eAlerts

Remind the association’s board of directors: Before making any decisions or taking any actions at a meeting, make sure a quorum is present. A quorum is the number of people who must be present for the board to take any official actions. Your association’s governing documents and/or your state law will explain how many people make up a quorum. Some board members mistakenly believe that a meeting can proceed without a quorum present as long as no one objects. But, with very few exceptions, actions taken at meetings where a quorum isn’t present are invalid.

Across the country, momentum has been building to legalize marijuana—at least for medical use. Though marijuana is still illegal under federal law, more than 20 states have adopted comprehensive medical marijuana laws—and more may soon follow.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering a proposal that would require all new residential and commercial buildings in the city to have solar panels or gardens on their roofs. And owners of existing buildings would be offered increased incentives to install solar panels on their rooftops where feasible.

The bigger the community association, the more likely members will form social clubs–for reasons ranging from recreation to promoting philanthropic goals. While social clubs can enhance the quality of life for your members, they can also pose serious risks for you and the association.

In anticipation of hurricanes or winter storms, your association may have obtained, or asked the board to consider investing in, a backup generator for the building. If you manage a residential community, owners may approach you about whether they may buy an individual generator for their own home, or if they already own a generator, they may ask you about guidelines for using it.

A homeowner is being fined by her California association for taking out her lawn, despite requests from local water agencies for residents to do so. A severe drought has affected the area and the homeowner felt that planting mint, which requires very little water to survive, where there once was turf would temporarily solve the problem. But the board of directors demanded at least 25 percent grass. The homeowner planted the mint and is now being fined monthly.

Q: Along with several other new members, I’ve recently been elected to my association’s board. We’re hoping to start enforcing community rules that the old board let slide. What’s the best way to go about doing this, or has the association waived its right to enforce these overlooked rules?

If there’s an elevator in your community, it’s important that your employees know the proper steps to take if it breaks down while passengers are in it. If the employees don’t take the proper steps and passengers get injured during the breakdown, the association could get sued.

The more than 65 million Americans who make their homes in condominiums and homeowners associations are overwhelmingly satisfied with their communities, according to a national survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies for the Foundation for Community Association Research. Almost two-thirds of community association residents rate their overall association experience as positive, while 26 percent are neutral on the question. Only 10 percent express some level of dissatisfaction.

Misuse of social media by management staff and members of the community you manage can lead to liability for your company and bad publicity for the association. You don’t have to let social media run amok. A two-step plan can help you use social media in your favor: