Community Association News National News Florida News Legal News National News FL: Vandals hit condos restricting beach access The battle over beach rights has gotten ugly. On the day a dispute over public and private beach property is set to go before county commissioners, a luxury condo is hit by vandals FL: Island Escape condos score 'final judgment' against fee scofflaw, again In a case closely watched by other condominium associations, a small Clearwater Beach complex has moved a step toward evicting an owner who owes thousands of dollars in maintenance fees. VA: Scandals put new focus on association books The treasurers of the Glenmore and Mill Creek homeowners associations, Michael Comer and Kevin Thomas O’Connor, respectively, have been accused of taking money from the groups’ coffers. Both... FL: Rob Samouce: Should your common area walls have eyes? There is a way to obtain indisputable hard evidence. It’s the eye in the sky or the fly on the wall consisting of high-tech surveillance cameras ID:Bill gives homeowners associations more time to file liens against properties The Legislature has passed a bill making it easier for homeowner or condominium associations to file and record liens against property owners. The bill now awaits Gov. Butch Otter's signature. NC: Charlotte neighbors want to "fence out" crime Neighbors in the Woodstone community in north Charlotte are hoping that by fencing in the neighborhood, they can keep crime out. FL: Floor collapses in S. Florida condo and hotel Authorities are investigating how the floor of a South Florida condo building and hotel collapsed, despite passing recent inspections. FL: Neighbors: Man's Home Decor Nuisance For Community A Volusia County home has become a nuisance for an entire neighborhood, and county code enforcement is now involved. VA: Homeowners relish dam decision Jubilation is in the air at Lake of the Woods, where it looks as if the state Senate will join the House of Delegates in approving a bill that will allow the homeowners association to avoid costly... TX: Leadership dispute delays buyouts A homeowners association in an affluent West End neighborhood is accusing one of its members of falsely portraying himself as its president and signing documents that would release hurricane-damaged... FL: Desperate condo, homeowner groups given new way to grab overdue fees A new maneuver called reverse foreclosure helps condo and homeowner associations collect badly needed overdue maintenance fees. FL: Displaced High-Rise Residents Beg For Help A day after more than 300 residents were displaced because of a Miami high-rise fire, the city is stepping in to try and find those residents a place to stay WA: Condominiums: Gateway to the Good Life? The origins of the condominium concept stretch back 2,000 years to the Roman Empire. Condominiums involve individual ownership of units (living spaces) and joint ownership of common areas (such as... IL: Tips on getting delinquent owners to pay up Collecting assessments for your community association takes more than passing out coupon booklets and waiting for checks to roll in. That's the passive approach. Sometimes you've got to be downright... 'Private' transfer fee on home sales can be long-term money machine How about this for a new and ingenious real estate money machine: Every time a house sells during the next 99 years, 1 percent of the price goes back to the original developer or is shared among... AL: Alderbrook homeowners take proactive approach what's different about the Alderbrook Homeowners Association is the speed at which the Hunter Homes subdivision organized, pooled their resources, petitioned city hall and completed their first... CO: Losses tallied in alleged HOA embezzlement The Loggers Lane Owners Association is tallying its losses after officials say money was embezzled from the group’s coffers. Initial reports indicate $57,000 was stolen from an account. FL: Inside Detroit Hotel, condo owners don't want historic tag from St. Pete The actual owners of the building don't want the designation. The building went condo in 2002, and all of the owners say the historic status would infringe upon their ownership rights. NJ: Former Condo President Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement A former North Wildwood condo association president Thursday, March 4 admitted embezzling over $50,000 from the group’s coffers, which she had been trusted to protect. MN: Firefighters: Courtyard complicated Little Canada fire fight The design of a Little Canada condominium complex made fighting a deadly fire especially difficult, according to firefighters TX: Can HOA Force You To Buy Vacant Lots? "He told us both times he would not use his majority votes he would do what the subdivision wanted," Sweetman said. "And yet at the time of every meeting he turns around and slaps those 160 votes out... FL: Sailwind Condo Assn. loses money to embezzler A Gulf Breeze condominium association is refocusing its oversight practices after an estimated $114,000 was embezzled from its coffers by a former business manager. UT: Vigilante mentality or public opinion? What's the difference? Homeowner Association President, Norman Lawlis, claims he did not remove the ribbons or fliers and said the association hired an outside company to do the job. While he may have hired an outside... IL: Ivan Krpan charged with stealing from homeowners association Local developer Ivan Krpan has been charged with theft after police say he took money from the homeowners association of a development he owns. NC: In gated community: Don't pester hunters CHAPEL HILL Residents of Governors Club, a gated community in northern Chatham County, have been told to take down their no trespassing signs and stop