Community Associations Network E-Newsletter

TX: Condo residents face eviction Some Houston residents will not be winning a fight to keep their homes after their condominiums were condemned by the fire marshal....

FL: New law allowing self-insurance for condos can be risky, experts warn Don't count your insurance savings just yet, experts warn owners in condo, co-op and homeowner association communities. The state this month began letting associations form a self-insurance fund to pr...

FL: In gated communities, security takes new role As gated communities take over the South Florida landscape, homeowners associations have taken on many of the duties traditionally performed by government: collecting assessments, issuing fines, keepi...

NJ: Condo fee at closing legalized under bill
What started out as litigation here is now legislation in Trenton that will limit but also legalize a standard practice of charging an upfront fee to condominium buyers....

FL: Lakes couple battles to keep kids at adults-only condo
The certified letter was traumatizing. Public school teachers Christine and Nathan Clock had 10 days to find a new home for their two children or face legal action. The Clocks were incredulous. Three ...

SD: Man takes shed dispute to Supreme Court and wins Still convinced he should be allowed the build the 18-by-16-foot shed near the home he bought in 1996, Nedved took the issue to the state Supreme Court - and won....

OH: Hearing postponed in condo firm embezzlement, additional charges filed A sentencing hearing for Kathleen DeSalvo, co-owner of the firm that managed Mariners Point Condominium Association, was postponed to allow the affected associations to question her further about the ...

IL: Condos need condo brains As the numbers of new-construction and condo-conversions rise in the Windy City, so does the need for educated members of condo associations....

NV: Decision changes HOA power An arbitrator's decision that says homeowners associations have to get a favorable vote from residents to implement special assessments could have far ranging implications for the 1.2 million Clark Co...

SC: HOA sees red over pink On Olde Harbour Court, the house that was painted pink over 15 years ago and painted pink again seven years ago has become a landmark for boaters and businesses, said Jean Morrison, 74, who owns the h...

FL: Ruling favors condo builder In a nine-page order, Judge Jonathan Gerber found that D&T Properties could not wiggle out of its contract based on higher-than-expected maintenance costs. Gerber concluded the buyer could afford the ...

FL: Hurricane-Related Litigation Still Howling in Florida Courts   One large insurer, Sydney, Australia-based QBE Insurance Corp., is the target of a maelstrom of litigation filed by condominium associations claiming it has stonewalled legitimate claims with the inte...

An Inconvenient Turbine: Conservation vs. Preservation   As "green"-minded homeowners move to put in new energy-efficient windows, solar panels and light-reflecting roofs, they are bumping up against neighbors and local boards that object, saying the additi...

AZ: Citizens prep for new laws    Homeowners associations are already preparing for upcoming changes that have passed during Arizona's 48th legislative session....

AZ: E-mail concerns residents: Access to HOA records questioned Some Troon residents raised concerns about a village "news alert" sent to residents that appears to take a stand on a political issue, but the homeowner's association president said the communication...

TX: Westpark Lakes Residents Left In The Dark After HOA Mysteriously Dissolves   Residents of Westpark Lakes have found themselves in the dark since the beginning of July, when Reliant Energy pulled the plug on the subdivision's street lights....

NJ: Condo residents reluctant to serve   Larry Vant says being a member of a condominium association board requires being part-lawyer, part-accountant and part-politician....

FL: When it comes to condo maintenance, pay now or pay later   Dale Humphrey estimates that he and the 89 other owners at their Fontainebleau condominium lost $150,000 in bad repairs -- or work not done -- before they recalled the old board and fired the contract...

FL: Pembroke Pines to notify homeowner associations of residents' permit apps
Should the city make sure homeowner associations are involved every time one of their members wants to enclose a patio, build a pool or add a room to a house...

IN: Condo owners in quandary   A powerful local developer, Gershman Brown & Associates, is negotiating with each owner, trying to buy every condo, with an eye on redevelopment....

Canada: Vancouver leaky condo bill skyrockets
It's going to cost "at the minimum" another $10 million to repair leaky condo buildings owned by the Greater Vancouver Regional District

NJ: Outcry spreads as deal over worship sought
The controversy surrounding a condominium in A Country Place that neighbors contend is being used as a makeshift synagogue has apparently raised concern among residents of other private, age-restricted...

FL: Neighbors and homeowners associations at odds over alternative yards   More and more homeowners are opting to replace their lawns with landscapes that don't require regular watering and maintenance -- from wild-butterfly gardens to artificial turf -- only to clash with neighbors...

Want to know what happens to all the community's green waste or how the laser-guided robots clean the village pools? Tune into the first community association-sponsored documentary series "Focus on Ladera Ranch". For example, Ladera Ranch has state-of-the-art fiber-coax network technology, natural water filtration systems and green waste recycling programs that are the envy of horticulturists, a complex central irrigation system that saves millions of gallons of water and laser guided robots cleaning the pools at night. Each episode is accessible for residents and non-residents of Ladera Ranch to view. Read More and view (Click on "Focus on Ladera Ranch" in left column)

The New Rules for Recruiting Volunteers

If volunteering since September 11 has experienced a full-scale revival, why are so many condominiums still struggling to ﬁll boards and organize events? The simple answer is the condominiums are not asking potential volunteers the right way, according to Thomas W. McKee, the owner of VolunteerPower.com and co-author of the upcoming book, The New Breed: Recruiting and Managing the 21st Century Volunteer. Read More

Documentaries will explore what makes Ladera Ranch work