millcreek killing leads lawmakers to debate a homeowners association’s ban on security cameras (UT)
Linda Nemelka, 57, was shot and killed while sitting in the driveway of a Millcreek home in March. Police are still looking for the person responsible for her death, a task that has been made more difficult as the homeowners association in that neighborhood bans outdoor security cameras, even those on homes. Read the article…………………………………..