By Ben Weathers Following a contentious legal dispute spanning the past several months, the president and vice president of the Russett Community Association have been replaced. In an Aug. 25 order, Anne Arundel Circuit Court Judge Paul Goetzke directed Annapolis-based … Continue reading
LasVegasNOW.com: Hundreds attend Silverstone HOA meeting Residents say they want Silverstone Ranch Golf Course reopened By Vanessa Murphy September 8, 2015 LAS VEGAS Hundreds packed a room Tuesday night to fight for the Silverstone Golf Course. Silverstone is embroiled in … Continue reading
On April 17, 2014 the Washington Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision that struck down an amendment prohibiting short term leasing of homes. In doing this, the Court created a new strict test for amendments of covenants. Read the … Continue reading
By Stephanie Ballesteros Published: September 4, 2015, 9:14 pm Three families are joining a lawsuit against a condo association in charge of the Belmeade at Ridgely Manor in Virginia Beach. The families claim there was selective enforcement of the association’s … Continue reading
Capital Gazette: Judge orders Russett Community Association officials replaced By Ben Weathers September 6, 2015 The president of the Russett Community Association’s board of directors said he is weighing his options after an Anne Arundel Circuit Court judge ordered that … Continue reading
JDSUPRA BUSINESS ADVISOR: New Texas Law Lists Requirements for Condominium Defect Litigation By Clayton Cannon, Collin Warren – Adams and Reese LLP September 4, 2015 The Texas Legislature recently passed House Bill 1455 which addresses defect and design claims relative … Continue reading
NEIGHBORS AT WAR: 6-Year Old Condo – $8.7 Million Special Assessment Ward Lucas August 25, 2015 guest blog by Deborah Goonan St. Petersburg’s Signature Place condo is in the news again. Condo owners have known for months that there were … Continue reading
YAHOO HOMES: HOA loses court showdown: Judge says purple swing set can stay By Jennifer Karmon August 31, 2015 The Stouts’ purple swing set can stay. As we reported recently, a Missouri homeowners association took one of its families to … Continue reading
ABCNEWS: Dinosaurs on Couple’s Front Lawn Yard Turns Heads in Planned Community By Avianne Tan via Good Morning America August 26, 2015 One front yard in the planned community of New Territory in Sugar Land, Texas, has been turning heads … Continue reading
INDYSTAR: Lawsuit claims an Indiana HOA discriminated against disabled The question of whether a Lafayette homeowners association discriminated against the disabled pierces heart of ongoing lawsuit. By Taya Flores, The Lafayette Journal & Courier August 30, 2015 Is it legal … Continue reading
NEIGHBORS AT WAR: Poinciana Crisis Instructive For All Of Us …Florida does not provide enforcement capability for Florida Statute 720 Ward Lucas September 2, 2015 guest blog by Deborah Goonan Lots of news in Poinciana the past couple of weeks. … Continue reading
AZCENTRAL.COM: Experts urge homeowners to get involved in their HOAs to prevent conflicts “Many … are unaware of the potential damage their HOA could be causing” By Jessica Boehm September 2, 2015 Many people think choosing a neighborhood with a homeowners … Continue reading
Capital Gazette: Guest column: Russett’s woes show problems with HOAs HOAs need some real oversight By Jeanne Mignon August 9, 2015 The recent conflict between long-standing board members in Russett, Tim Reyburn and Colin Sandy, and the Russett Community in … Continue reading
Las Vegas Review-journal: Judge grants newspaper’s motion to unseal HOA probe documents … an “important step forward for transparency” not only in the HOA case but for the courts in general. By Jeff German August 10, 2015 In a decision hailed … Continue reading
NEIGHBORS AT WAR: Mommy and Daddy Are Going To Jail! Isn’t JAIL where criminals go? Ward Lucas August 10, 2015 guest blog by Nila Ridings Excuse my language, but WHAT THE HELL is going on at Raintree Lake in … Continue reading
AZFAMILY.COM: Valley Realtor wants to inform public about HOAs By Jason Barry August 12, 2015 ANTHEM, AZ (KPHO/KTVK) – People either love them or hate them. But just how much do you really know about homeowners associations? There are thousands … Continue reading
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Lawyer who stole $1M from clients gets eight more years in prison By Jeff German August 13, 2015 Suspended attorney Barry Levinson, a convicted player in the scheme to take over and defraud homeowners associations, was handed … Continue reading
