Featured Articles
Hiring an Architect to Review Your Condo/HOA ARC Requests
A reader of our sister publication, HOAleader.com, asks: “I’m looking for any best practices related to the use of architects to help an architectural review committee review project submittals. More specifically, we’re looking at how an architect consultant should interact with the committee when the architect submits a project for the committee to review.” Here,…
Condo Buyouts in Florida and Elsewhere Continue: Who Benefits?
With the cost of fixing older condos in Florida becoming exorbitant, and with renting much more profitable for developers, buyouts and deconversions of entire condo buildings are trendy. And the process can be messy. Sometimes, there’s a formal offer. Other times, investors quietly amass properties, and you don’t realize you’re a takeover target until investors…
Is This the Best Way for an HOA to Handle Bad Publicity?
When a Black man who was fishing in his own HOA’s pond was approached by White residents asking if he belonged, he began posting videos of the encounters on social media. Then the HOA president asked him to stop posting videos. “I think this is a greater societal issue,” says Brendan Bunn, CCAL, a partner…
Dueling Experts Disagree Over HOA Board’s Plan to Remove Trees
More than 60 homeowners in a San Mateo, Calif., HOA are disputing their board’s decision to remove 20 trees based on the advice of their expert arborist. The local government has even denied the association’s request for a permit to remove the trees, saying the trees aren’t dying, diseased, or a danger. Now what? What’s…
55-and-Over Communities: Can You Require Renters to Be a Certain Age?
A reader of our sister publication, HOAleader.com, who attended an August webinar on regulating rentals, asked a question during the Q&A portion we couldn’t get to since there were so many questions: Can a 55-and-older community require that at least one renter be 55 or older? Let’s find out. Tightly Run Ships Let’s start with…
HOA Gets Injunction to Restrict Neighbor’s For-Profit and Dangerous House Parties
An Indiana HOA has had enough of a nearby owner’s house parties, for which he charges hundreds of dollars for admission, and that have resulted in gunfire, traffic, and noise. A court has agreed. Here, we explain the problem and the court’s solution. And we check in with our experts on whether this is the…
Would Your Condo/HOA Meet This Recordkeeping Requirement?
An HOA lawyer says Florida law requires that condos must keep minutes from the beginning of the development ad infinitum. Is that a common requirement in states? And would your condo or HOA actually meet that standard today if you were ordered to produce all those minutes? If not, is it worth having someone go…
Don’t Be Fooled By Claims the IRS Will Be Up in Your Condo/HOA Grill Over Reserves
We recently came across an online article from a reserve study firm implying that the IRS places requirements on HOAs for reserves and that you could be in hot water if you’re not complying. But the language is sort of squishy and perhaps leaning less toward accuracy and a little more toward getting readers to…
Can Your Condo Owners Install Cameras on Common Areas to Protect Their Property?
Condo owners in Canada have been forced to remove cameras installed on common property that allow them to monitor their auto parked on site. What if an owner wanted to install a camera on your common property to have a bird’s-eye view of their property 24/7? Here’s what to consider. It’s Their Property and Everybody…
Moving Architectural Controls From Your Condo’s/HOA’s Covenants to Rules
In a June webinar from our sister publication, HOAleader.com, we had a ton of listener questions and simply couldn’t get to all of them. So, we tackle one here: “How, when, and can we remove specific architectural controls from the covenants (e.g., type/style of fence, front door, etc.) and include them in the architectural guidance…