eAlerts

The owners in a Kentucky subdivision came out on the wrong side of a court case over their use of their property for short-term rentals. Although the community association wasn’t involved in the litigation, the ruling sheds some light on the arguments associations can expect when trying to block short-term rentals in court — and…

Community association residents can be as guilty of “not in my backyard” as anyone else when given the chance. And they may be in for an unpleasant surprise if they count on their declaration and restrictions to protect them from such situations. A community association in Austin, Tex., learned this the hard way. A federal…

Your clients may be worried that the COVID-19 crisis threatens their financial stability, but you need to help them avoid going too far in their efforts to protect their bottom lines. One path to steer them away from, for example, is becoming overly invasive in their financial screening of prospective buyers. An association in Florida…

Nothing can you make you a star in your clients’ eyes like helping them save money. With the economy on the rocks and assessment delinquencies likely in the near future — if they haven’t already hit — the time could be right to reduce expenses by re-bidding some contracts. Community association boards of directors shouldn’t…

The COVID-19 crisis left many boards of directors scrambling to handle a variety of novel issues, sometimes based on uncertain or questionable authority. This has led some associations to consider amending their governing documents to better equip them to deal with similar (or lingering) issues in the future. And, if they’ve already started the amendment…

The pandemic-induced economic downturn has businesses of all kinds scrambling to survive. For community association managers, their prospects may well turn on their reputations. “Being a referral-based business, where you’re selling your experience and your knowledge, I think reputation is the most important thing because that’s what brings you that business,” says Katie Anderson, CEO…

A Florida Court of Appeals has rejected its own holding from more than 20 years ago, and the change isn’t good news for community associations and their managers. The court concluded that association assessments are consumer debts under the state law that imposes restrictions on debt collection practices — and therefore allowed a class action…

A federal district court recently found that an HOA’s age-based rules regarding its recreational facilities were so obviously discriminatory that no trial on liability was even necessary. Do your associations know how to avoid getting themselves into a similar position? Brian and Anne Hill bought a single-family home in the 333-unit River Run HOA. They…

You might make yourself your clients' MVP by helping them focus on the steps they can be taking now to make sure the long-term work in dealing with COVID-19 isn't as difficult as the initial steps for many community associations. For some parts of the United States, it seems that the so-called “first wave” of…

Easements are common in community associations, and, especially when high-value property is involved, can lead to costly litigation. Associations and owners may feel confident about the rights an easement conveys when they agree to it, but, as a North Carolina case recently demonstrated, easements are subject to expansion. That court, for example, that found an…