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You’ve probably seen it before — an owner adds some type of restrictive endorsement in the memo portion of a check in hopes of pulling a fast one. This week’s article explains how a condo association in Ohio has now spent years in court as a result of such an endorsement. The case provides some…

Attorney Daniel Miske, of Milwaukee, Wis., firm Husch Blackwell LLP, calls them “professional debtors” — the kind of people who try to evade their financial obligations by, for example, getting cute with the endorsements on their payment checks. An owner in Ohio dragged a condo association through years of litigation because of such an endorsement.…

Cumulative voting for board elections isn’t common, but community associations that do use it should take the time to evaluate whether it’s the right path to continue to follow. On its face, it might seem fairly democratic. In reality, it can give place too much power in some voters’ hands — including voters who don’t…

The so-called Internet of Things (IoT) continues to smash barriers in how people experience all aspects of life. This week, we explain why the proliferation of smart devices means those community association managers who aren’t on board risk falling behind and losing customers. The odds are good that some of your owners already are using…

By 2020, the global research firm Gartner expects to see 20 billion internet-connected devices; by the next year, it predicts that number will reach 25 billion. And these figures don’t include general purpose devices like smartphones; they capture only dedicated functional objects, often referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT) or smart devices. Odds…

Social media are inescapable these days, so it’s no surprise that more and more community associations are establishing Facebook groups for their owners. Far easier to update than websites, these groups can prove invaluable when it comes to communicating with owners. They’re not without risks, though. Here are some potential stumbling blocks — and how…

Many communities are developed with detention ponds, and associations rarely give them a second thought. When they do, they probably figure any problems are the developer’s problem. This week, we explain why this kind of thinking can lead to some unpleasant, and costly surprises long after an association might think it could be held liable.…

Do your clients have ponds on their grounds? If so, they could be subject to liability related to overflow for much longer than they might expect. In fact, according to a recent court ruling in Pennsylvania, every overflow incident could re-open the door to litigation, regardless of when the pond was built or the owner…

It sometimes seems like community associations and their managers always come up on the losing end of cases related to owners’ service animal requests. But this week we’ll review a ruling from the Michigan court of appeals that makes clear that associations aren’t required to grant every request. Janis Creswell owns a unit in a…

Owner requests for accommodations of their service or emotional support animals can lead to ugly, costly disputes, but associations shouldn’t assume they can’t win the legal battle. A state court of appeals in Michigan recently came down on the side of the association after an owner erected a fence for her dogs without first seeking…