Tag: Community Association Common Elements

Surfside Aftermath: New Florida Law Puts Managers Under the Gun

Florida condo and co-op associations are facing a new law aimed at ensuring the structural integrity of high-rise buildings in the wake of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside. The law imposes several new requirements that are raising concerns. “It was a hurried, not well-thought-out bill that’s going to have really significant consequences,” says…

Florida Tackles Condo Repairs Reform — Will Other States Follow?

Florida condo and co-op associations are facing a new law aimed at ensuring the structural integrity of high-rise buildings in the wake of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside. The law imposes several new requirements that are raising concerns. “It was a hurried, not well-thought-out bill that’s going to have really significant consequences,” says…

Key Provisions to Monitor in Your Elevator Maintenance Contracts

Properly operating elevators rank near the top of the most important  — and most visible —equipment in a community association. Yet some communities sign standard service contracts without giving the terms much thought. “One of the biggest mistakes across the board with associations is not having a lawyer look over the elevator contracts,” says Jennifer…

When Is Your Association Liable for Injuries Sustained on the Premises?

A third-party security guard who slipped and fell on a puddle while on duty sued the Georgia condo association where she was working. The association doesn’t have its own employees, so it hires third-party contractors to perform the necessary functions. For example, in May 2012, it retained Sizemore Security Services to provide “safety officers” for…

Hold Up: 5 Areas to Negotiate on Elevator Maintenance Contracts

Properly operating elevators rank near the top of the most important  — and most visible —equipment in a community association. Yet some communities sign standard service contracts without giving the terms much thought. “One of the biggest mistakes across the board with associations is not having a lawyer look over the elevator contracts,” says Jennifer…

HOA Isn’t Liable for Security Guard’s Slip and Fall

A third-party security guard who slipped and fell on a puddle while on duty sued the Georgia condo association where she was working (River Place at Port Royal Condominium Ass’n, Inc. v. Sapp). Read on for a useful refresher about when an association or manager can be held liable for injuries sustained on association premises…

Is Sustainable Landscaping a Worthwhile Investment?

Depending on where you operate, you may have heard annual meeting debates about sustainable landscaping dating back at least a decade. “I’ve worked with clients who have made the change, and I’ve also worked with those who have said they’d never do it,” says Paul Grucza, director of education and client development at the Seattle-based…

Time to Convert to Sustainable Landscaping?

Depending on where you operate, you may have heard annual meeting debates about sustainable landscaping dating back at least a decade. “I’ve worked with clients who have made the change, and I’ve also worked with those who have said they’d never do it,” says Paul Grucza, director of education and client development at the Seattle-based…

Managing Smoking, Pets, and Other Nuisances

Regardless of where you’re located, or how long you’ve been in the business, the same types of problems tend to crop up over and over, don’t they?

It’s not the big emergencies that make you pull your hair out, but the everyday hassles that start to grate when you get lots of people living together in the same community. Things like pet issues. And smoking. And the other chronic niggling nuisances that, over time, become a real pain in the neck.

Which is why we’ve pulled together this Special Report specifically about managing these sorts of challenges.

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“Nightmare” Neighbor’s Conviction Gives Condo Owners Relief

Dealing with disruptive residents ranks high on the list of thorny problems community associations—and their management companies—can encounter. You’ve probably heard your fair share of complaints about people violating parking rules or failing to clean up after their pets, but you’ve hopefully never dealt with anything close to the multi-year reign of terror conducted by…