Category Archives: drought

To All HOA Board Members

guest blog by Jill Schweitzer

Why state licensing for property management companies is good for you! 

In formal classes the HOA industry money makers (property management companies and attorneys) seem to smirk/smile when they say “but ultimately the Board is responsible for everything.” Note, the HOA attorney is in a lobby group with the property management companies which then work to keep themselves self-governed and unaccountable. This is not in the best interest for you or your fellow homeowners. It’s an obvious conflict-of-interest.

Should HOAs be eligible for FEMA Public Assistance?

guest blog by Deborah Goonan

I have previously written about Community Associations Institute (CAI), an HOA trade group, and its three Federal issues (pet peeves). One of those issues is what CAI calls Disaster Relief Fairness.

You can check out CAI’s brochure on the subject here. See pages 9-10.

https://www.caionline.org/Advocacy/FederalAdvocacy/Documents/CAI_FedAdvocacy.pdf

CAI laments:

Community association homeowners pay federal taxes to fund emergency services and disaster response, but their communities receive little or no federal support in the wake of a presidentially declared national disaster. Association homeowners bear the financial and practical burdens of disaster recovery in ways that non-association homeowners do not. This leads to uneven disaster recovery in our towns and cities across the country and is fundamentally unfair to association homeowners.

Artistic Contribution from Shelly Marshall, HOA Warrior

Grimms

Is Sex Assault Legal In Homeowners Associations?

Yes, that’s a weird question to ask. But a Saudi prince was arrested for assaulting several women at a party in his gated community home in Los Angeles. There’s lots of evidence against him and three women who claim they were victimized have filed a civil suit. But L.A. officials have decided there’s not enough evidence to charge him.

This prince and his family are worth billions. They’ll be able to pay off the women for sums of money that would seem grand to most of us. But it’s a pittance for those in the Saudi oil business.

Service Dogs and some Nasty Lawsuits

guest blog by Deborah Goonan

Not a week goes by that we don’t learn of yet another Fair Housing lawsuit, usually involving discrimination on the basis of disability. This time, the Condo Association will have to answer to two lawsuits, one filed by the owner of a condo unit, and the other by his former tenant.

The latest report comes from Aspen View Condominiums in Colorado. Natasha MacArthur leased one of the 18 units from condo owner Alvara Arnal, beginning in November 2013. MacArthur has a golden retriever, and claims her dog, Stevie Nicks, helps her cope with a seizure disorder.