Category Archives: Horror Stories

“Arizona Dave” Speaks Out Against Pending Bills

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guest blog by Nila Ridings

Dave Russell is the on-site manager at Circle Tree Condominiums in Mesa, Arizona.  He is always looking out for the safety and security of its residents and all other condo owners in Arizona.  Always! Dave is more than a manager.  He’s a condo owner.  He resigned from a full-time job (one which paid a whole lot more) and became the manager of Circle Tree. He had a goal and commitment to turn the place into premier condo living.
 
On this blog, Ward has repeatedly exposed other Arizona characters like ‘Blondie’ (Gov. Jan Brewer) and ‘The Bimbo’ (Rep. Michelle Ugenti) for their underhanded and illegal ways in which they tried to pass HOA bills into law.  
 
And of course, our other “keep it legal” and “grant the owners’ their rights” experts like the honorable and skilled HOA fighter, George Staropoli. He has labored long and hard and his tenacity has helped a lot of Arizona homeowners avoid additional nightmares.
 
Arizonans are very fortunate to have Dave and George keeping an eye on the scandalous HOA bills that seem to sneak onto the annual docket! 
 
Keep up the great job you guys!  (Standing applause!)
 
 

Board Members Sell Out And Get Out!

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guest blog by Nila Ridings
  
What do Walt, C.J., Bill, Molly, Pat, Porter, Vern, and Tom have in common? They were all HOA board members. Shortly after serving on the board or while on the board they sold and got out!  Could that be because they had access to records and information about lawsuits that the ordinary HOA “pariah” didn’t?  Could it be because they saw the “light” on this dilapidated HOA and all of it’s failed plans and programs?  Or is it because of the million dollar debt?
 
Whatever the reason, it does make a difference when you have access to “insider” information.
 
When a “pariah” wants to see HOA records they must make the request and pay by the hour to examine them.  A “pariah” has to pay additional copying fees for each page.  They don’t know how many lawsuits the HOA has filed or how many have been filed against the HOA.  They don’t have a say in whether the board borrows $1,000,000 on a line of credit… and then agrees to pay the property manager 10% of it as some sort of “finder’s fee” or “management fee” on top of the hundreds of thousands per year he’s already collecting.
 
What seems to have been “brushed under the rug” in a majority of HOAs is the fiduciary duty that a board member has to the homeowners.  What happened to that?  Is it just some unheard of and forgotten obligation that board members routinely ignore?
 
And how have these board members managed to get thousands of dollars worth of work done on their units before selling them?  While the neighborhood “pariahs” have work orders that collect dust for years.
 
I’m going to offer up this piece of advice for whatever it’s worth to our readers. If your board members are heading out the exit…you should, too.  Pay close attention to the real estate listings in your HOA.  Check the addresses against your county records for owners’ names.  Board members’ properties listed for sale could be a sure sign something is rotten in the HOA!!!
 
“Pariah” was used in an HOA newsletter by the HOA president to describe homeowners who insisted the dues be used to repair their wood rotted houses as opposed to having the clubhouse completely redone.  Since the clubhouse is rarely rented anyway, that project made no sense when the exterior of the houses was rotted so severely there is frame damage.  But the board president decided to self-deal the clubhouse redo through her personal “decorating” company. And the HOA newsletter (it was learned in court) is printed by her “publishing” company!  Which was how she justified pocketing all the advertising dollars from the ads that paid for the newsletter…and the profits became hers, too.  Another one of her self-dealings!  Her “pariah” newsletter was presented in front of a judge and jury…it most definitely helped the homeowner win all counts of the lawsuit.  Hooray!  Just another reminder you just can’t fix stupid!
 
Oh yes, and imagine this…the state has NO RECORD of her owning a decorating or publishing company. How many 80 year olds do you know who have the energy to own and manage two flourishing businesses that “cater” to the HOA while being president of the HOA? Since she’s been exposed she uses her middle finger to express her displeasure to her neighbors.  Nope, she’s not even a classy old lady!

