LOOP NORTH NEWS: Are hundreds of millions of dollars of condo and homeowners association money – on deposit but not FDIC insured – at risk? By Don DeBat 20-Mar-17 – Condominium and homeowners associations (HOAs) currently have an estimated $50 … Continue reading
DNAINFO.COM: What If Your Condo’s Special Assessment Was $80,000? It Could Happen Here By Ted Cox January 24, 2017 CHICAGO – OLD TOWN TRIANGLE — And you thought your condo’s special assessment was big. An Old Town condominium building is facing … Continue reading
LOOP NORTH NEWS: Condo, HOA owners dissatisfied with ‘carefree’ life By Don DeBat January 16, 2017 A new national survey by the Coalition for Community Housing Policy in the Public Interest has found that 81 percent of community association residents … Continue reading
Chicago Tribune: New Illinois Condominium & HOA Report Reveals 50,000 Associations Community Contributor DEBAT MEDIA NEWS SERVICE March 2, 2016 The state of Illinois currently has more than 50,000 active condominium and homeowner associations containing nearly 600,000 residential units, new … Continue reading
LOOPNORTH.COM: Is your condo board or HOA run by Captain Bligh? By Don DeBat One of the myths of condo and HOA shared-community ownership is the so-called “carefree living.” There are no yards to maintain, grass to cut, snow to … Continue reading
by: Lee Rood, posted April 16, 2015 You’re eyeing a new condo or loft because you want to live close to shops and restaurants. Or because you like the new construction. Or you don’t want the hassle of lawn care and … Continue reading
By James R. Stevens on February 6, 2015 The acts applicable to Condominium and Common Interest Community Associations have been amended starting January 1, 2015 (or later). These changes are summarized briefly below. Many of these changes will be discussed … Continue reading
Posted:December 27, 2014 Governor Pat Quinn signs a new law that will help protect condominium owners across the state. The bill creates a position within The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to help resolve disputes and to educate … Continue reading
When shopping for a condominium or town house, checking out living spaces is easy. But getting information about building maintenance or the inner workings of the association is much harder. Until now. Read more
by: Howard Dakoff CHICAGO TRIBUNE Posted: August 30, 2014 There have been quite a few Illinois legislative, judicial and executive developments affecting condominium associations recently. Part one is below, and next week’s column will cover additional developments. Electronic communications to be … Continue reading
By: Pamela Dittmer McKuen — CHICAGO TRIBUNE Posted: August 30, 2014 The Community Association Manager Licensing and Disciplinary Act is undergoing its first major revision. This law as of Oct. 1, 2012, requires anyone who performs paid management services to Illinois community … Continue reading
Posted August 26, 2014 We often hear from owners and their counsel who claim that Illinois associations cannot evict an owner for failing to pay condominium or common interest community assessments. This is simply incorrect, and it has been well-settled … Continue reading
By Mary Ellen Podmolik,Tribune reporter — Posted August 19, 2014 Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday killed a bill that would have limited the amount of money due to a condominium association when a foreclosed unit is sold. The governor, who had to … Continue reading
MarinaCityOnline.com: Condo Unit Owner Sues Condo Association and Former President July 24, 2014 By Steven Dahlman Chicago – – A condominium unit owner in the Edgewater community north of downtown Chicago is suing his condo association and its former president over … Continue reading
NewLenox.Patch.com: New Lenox Man Allegedly Embezzled $150K From Windermere West Homeowners Association By Joseph Hosey June 25, 2014 A New Lenox man was jailed Wednesday for allegedly embezzling more than $150,000 from the Windermere West Homeowner’s Association.Bob Dorosz, 42, was … Continue reading
Courthouse News Service: Man’s Death Blamed on Vicious Swans Management Company, Condo, and HOA Sued By Jack Bouboushian April 16, 2014 CHICAGO (CN) – A kayaker drowned in an attack by vicious swans and his family claims in court that … Continue reading
Privatopia Blogspot: Illinois Supreme Court: owners can’t refuse to pay assessments over dispute April 9, 2014 — By Evan McKenzie This is final stage of the Spanish Court Two v. Carlson case. Illinois is the only state (to the best of my knowledge) that … Continue reading
CONSUMERAFFAIRS.com: HOA faces wrongful-death suit over Dumpster fatality By Jennifer Abel — 2/13/2014 The widow of a suburban Chicago man accidentally crushed to death in a trash compactor last summer is now suing the homeowners’ association of her condominium complex for wrongful death, … Continue reading
by Kirk Jenkins – Posted – October 1, 2013 When the Appellate Court’s decision came down, the Chicago Tribune called it a “ground-breaking decision that “has stunned the condominium community nationwide.” So will the Illinois Supreme Court overturn the Second … Continue reading
ChicagoTribune.com: Checking the financial health of a condo association Pamela Dittmer McKuen Community Living — September 27, 2013 Before you buy a condominium, certainly you’ll check out the view, the closet space and the parking lot. But don’t fall in love … Continue reading
Oral arguments, Illinois Supreme Court, of a major case. The Appellate Court held that the duty to pay was not absolute. Rather, it was given in exchange for the duty to maintain and repair. If the Association breaches the duty to … Continue reading
January 31, 2013 by Kirk Jenkins May a condominium owner refuse to pay monthly and/or special assessments, in whole or in part, on the grounds that the condominium board had failed to maintain and repair the common elements of the condominium … Continue reading
The primary issue in this appeal is whether a City of Chicago ordinance allowing condominium unit owners to inspect condominium association financial books and records is a valid exercise of the City’s home rule power. We affirm the appellate court’s holding that the City’s … Continue reading
by Pamela Dittmer McKuen – Chicago Tribune – Community Living – April 26, 2013 Illinois homeowners at odds with their community association have little recourse. They can try to resolve the matter with the board, or they can pay an attorney to … Continue reading
Park Ridge Herald-Advocate: Employee used condo association credit card for jewelry Updated: April 17, 2013 12:09PM MAINE TOWNSHIP — A northwest suburban woman who worked as the office manager of a condominium association used the company’s credit card to buy … Continue reading
Pamela Dittmer McKuen Community Living March 15, 2013 Chicago Tribune: It’s complicated evicting delinquent owners After months of trying to collect past-due assessments, your community association has a court order to evict the delinquent owner. Now what? You rent out … Continue reading
March 2, 2013 By David M. Bendoff Q. I am a unit owner in a homeowner’s association. The association’s attorney attended a board meeting to discuss several issues with the board. During a homeowner’s forum, I asked … Continue reading
I was on Nevada Public Radio the other day with the state ombudsperson, an HOA lawyer, and an owner advocate. It was a good conversation. But there was something that kept going through my mind that I never got a … Continue reading
By Carole VanSickle – February 19, 2013 Vacation-home buyers are finding it harder and harder to finance their purchases, even with good credit and a healthy down payment. In some cases, the culprit behind their lenders’ skittishness is not even … Continue reading
By Brian Sullivan – February 1, 2013 There’s a mindset that craves the acquisition of any kind of authority and takes full—even excessive—advantage of it. Individuals afflicted with said mindset tend to amplify the significance of insignificant matters and insist, … Continue reading
The Illinois Supreme Court essentially has ruled that private security officers can exercise real police powers By: newssun.suntimes.com – January 31, 2013 The Illinois Supreme Court essentially has ruled that private security officers can exercise real police powers. We think the … Continue reading
Illinois Supreme Court rules subdivision police can detain drivers By Steve Schmadeke, Chicago Tribune reporter – January 25, 2013 The homeowners associations responsible for managing subdivisions across the state have the power to enforce their own traffic rules through a private … Continue reading