Featured Articles

A Maryland condo association recently was reminded of the importance of strictly adhering to the applicable notice requirements for meetings. A court ruled that, because insufficient notice of a board meeting was provided to owners, the board's action at the meeting was invalid — even though neither the state condo act nor the association bylaws…

From fines and suspended use of amenities to liens and lawsuits, community associations have a variety of remedies available when owners violate governing documents. The most controversial, though, may be self-help enforcement. A board's decision to take matters into its own hands can result in in lengthy litigation, liability, bruised feelings, threats, and even violence.…

Depending on where you operate, you may have heard annual meeting debates about sustainable landscaping dating back at least a decade. “I’ve worked with clients who have made the change, and I’ve also worked with those who have said they’d never do it,” says Paul Grucza, director of education and client development at the Seattle-based…

Community associations often drag their feet when it comes to filing liens against delinquent owners. The reluctance can be understandable — who, for example, wants to take such a step against a neighbor who has lost a job or racked up medical bills? But this reluctance can prove costly, as one Nevada association recently learned…

When a resident requests a reasonable accommodation, boards of directors often focus solely on the reasonableness of the specific accommodation. But, if an accommodation isn’t necessary, a board doesn’t even need to consider reasonableness. A recent disability discrimination case in Ohio provides a useful example of how that can play out in an association’s favor…

How many assistance animals must an association with pet restrictions allow as a reasonable accommodation? If the answer seems obvious to you or a client, you might be surprised by a recent charge against an association and its manager by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The charge is startling evidence of…

We recently wrote about community association board members’ attempts to rein in “bad owners” by filing defamation lawsuits against them. But what about when the tables turn, and an owner pursues defamation allegations against board members or managers? The Michigan Court of Appeals recently upheld a lower court’s dismissal of just such an action, finding…

A new law that significantly limits rental restrictions in California community associations took effect Jan. 1, 2021. Among other things, California Civil Code Section 4741 imposes a deadline on associations in the state to amend their governing documents to comply with its provisions. While the law applies only to California associations, the state often is…

We recently shared some ways that community associations can unexpectedly find themselves liable under federal and state fair housing laws. Here are few more missteps our experts have identified as potentially risky. Inadvertent Familial Discrimination JoAnn Burnett, an attorney in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., office of Becker & Poliakoff who focuses her practice on fair…

The many domino effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing recession include not only an increase in the number of people performing their current jobs from home, rather than at an office or other workplace, but also a surge in the number of home-based businesses. With so many people looking to replace lost income,…