Departments

Why Your Clients Need to Take Insurance Applications Seriously

Many associations are taking a second look at their insurance coverage these days. That makes this a prime time to remind them that omitting potential legal claims or other so-called “material” information can come back to bite them. A California HOA learned this lesson the hard way association when a court found it concealed important…

4 Tips for Navigating Higher Costs with Boards and Owners

Rising inflation has been all over the news, but that doesn’t necessarily make it any easier for boards and owners to swallow the climbing costs for both large projects and day-to-day operations. Our experts have four moves you can implement now to reduce the pain of startling budget variances, unexpected special assessments, and similar financial…

Can Owners Challenge Deconversions?

In a previous article, we dove into the upswing in condo deconversions in some parts of the country, with multi-unit buildings that were converted from apartments years ago reverting back to rental units. The Illinois Court of Appeals recently issued an important ruling addressing owners’ ability to challenge such moves. “The ruling is good for…

Insurance is Key to Protecting Your Board Members

Board member burnout isn’t new, but recent events also have members concerned about their potential liability, only compounding the effect on board retention. “It’s just been a really tough time for boards, and it already wasn’t a glorified position,” says Jennifer Biletnikoff, a shareholder in the Naples, Fla., office of Becker & Poliakoff. “I have…

Court Says Short-Term Rentals are “Residential Purpose”

We’ve covered several cases over the past couple of years where state courts found that an association’s residential use restriction prohibited short-term rentals. But now the South Dakota Supreme Court has held otherwise. That court concluded that the definition of the term “residential purpose” includes short-term rentals (Wilson v. Maynard). “This is a different interpretation…

The New World of Bidding

In the wake of pandemic delays and a new focus on deferred maintenance since the Surfside tragedy, many associations have significant projects to bid out to contractors. But the process has changed in the past couple of years. Gone are the days of the board considering a project, the manager putting out a request for…

Surfside Update: The Call for Condo Safety Reforms, Part 2

In the first part of our two-part article on the Miami-Dade County grand jury report on the Surfside condo collapse, we examined some of the report’s most noteworthy recommendations and the implications for condo association boards. Now we take a look at what those recommendations might mean for managers and how the recommendations are likely…

Condo Board Can Negotiate Building Sale Without Owner Approval

In a previous article, we dove into the upswing in condo deconversions in some parts of the country, with multi-unit buildings that were converted from apartments years ago reverting back to rental units. The Illinois Court of Appeals recently issued an important ruling addressing owners’ ability to challenge such moves (Glazer v. The Private Residences…

How Associations Can Protect Their Board Members — And Keep Them on Board

Board member burnout isn’t new, but recent events also have members concerned about their potential liability, only compounding the effect on board retention. “It’s just been a really tough time for boards, and it already wasn’t a glorified position,” says Jennifer Biletnikoff, a shareholder in the Naples, Fla., office of Becker & Poliakoff. “I have…

Deconversion: Coming Soon to a Condo Near You?

Various parts of the country are seeing an uptick in condo deconversions, with multi-unit buildings that were converted from apartments years ago reverting back to that status. Owners may have dollar signs in their eyes and dreams of avoiding the costs of long deferred maintenance or modern upgrades, but they need to have the full…