Community associations should incorporate preventive maintenance and structural inspections into their reserve studies—the important budget planning tools that identify the components a community association is responsible for maintaining or replacing, indicate the status of the reserve fund, and provide a stable and equitable funding plan to offset anticipated future major common area expenditures. The recommendations are part of new Reserve Study Standards released by Community Associations Institute (CAI), the leading international authority on community association governance, management, and education.

In July, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac released updates to project eligibility standards for condominiums and housing cooperatives.

There are many different social media platforms that may be utilized by community associations; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to name a few. Before jumping in, take some time to consult legal counsel, and develop a strategy. Know the good, the bad and yes, even the ugly!

Some insurance carriers refer to Directors and Officers (D&O) Liability as miscellaneous liability.  Take my word, it is not a coverage that should be considered miscellaneous.  There is a world of difference between D&O coverage offered to you as an endorsement on your master policy and proper D&O coverage specifically written as a stand-alone policy.  

Effective July 1, 2023,  the various resale provisions in the Virginia Property Owners’ Association Act, Condominium Act, and Cooperative Act have been removed and consolidated into a new single act known as the Resale Disclosure Act, which is located in Chapter 23.1 of Title 55.1 of the Virginia Code.  The new Resale Disclosure Act groups resale provisions together for Virginia property owners’ associations, condominium associations, and cooperatives, and collectively refers to them as “resale certificates.”

Your association’s budget impacts the financial and physical health of the community and residents’ property values. The budget is the first, crucial step to restoring aged, once-beautiful communities to their former glory, and it determines the enjoyment residents will derive from their community.

Perhaps the greatest achievement for any association is creating and sustaining a sense of community among residents and leaders. This goal is best achieved when homeowners, non-owner residents and association leaders recognize and embrace their rights and responsibilities. It was with this goal in mind that CAI developed Rights and Responsibilities for Better Communities. These principles can serve as an important guidepost for board and committee members, community managers, homeowners and non-owner residents.

Homeowners have the right to:

These past several years have been indescribably stressful for everyone. Economic concerns after a year’s long pandemic, lack of socialization, mask-wearing, and general fear and anxiety have only increased the slow erosion of kindness and empathy we have seen devolve over the past few years. 

The past decade has seen an explosion in the popularity of electric vehicles.  All expectations are that this popularity will continue to grow.  There are many makes and models of electric vehicles, and they can be classified as either battery electric vehicles (“BEVs”) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (“PHEVs”)—both of which need to be charged by plugging into an outlet or charging station.  

Community Associations are wonderful organizations benefiting millions of US residents every day. There are countless benefits to living in community associations. One of the beautiful things about people is that we have figured out that banding together in communities is generally beneficial offering clean, cohesive neighborhoods oftentimes with amenities such as parks and pools, further encouraging the idea of community. These inherent benefits have association living on the rise, providing homes for nearly 1 in 5 Americans. But where did it all start?

We are on the cusp of Spring, which means Summer is just around the corner. And pool season is the hallmark of Summer. In addition to securing a pool service contractor and/or lifeguards, community associations should consider the broad spectrum of responsibilities and measures related to the pool. Below is our suggested checklist of items for community associations to review well before the start of pool season for maximum protection.

"Our Board Just Inherited a Host of Old Violations - What Should We Do?" 

We often get calls from new board members after transitioning from developer control. They have questions like this one: Some of the homeowners have added fences, above-ground pools, and sheds without getting approval from the Association. Many of these changes do not appear to meet the standards that are part of our documents. No action has been taken to correct these violations. How do we go about enforcing the covenants and rules?

Burnout is more than just stress—it’s how your mind and your body tell you a change is needed. Do you find yourself withdrawing from work and caring less about results? Are you working harder, often mechanically or to the point of exhaustion? Just going through the motions? Try a few of these tips for keeping burnout at bay.

What’s your annual plan?

As we begin another year, it’s important for associations and their business partners to have a clear understanding of what the coming year will look like. What are our goals? What strategies will we use to reach those goals? Did we meet the goals we had for the past year? Without a mechanism in place like an annual plan, it’s almost impossible for an association or business to know where they’ve been and where they’re going. The inclusion of an annual plan can help take the guesswork out of the process.

Neighbor to neighbor disputes seem to be at an all-time high right now. Many times, the neighbors are trying to bring the Association into these battles. In order to best utilize the Association’s assets, Boards and managers must recognize when it is appropriate for the Association to engage, and when to stay out of the conflict.

Tis the season for community association holiday and year-end parties.  With such festive and fun-filled events, come certain responsibilities and measures community association should consider. Below is a list of suggested items that should be reviewed prior to an association-sanctioned or association-hosted holiday party. 

Security threats can attack a company from all angles. You might have a security guard at the door to keep out unwanted visitors. Perhaps you have security cameras to keep an eye on things when you are not around. You likely have an anti-virus software to prevent a technical attack. But what do you do when a scammer tries to trick one of your employees into giving up sensitive information through an email?

Disputes can arise between owners and their association regarding who is responsible for maintenance or removal when once healthy trees in the community begin to show signs of death or disease, especially when the trees are located near homes or other structures.  Whether the association or owner is responsible (and could be held liable for damages which result if the tree, or a part thereof, encroaches on neighboring property or falls and causes injury or damage) will often depend on whose property the tree is located on, whether modifications or alterations have been made to the property, and what the association’s governing documents provide. 

For many condominiums, a secure and safe premises is the polar opposite of a liability: it is a feature and selling point to bring new residents into the community and increase the property value of individual units. From the perspective of condominium association budgets, most condominium association boards can easily defend, to residents, reasonable expenses on security in the common elements. Most if not all residents understand the need for security measures on the premises whether that expense includes merely exterior lighting in parking lots or a whole security suite of protections from video cameras and swipe-card locks to gates and guards. 

Finding a strategy for time management depends on your level of self-discipline and most importantly your personality. If you incorporate some or all of the strategies, you can manage your time more effectively.  You may wish for more time, but you only get 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds each day.  How you use this time will depend on the skills you have learned.