Articles

Facts: When a member arrived home after being gone for two days, he slipped on a puddle of water that had accumulated on his kitchen floor and he broke his wrist. The puddle of water had come from his sink, which had overflowed due to a sludge blockage in the building's drainage line. There is no dispute that maintenance of the drainage line was the responsibility of the condominium association.

Facts: A member with a hearing disability sued an association for allegedly failing to provide reasonable accommodations that would allow her to communicate effectively during meetings. The member requires some form of accommodation to participate in certain community events.

A playground is a great amenity that may increase property values in your community. Members with small children appreciate the role an outdoor playground plays in children's growth. Playgrounds promote an active, healthy lifestyle and provide a complex social network for kids to learn relationship-building skills. However, a playground can also be a hazard, especially if children are unsupervised or if the equipment is not properly used or maintained. If injuries occur, your association could end up getting sued.

Facts: A member operates a landscaping company. The association distributed a request for estimates for lawn care services on the community's common areas for the following spring, summer, and fall seasons. In response, the member submitted an estimate of $5,180. Although the member and the association never executed a formal written contract, the member performed certain lawn care services for the association.

Facts: A 73-year-old member died while swimming in a circular pattern at the community's indoor pool, which ranged in depth from three to five feet. At the midpoint of the pool, she began to struggle and went completely underwater and drowned. The incident was documented on the association's surveillance camera footage.

Facts: In 2006, an association contracted with a roofing company to replace all the condominium building roofs in its community. The roofs had sustained hail damage and were leaking. The company performed the work, addressing the problem not by replacing the existing roofs, but by building metal roofs directly over the existing ones. However, the newly installed roofs began to leak, causing interior water damage.

Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn recently signed into law two bills designed to dramatically increase the state's solar energy. House Bill 6202, referred to as the “Solar Ramp-Up Bill,” passed the Illinois General Assembly on May 27. House Bill 5429, sponsored by Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) and Sen. Michael Noland (D-Elgin), initiates the Homeowners’ Solar Energy Act to protect the rights of individual homeowners to install solar energy panels on their personal property.

Finding good management employees can be tough. Especially, in today's job market, you may find yourself wading through piles of applications from unqualified candidates if you advertise a job opening using traditional recruiting methods.

But there's one recruiting resource that many management companies overlook—their own employees. You can turn your employees into a recruiting team by implementing an employee referral program that pays them for referring job candidates whom you hire, says Patricia Anderson, a Colorado-based human resources consultant.

Many condominium associations provide storage rooms or lockers for their members for a fee. This is one way for an association to generate additional monthly income and provide a nice amenity for members living in smaller units.

On July 21, 2010, basic FDIC insurance coverage was permanently increased to $250,000 as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures the safety of checking and savings deposits in member banks. The standard maximum insurance amount of $100,000 had been temporarily raised through Dec. 31, 2013. That increase is now permanent.