harassing the hunters. Florida News Got a noisy condo neighbor? Make your complaint count Dolores in Fort Lauderdale called to complain about a neighbor's noise that she says makes living in her condominium unbearable. She has approached her neighbor and association board to no avail and... Fight over beach access could go to Supreme Court "We want to win the issue so we don't have this proliferation up and down the beach where people are roping off their property," said Collier County Commissioner Tom Henning. Palm Harbor condo fire started with toaster, deputies say Deputies have blamed a fiery toaster for starting a condo fire Tuesday morning that sent an elderly couple to the hospital with minor injuries. Vandals hit condos restricting beach access The battle over beach rights has gotten ugly. On the day a dispute over public and private beach property is set to go before county commissioners, a luxury condo is hit by vandals Condo seeks help in return for advertising Historic Miami Beach Art Deco Condominium Seeks Corporate Assistance for Restoration Project in Exchange for Advertising Space and PR Island Escape condos score 'final judgment' against fee scofflaw, again In a case closely watched by other condominium associations, a small Clearwater Beach complex has moved a step toward evicting an owner who owes thousands of dollars in maintenance fees. Rob Samouce: Should your common area walls have eyes? There is a way to obtain indisputable hard evidence. It’s the eye in the sky or the fly on the wall consisting of high-tech surveillance cameras Residents' water could be shut off over unpaid bills Van Dyke says the condo HOA owes them $300,000 in outstanding water bills. The outstanding bill is an enormous debt that accounts for half of the county's uncollected water bills for last year. Ridgeway Mobile Home resident files suit against board Another resident at the Ridgeway Mobile Home subdivision in Hobe Sound is asking a judge to determine whether its property owners association is acting with proper authority when collecting fees,... Richard White: Management companies should support external audits Q. I have some concerns about the operations of our condominium. We were formed as a non-profit organization in 1992. Our board meets monthly and we elect new board members each year. For the past... Does your condo neighbor’s noise make life miserable? The other day Dolores in Fort Lauderdale called to complain about a neighbor noise that she said makes her condo life unbearable. She wanted to know what she should do Sole occupant of 32-story Fort Myers condo wants out Vangelakos is suing Related to get out of his contract. But Related vice president and general counsel Betsy McCoy said he's not entitled to that because he already closed on the property. Floor collapses in S. Florida condo and hotel Authorities are investigating how the floor of a South Florida condo building and hotel collapsed, despite passing recent inspections. Time for lenders to expedite foreclosures or pay expenses Columnist Note: Florida's Third District Court of Appeal has derailed the efforts of shared ownership communities to compel foreclosing lenders to expedite their unit foreclosures or pay common... Fla. Insurance Case Could Set Precedent for Hurricane Claims The case in dispute involves an $8.1 million federal verdict won by a Boca Raton, Fla., condominium association against Sydney, Australia-based QBE Insurance over its handling of a claim after... Neighbors: Man's Home Decor Nuisance For Community A Volusia County home has become a nuisance for an entire neighborhood, and county code enforcement is now involved. Joe Adams: Legal Q & A Q: I live in a community operated by a homeowners' association. I have a question about the board's right to come onto my property to "inspect" the exterior of my home and landscaping Condo Line: Directors may have a conflict Q: Our condominium has five directors. Three of them have their units for sale. We are concerned that the board's action over this past year has not been in the best interest of the owners. Desperate condo, homeowner groups given new way to grab overdue fees A new maneuver called reverse foreclosure helps condo and homeowner associations collect badly needed overdue maintenance fees. Displaced High-Rise Residents Beg For Help A day after more than 300 residents were displaced because of a Miami high-rise fire, the city is stepping in to try and find those residents a place to stay State sweeps West Palm for unlicensed association managers, finds perfect This week the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation completed an unlicensed community association manager sweep operation and found perfect compliance among 17 properties visited... Richard White: Reserves help associations, owners plan for the future Q. I live in a small HOA. In November our board approved the budget for 2010. It included funds for painting, but the painting is not scheduled for three years. The funds are being placed in a line... Collier commissioner wants to keep condo from closing beach to public Collier Commissioner Frank Halas said today that he wants to explore any legal grounds the county has to keep a chunk of beach in front of the Moraya Bay condominium open to the public. Palm Beach County deeds over timeshare after discovering ownership, overdue fees A surprise real estate maneuver could have allowed the largest influx of vacationers to crowd into a one-bedroom timeshare in Boca Raton beach-going history. Inside Detroit Hotel, condo owners don't want historic tag from St. Petersburg The actual owners of the building don't want the designation. The building went condo in 2002, and all of the owners say the historic status would infringe upon