Legal Compliance for Community Associations

Articles on the topic of Legal Compliance for Community Associations and CA Management Companies.

How to Handle Employee Accommodation Requests, Part 2

Managers usually have a lot of experience with owner requests for reasonable accommodations, but you might be less certain about how to proceed when one of your own employees seeks an accommodation. In the first part of this two-part article, we explained the basics of an employer’s duty to provide employees with reasonable accommodations and…

Hot Tips for Regulating Fire Pits

The popularity of home fire pits has surged over the past few years, but they come with risks. Here’s what you need to know to help your clients keep a lid on potential injury and property damage. The Dangers The spreading of a fire from a pit to other areas isn’t the only concern associations…

How to Respond to Employee Accommodation Requests at Your Management Firm

Is your association management firm among the employers out there that are unsure of how to proceed when an employee requests an accommodation for a disability, whether under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or a state counterpart? Messing up can prove costly, but our two-part article can help your management firm reduce its…

How to Handle Employee Accommodation Requests, Part 1

Is your association management firm among the employers out there that are unsure of how to proceed when an employee requests an accommodation for a disability, whether under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or a state counterpart? Messing up can prove costly, but our two-part article can help your management firm reduce its…

Are Community Associations Liable For Third-Party Crimes?

After two residents of a Massachusetts condo building were killed in their penthouse home by an intruder, their estates sued the association and the management company for wrongful death. The civil case has yet to go to trial, but a pre-trial ruling from the court is cause for alarm for both condo associations and managers…

Manager, Condo Association Have Duty to Protect Residents in Common Areas

After two residents of a Massachusetts condo building were killed in their penthouse home by an intruder, their estates sued the association and the management company for wrongful death. The civil case has yet to go to trial, but a pre-trial ruling from the court is cause for alarm for both condo associations and managers…

Why Appropriate Insurance Coverage Can Help Your Association Clients Avoid Costly Litigation

The increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters—from wildfires to hurricanes—makes the procurement of appropriate insurance coverage more important than ever for community associations. If your clients don’t understand their responsibilities in this area under the governing documents and applicable state laws, they could end up in costly litigation. A North Carolina condo association and…

Association’s Allocation of Insurance Proceeds Leads to Lawsuit Loss

The increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters—from wildfires to hurricanes—makes the procurement of appropriate insurance coverage more important than ever for community associations. If your clients don’t understand their responsibilities in this area under the governing documents and applicable state laws, they could end up in costly litigation. A North Carolina condo association and…

Help Your Association Clients Avoid a Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

A federal court of appeals is allowing a Black couple to sue their HOA neighbors for racial discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). While it blocked the couple’s claims against the association, the opinion suggests that decision was due primarily to a technicality. Tonca and Terence Watters chose to build their dream home in…

HOA Escapes Racial Discrimination Lawsuit — But Harassers Don’t

A federal court of appeals is allowing a Black couple to sue their HOA neighbors for racial discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). While it blocked the couple’s claims against the association, the opinion suggests that decision was due primarily to a technicality. (Watters v. Homeowners Ass’n at the Preserve*). In other words, it’s…