Guts in California, No Guts in Florida

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If an award could ever be given to the most irresponsible organization in America, top consideration would have to go to CAI, the Community Associations Institute. The institute has essentially clawed its way to the top of the political food chain, deceiving thousands of Legislators and millions of homeowners into believing it’s a benign organization meant to benefit homeowners. In reality, it’s a massively wealthy parasitic lobbying industry which is sucking the lifeblood out of 335,000 American neighborhoods. CAI is no friend of homeowners. But it, along with other huge lawyer referral agencies like Senator John Carona’s Associa, are throwing billions of dollars into the fight to keep legal control of the HOA racket.

In California, a state which is facing an epic drought and the stark reality of looming food shortages, the simians at CAI have tried to argue that the Legislature has no business ordering homeowners to obey emergency drought restrictions. No, those HOA homes have lush green lawns while the state’s Central Valley is no longer able to supply the food needs of the nation.

Thank God that there’s a God. Because the California Assembly has overwhelmingly voted to ignore the ranting of the CAI primates.

Things are much more difficult in Florida, where it appears the attempt to reign in the horrible abuses of homeowners has again been quashed in the Legislature.

On second thought, maybe critics like me should begin to admire the sledgehammer lobbying tactics of the HOA industry. After all, it takes some talent to disembowel and skin an animal after a deer hunt. Those chops aren’t learned easily.

(link to Associated Press story on drought)

(link to death of Florida legislation)

 

A Second Look At Fire Safety

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guest blog by Nila Ridings

Wow! $20 and a canister the size of a tuna can proves to be a life saver.

Hardware stores sell them. Installation is simple. Buy one for you and one for a gift…far better benefits than another pair of slippers or a chotsky for the bookshelf.

(KCTV5 story on fire suppression device)

And…Don’t Let The Dryer Start A Fire!

Clean the lint trap with every use. And keep the exit lines cleaned, too.

Sometimes this might require hiring a professional. I found a company that cleans heating and cooling duct work that also cleans dryer lines. I had this done when I bought my townhouse and was shocked when I saw the pile of lint outside. The technician said from his experience I was lucky I did not have a fire. And from the volume of accumulated lint it probably had not been cleaned since the place was built twenty years earlier!

(Consumer Reports story on dryer fires)

 

Condo Fires In The Past 90 Days

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guest blog by Nila Ridings
 
The new year is not off to a good start for Ewing Township, Dallas, Branson, and Boulder.  Condo fires have left them with injured firefighters, displaced residents, and causes unknown. 
 
It is time to discuss fire safety in your home, condo, townhouse, or any other abode.
 
1 ) Do you own fire extinguishers?
  
2 ) Do you know how to use them? 
 
3 ) Are they stored with fast/easy access? 
 
4 ) Have they been checked by you or professionals? (see the video in the link below)
 
5 ) Do you have working smoke alarms with good batteries?  Are they tested monthly? 
 
6 ) When house guests visit do you show them where the fire extinguisher nearest their room is located?
 
7 ) Do you move the BBQ grill away from flammable surfaces and keep an extinguisher nearby?  (see link below for helpful hints)
 
8 ) When you stay in hotels do you make a note of where the fire alarm is and how many doors you are from the stairwell exit?
 
9 ) Do you know to NEVER throw water on a grease fire?  Use flour, baking soda, or smother the fire with a towel. 
 
People who do not have a fire extinguisher or know how to use one panic at the sight of smoke or flames.  It’s best to know how to fight the fire than to run around screaming.  Or grab your cell phone and start filming as some of these condo residents have done.
 
Many local fire departments will come out and change smoke detector batteries for you.  Check with yours if you need some help.
 
Last but not least, the link below offers information on buying an insurance policy for your condo.  There is a difference between condo and homeowners insurance policies.
 
In attached housing we can quickly become victims if our neighbors lack concern for safety.  Who knows what chemicals they may be storing?  Or how often they fall asleep with a lit cigarette.  Which ones leave their laptop computer on their bed all day which can cause the battery to ignite?  Lest we forget the ones that have saved newspapers and magazines since 1962 and then stack them to the ceiling.
 
With all this risk for fire it would make sense that sprinkler systems should have been mandatory to obtain building permits!  Oh wait…THAT would have taken money out of the developers’ pockets and raised the sales cost on the units.  
 
Money versus Safety.   Money always wins.