their ownership rights. Legal and Legislative News FL: Island Escape condos score 'final judgment' against fee scofflaw, again In a case closely watched by other condominium associations, a small Clearwater Beach complex has moved a step toward evicting an owner who owes thousands of dollars in maintenance fees. ID:Bill gives homeowners associations more time to file liens against properties The Legislature has passed a bill making it easier for homeowner or condominium associations to file and record liens against property owners. The bill now awaits Gov. Butch Otter's signature. IL: Complex lawsuits easy to come by in Valley But the big one is a federal racketeering suit against the three elected WSD trustees, President Raul Brizuela, Vice President Robert Skidmore and Trustee Gary Sindelar. That lawsuit, filed last year... VA: Homeowners relish dam decision Jubilation is in the air at Lake of the Woods, where it looks as if the state Senate will join the House of Delegates in approving a bill that will allow the homeowners association to avoid costly... KY: New condo law aims for better financial reporting Patrick Hohman knows how thankless it can be running a condominium association — one reason he's a chief proponent of a Kentucky law aimed at making it easier. FL: Desperate condo, homeowner groups given new way to grab overdue fees A new maneuver called reverse foreclosure helps condo and homeowner associations collect badly needed overdue maintenance fees. Buyer: Satisfaction incredible Tom Krukow, one of the small band of unhappy buyers of Hidden Valley Lake in Tennessee, says Chicago banker and part-time Maui resident Clyde Engle could have ended their lawsuit against him years... MA: Ruling backs White Cliffs residents A Plymouth Superior Court judge has ruled that residents of White Cliffs, a gated condominium and golf community in southernmost Plymouth, were within their rights when they refused to pay for a $1... NJ: Former Condo President Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement A former North Wildwood condo association president Thursday, March 4 admitted embezzling over $50,000 from the group’s coffers, which she had been trusted to protect. FL: Sailwind Condo Assn. loses money to embezzler A Gulf Breeze condominium association is refocusing its oversight practices after an estimated $114,000 was embezzled from its coffers by a former business manager. CT: Condo Accountability Attorney General Blumenthal wants that to change, and he testified last month before the General Law Committee to urge the creation of a state Office of Condominium Ombudsman, a self-funded state... FL: Law Gives Tenants Rights During Foreclosure Some of the biggest victims of foreclosures in Central Florida don't even own homes, they rent. Florida doesn't have any laws to protect renters if the homes go into foreclosure, but a new federal... CA: Height limtation upheld by App. Ct. Finding the Cramers knowingly violated the height guideline, the trial court ordered them to bring their home into compliance. They contend the height regulation was unenforceable because the... CO: Northgate drainage issue stirs controversy When Rick and Alisha Cuevas bought their home in November of 2005, they didn’t except to find themselves in a battle with their homeowners’ association. MI: Condo suit intervention OK'd A federal judge in Kalamazoo this week signed an order that will allow owners of condominium units in the troubled BayView project in the Village of Suttons Bay to intervene in a lawsuit filed last... Deutsche Bank Hit with $64M Suit Over Troubled Vegas High-Rise A group of Californians who bought planned condos at the troubled Cosmopolitan high-rise project on the Las Vegas Strip say Deutsche Bank "perverted the class-action system" and "railroaded" buyers... MA:Court rules property owners have to keep their sidewalks free of snow and ice Good to know for you folks on the other side of 128: The Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled today that property owners have to keep their sidewalks clear of snow and ice. FL: Condo activists on Galt Mile still fighting sprinkler deadline Representatives of Florida condominiums are hoping the third time's the charm as they prepare for the next round in their ongoing battle to push back, or eliminate, the deadline for older buildings... NE: Lawmakers expand association clout Nebraskans who belong to homeowners associations soon will likely have another reason to pay dues. HI: Right To Fly American Flag Bill Advances The State House Housing Committee Wednesday unanimously approved a bill to force planned communities to allow residents to fly Hawaiian and American flags without restrictions. VA: House again says no to clotheslines Last year Sen. Toddy Puller, D-Fairfax County, sponsored a bill to prohibit community associations from banning "wind energy drying devices," otherwise known as clotheslines. The measure passed the... CO: Committee agrees: HOAs need reining in A legislative committee agreed yesterday that homeowners associations need reining in, but the lawmakers wouldn’t OK a plan to create a state ombudsman’s office for homeowners until revisions are... NY: Appeal notice filed in closely-watched Harlem ILSA case Condominium buyers at a luxury Harlem project filed court papers yesterday to begin an appeal of a recent decision that was the first ruling on the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act, or ILSA,... VA: Lingamfelter’s flag bill still flying Legislation aimed at protecting the right to fly the U.S. flag is headed for the governor’s desk. NV: Homeowners associations face lawsuit A group of disgruntled investors has hit Southern Nevada homeowner associations with a class action lawsuit.