Massachusetts Condominium & Homeowner Association News

• ‘Your house is worthless’: Massachusetts homeowners are grappling with crumbling foundations that insurance won’t cover April 8, 2024
  A cluster of homes run by a condo association in Westminster, Massachusetts, has had at least 10 of 96 units, all built in the 1990s, test positive for pyrrhotite — racking up repair fees of $115,000 to $130,000 per unit — according to Spectrum News 1. This caused homeowners association (HOA) fees to skyrocket.   Read the article…………………………….
• Hopkinton Highlands III bond release request leaves Planning Board ‘in a weird position’ (MA) April 3, 2024
  Maillet added that he was able to retrieve some information from the surveyor’s son to give to a second surveyor. Some repairs were made at the request of the condominium association and added to the plan.  While the drainage pipes are delineated on the plan, the drainage structures were not able to be marked, according to Maillet. He noted that the association’s board expressed no drainage issues regarding the property.  Said Maillet: “The only way you can locate it is ...
• Rentals and condos would be required to allow pets under proposed bylaw in Arlington (MA) March 28, 2024
  A new bylaw proposed by Arlington animal would require rental and condominium agreements to allow common household pets.  “An animal is like a family member. I would be heartbroken if I had to separate from my cat,” said Paul Schlichtman, who’s behind the legislation. He said the bylaw would allow residents to own common household pets like dogs and cats, plus some others.    Read the article…………………………….
• Residents evacuated after crane collapses onto condo complex in Norwood (MA) March 15, 2024
  A crane collapsed onto a condo complex in Norwood Friday afternoon, but no one was hurt, according to authorities.  Crews arrived to find the crane resting on a building that was under construction.   Read the article…………………………….
• 7 Investigates: Community in Crisis (MA) March 13, 2024
  The frustration is growing by the day among the residents of a condominium complex in Somerville.  An expanding homeless encampment under I-93 directly across from their lobby has become a chaotic scene over the past few months.  “I walk out here and there are people that shouldn’t be inside inside,” said Somerville resident Harish Rajaram.   Read the article…………………………….
• Manchester Community Center suing Harbor’s Point Association (MA) February 26, 2024
  The nonprofit Manchester Community Center is suing its landlord, Harbor’s Point Condominium Association, claiming the association engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices.  The lawsuit, filed Feb. 20 in Essex Superior Court in Lawrence, seeks damages amounting to $1.3 million.  In the suit, the Community Center alleges Harbor’s Point forced the center to sign leases to real estate the center was already entitled to, that Harbor’s Point proposed monetary terms that were “unfairly high” and that the company sought to ...
• Florida And Massachusetts Law Firms Unite To Tackle Fannie Mae’s Secret Condo Blacklist December 18, 2023
  The firms say they are committed to helping condominium and cooperative associations currently on the blacklist, or at risk of being added, navigate this complex issue. Fannie Mae, a government-sponsored enterprise, uses the blacklist to designate properties ineligible for conventional financing, affecting thousands of residents and potential buyers.    Read the article…………………………..  Link to web site “The Blacklist”

Massachusetts News Archives

Massachusetts Condominium & Homeowner Association Articles

• 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 ...
• How to Successfully Budget Your HOA
  A homeowners association makes the big decisions for your condo or living space. These big decisions include a budget, which encompasses how your association will decide which areas of your property require financial spending. Creating a budget is a complex project; at Thayer Associates, we’d like to make the process easier.     Read the article…………………………….
• Do Condominium Boards Have the Right to Restrict Signs? (MA)
  QUESTION: Our condominium association has a rule barring the display of signs in common areas or in locations visible from common areas.  Some board members say we are required to make an exception for political signs. Is that true?   Read the Q&A………………………………..

Massachusetts Article Archives

Massachusetts Laws

Massachusetts Condominium Act

Real Estate Time Shares

Massachusetts Condominium & Homeowner Association Resources

Community Associations Institute –  New England Chapter