WFTV.COM: Residents in Orlando community fear losing homes in HOA battle August 7, 2010 By Janine Reyes Orlando, Fla. – It’s being called a homeowners association headache. Several Orlando homeowners could lose their largest investment after being told to stop … Continue reading
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Once-secret papers reveal how HOA scheme widened By Jeff German August 16, 2015 Inspired by his lucrative takeover of the Vistana homeowners association, then-construction company boss Leon Benzer moved swiftly a decade ago to broaden the scheme … Continue reading
FOX Carolina: NC man fights HOA order to remove Confederate-style flag August 17, 2015 CARY, NC (WNCN) — A Cary man is fighting an order from his homeowner’s association to remove a Confederate-style flag that’s flying on his front porch. Frank … Continue reading
LOCAL10.COM: Criminal complaints filed in condo catastrophe By Bob Norman August 7, 2015 NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – When you walk into Peter and Debbie Orlowsky’s home, it seems a perfectly fine condo, until you look outside and see the … Continue reading
LouisianaRecord.com: Family forced to leave home alleges racial attacks, harassment and hostility By Carol Ostrow August 4, 2015 A Jefferson Parish couple is suing a Metairie homeowners association and its officers alleging Federal Housing Administration violation and creation of a … Continue reading
CCFJ.NET: Standing up for Florida-friendly lawns not easy when HOA says no Article Courtesy of The Tampa Bay Times By Alex Harris Published August 8, 2015 All Dominic Bruno wanted was a lawn that was less work for him and … Continue reading
KEYETV.com: HOA Threatens Lawsuit over Energy-Efficient Shingles By Melanie Torre August 6, 2015 A Round Rock couple has been threatened with a lawsuit because of the new, white shingles on their house. The heavy rain in May, particularly on Memorial … Continue reading
NEWS UNITED: Homeowner Wins $614,000 Judgment Against HOA Collection Companies …violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices act and Civil Racketeering LAS VEGAS, Aug. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — A Nevada jury awarded a homeowner $466,000 plus her attorneys fees and … Continue reading
Orange County Register: In their words: GRF and Associa GRF Fires Associa By Scott Bosco, Staff Writer July 31, 2015 On July 2, the Golden Rain Foundation announced it would terminate its contract for management services with Associa/PCM. Questions as … Continue reading
Posted: Jul 30, 2015 4:31 PM CDTUpdated: Jul 31, 2015 6:31 AM CDT By: Susanna Black Red, white and blue–and causing a big debate in the Seascape neighborhood. Rhona Sherrill says flying her American and North Carolina flags is her … Continue reading
NEWS UNITED: Homeowner Wins $614,000 Judgment Against HOA Collection Companies …violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices act and Civil Racketeering LAS VEGAS, Aug. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — A Nevada jury awarded a homeowner $466,000 plus her attorneys fees and … Continue reading
by: Lindsay Raphael, Esq. July 30th, 2015 Previously the Condominium Act put the role of imposing fines on an impartial committee of other unit owners who are neither board members nor persons residing in a board members’ household. The statute … Continue reading
By David Pierce Pocono Record Writer Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 11:14 AM Updated Jul 30, 2015 at 11:15 AM Joe Kowalski has been removed from the board of directors at A Pocono Country Place, despite receiving the most votes among six … Continue reading
THE FRIDAY FLYER: Almost 300 members call for recall of three Directors By Sharon Rice, Editor, The Friday Flyer July 31, 2015 At a meeting of the Canyon Lake Property Owners Board of Directors last Tuesday, July 21, former POA … Continue reading
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Real estate agents, HOAs battle over liens By Jennifer Robison July 25, 2015 It’s a Nevada Supreme Court decision that didn’t resolve much. The court’s September ruling in SFR Investments Pool 1 LLC v. U.S. Bank gave … Continue reading
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Ex-real estate agent once again defending himself at trial Hunt said it was “impossible to calculate” the economic harm in Southern Nevada from Depue’s scheme. By Jeff German July 27, 2015 For the third time in three … Continue reading
