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The New York Times reports on yet another condo community that was gobbled up by investors and eventually deconverted, pushing the final owner holdout to sell, which they claim would be at a big loss from their fair market value. One of our experts, Scott D. Weiss, CCAL, a community association lawyer at Ortale Kelley…

We recently got a question from a manager, not a board member. But we’re happy to help everyone involved in our condo/HOA world. Here’s the query: “I’m the property manager for a historic condo building in center city Philadelphia. We recently ran our board elections but after the vote found that one of the owners…

First it was HOA Cynthia, a Geico ad poking fun at an HOA president who was all up in her neighbors’ business. We can’t find that original video on any of Geico’s online channels, but you can watch it here. Now it’s Motor Trend that’s making hay out of a Florida HOA. The HOA is…

At a recent webinar on understanding association financials, a reader asked for advice on internal controls to put in place when the board employs one person “who does everything.” We presume that means one person handles all the community’s finances. Frankly, that setup worries Patricia A. Ayars, founder of Ayars & Associates in Glastonbury, Conn.,…

Think you’ve protected your community against damage that would require your insurer to step in and fund fixes? Think again. Condo/HOA dangers are more common than you may realize. Karen O’Connor Corrigan, CIC, CIRMS, has her finger on the pulse of condo/HOA insurance trends. Here’s what the president/owner of O’Connor Insurance Agency, which insures more…

More owners are interested in installing swim spas — basically a miniature pool they can use to swim in place against a current. “When I talk to colleagues around the country, these swim spas are really turning into an absolute phenomenon,” says Paul Grucza, principal with PDG and Associates, consultants for the association management industry.…

A community association in Delaware learned the hard way about the importance of the clear and effective transfer of rights from the developer. Because such a transfer had never occurred back when the association was formed in the 1960s, a court shot down its attempt to enforce deed restrictions more than 50 years later —…

A Connecticut condo association board tried to force the removal of a dog after holding multiple hearings and concluding it was vicious (Copper Square Ass’n, Inc. v. Bonell). But a court found the board dropped the ball and denied to order removal. The case involved a dog named Bo, who lived with a tenant in…

The California Court of Appeals recently found that an association didn’t deserve an attorneys’ fee award because it “turned tail” by unilaterally making rules changes instead of arguing against an owner’s objections to the rules in court (Artus v. Gramercy Towers Condominium Ass’n*). The case is a powerful reminder that, while state law or governing…

More owners are interested in installing swim spas — basically a miniature pool they can use to swim in place against a current. “When I talk to colleagues around the country, these swim spas are really turning into an absolute phenomenon,” says Paul Grucza, principal with PDG and Associates, consultants for the association management industry.…