- Disaster assistance for privately owned roads and bridges (ME) April 26, 2024
For Mainers who live in Cumberland, Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington or York counties and had a privately owned road or bridge damaged or destroyed by the severe storms and flooding that took place January 9-13, FEMA or the U.S. Small Business Administration may provide financial assistance for replacement or repairs. Read the article…………………………….
- Davis Island residents seek selectmen’s help with disaster relief funding (ME) February 27, 2024
Three December storms resulted in severe flooding at Davis Island properties and a resident is now looking for help. John Allen requested Feb. 20 Edgecomb selectmen assist their homeowner’s association with submitting a Maine Emergency Management Agency application for natural disaster funding. Read the article…………………………….
- Lewiston nonprofit helps renters buy their first home by turning apartments into condos (ME) December 13, 2023
From renting to owning, a nonprofit is developing condos in Lewiston’s “Tree Streets” neighborhood. A two-bedroom condo at 51 Howard Street is available for $150,000. The other two floors will be up for sale next year. Read the article……………………………
- Saco retirement development plagued by problems, some residents say (ME) December 10, 2023
More than half the homeowners at The Cottages at Pine Meadow have complained to the attorney general’s office but have not gotten any recourse. The developer and builder, meanwhile, deny the claims and have criticized the owners. Read the article………………………..
- Falmouth mother says she’s not taking down her Pride flags despite complaint (ME) June 24, 2023
Brooke Hackett said the homeowners association told her all signs and flags are banned in her neighborhood, a rule that she says was never enforced until now. Read the article………………………..
- Aesthetic Rules Balancing Community Value with Individual Rights
In the world of single-family homes, property owners can do pretty much whatever they want when it comes to the look of their place. They can paint their house bright purple, for instance. Or display Christmas or Halloween decorations that are so bright or scary they may keep the neighbors up at night. Clearly, the community nature of co-op and condo living—particularly in urban multifamily buildings—puts some limits to these forms of self-expression in the name of visual continuity, taste, ...
- The Finer Points of Fining Condominium Owners
Condo association rules provide a behavioral road map for owners, explaining what they are allowed and not allowed to do. But creating effective rules is only half the challenge for boards; enforcing the rules is the other arguably more challenging half of this equation. When it comes to enforcement, boards don’t have many tools. They can’t “vote owners off the island,” they can’t arrest owners and they can’t evict owners from units they own. Read the article…………………………….
- Replacing Board Members
Problem: One member of our seven-member board has resigned, leaving us with only six members. The association’s documents require a seven-member board, but the next election, at which a new board member might be elected, is several months away and there don’t appear to be any owners willing to fill the vacant position. Read the Q&A………………………………..
- Roof Replacement 101: A Project Too Vital to Put Off
Nothing lasts forever, not even your roof. While roofs have a relatively long life compared to other building systems and components, at some point they will need either partial or full replacement. Here are the facts and factors you and your community need to know when your roof’s useful life starts winding down. Read the article…………………………….
- Tree Care & Maintenance: Keeping Your Biggest Landscaping Elements Healthy
Trees provide us with many benefits, from the obvious to the not-so-obvious. Whether your community is an urban high-rise surrounded by hundreds of others, or a sprawling suburban development with acres of grounds, its trees are an integral part of the landscape—one that we often take for granted, but which requires specific, dedicated care and maintenance in order to stay healthy and lush for decades to come. Read the article…………………………….
- Holding Orderly, Efficient Annual Meetings – It’s Not as Hard as It Seems!
Talk to anyone familiar with common-interest community governance anywhere in the country, and they will tell you the same thing: apathy is rampant among residents of co-ops, condos, and HOAs. Not only is it difficult to get owners and shareholders to run for their boards of directors, but it’s a struggle to even get them to show up to the once-a-year meetings held to elect those board members and to update the community on what is happening in their home ...
- Boards & Boundaries: How ‘Available’ Should You Be?
In multifamily residential communities, where neighbors share common space, amenities, and maintenance—if not actual walls—establishing and maintaining boundaries can be a bit tricky. Read the article…………………………….