CCFJ.NET: CEVA HOA takes on new role: home owner Article Courtesy of Your Observer By Pam Eubanks Published July 27, 2015 LAKEWOOD RANCH — Looking at the cream-colored home on Sandhills Place, it’s hard to notice any difference between it and … Continue reading
CHAMPION NEWSPAPERS: Suspected embezzler in court July 25, 2015 A former treasurer of the Carbon Canyon 1 Homeowners Association in Chino Hills charged with two felony counts of embezzlement is scheduled for a pre-preliminary hearing Tuesday, Aug. 25, in Rancho … Continue reading
By Tom Griffith A bookkeeper who handled condominium association accounts at Waterville Valley pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud and other charges. The plea ended a multi year review of the finances of Stone Property and 28 condominium associations in … Continue reading
By Steven Martinez July 6, 2015 A 48-year-old Sussex woman reportedly stole more than $25,000 while serving as treasurer for a local condominium association, a criminal complaint says. Court records show that Lorene Lutey Treml — who was charged July … Continue reading
7/24/2015 by Aaron Ford, Karl Riley | Snell & Wilmer In 1991, the Nevada Legislature enacted the Uniform Common-Interest Ownership Act (UCIOA) which had been promulgated by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) (the Statute).[1] This law provides that … Continue reading
In West Virginia, homeowners associations (HOAs) now need to worry about how they go about collecting delinquent fees. If HOA debt collection efforts do not comply with the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act (the WVCCPA), an HOA could … Continue reading
Posted on July 24, 2015 by Kevin Hirzel In Michigan, the terms of a master deed, bylaws or other restrictive covenants are contractual in nature. See Rossow v. Brentwood Farms Dev, Inc, 251 Mich App 652, 658, 651 NW2d 458 … Continue reading
ccfj.net: Deployed family returns to squatters, HOA getting rent …home vacant, because of issues with Chinese drywall. Channel 10 News Tampa July 25, 2015 A military family returns to their vacant Hillsborough County home to discover squatters had moved in, … Continue reading
ASBURY PARK PRESS: Letter: Lawmakers reject oversight of homeowners’ associations By Art Mooney July 20, 2015 To stick one’s head in the sand and pretend that a problem does not exist is commonly known as the ostrich approach. State legislators … Continue reading
FIRST COAST NEWS: Spencer’s Plantation HOA Board, residents entangled in ugly fight By Ken Amaro July 9, 2015 ORANGE PARK, Fla.– There are 222 homes in Spencer’s Plantation and some of those homeowners are in a fight with the Homeowners … Continue reading
CCFJ.NET: HOA shuts down boy’s lemonade stand By Michael Shingleton July 17, 2015 RUSKIN (FOX 13) – It wasn’t tax evasion, insider trading, health code violations or bankruptcy; eleven-year-old Gavin Gundersen’s lemonade stand was shut down because four neighbors complained, … Continue reading
NeighborsatWar.com: Stan “The Man” and the Transfer Scam Ward Lucas July 10, 2015 In my book, Neighbors At War, I wrote about a nasty little piece of HOA theft called ‘transfer fees. ‘ They’re hidden deep within the text of … Continue reading
BRICK.SHOREBEAT.COM:Pending N.J. Bill Could Affect Brick Homeowner Associations’ Governance By Daniel Nee July 13, 2015 Local officials have pledged to fight a bill pending in the New Jersey legislature that would lead to a state agency becoming more involved with … Continue reading
CapitalGazette.com: Attorney for community association claims recall votes are invalid The association racked up about $34,000 in legal fees. By Cindy Huang June 22, 2015 The Russett community in Laurel remains a community divided. Last week, homeowners took a vote … Continue reading
FORSYTH HERALD: Neighbor dispute escalates June 22, 2015 FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A man wanted to document harassing communications from his neighbor on Upland Court June 6. The man told officers he was approached by a neighbor who received a … Continue reading
Neighbors at War: Kicking Kids Around Ward Lucas June 13, 2015 guest blog by Dave Russell How to ‘legally’ discriminate against children in HOAs…… It’s pretty simple, and it only takes one word! A Fair Housing case was just settled … Continue reading
Los Angeles Times: Q&A – It’s wrong to fine owner for not watering lawn during drought By Donie Vanitzian June 13, 2015 Question: My homeowner association board won’t let me plant drought-resistant vegetation, saying it’s not in keeping with a … Continue reading