Today’s homeowner needs to know how to intelligently take on an HOA board if/when such a dispute may arise. As we will soon discuss, the mistaken judgment in pursuit of a claim against a homeowners' association could result in a five-figure legal bill. To assist if you are in such a problematic scenario, we will describe the three concepts you need to master before taking the fight to your homeowners' association: learning your association's CC&Rs, the relevant law regarding your dispute, and how to craftily pursue a resolution with your association's board.

Important Facts About HOA Liens & Foreclosures You Should Know

The right to record liens, and to foreclose on unpaid liens, is perhaps the most powerful tool homeowners’ associations have to enforce assessment obligations. State HOA laws are designed to allow associations to recover unpaid fees without undue effort and expense while protecting homeowners from overly aggressive associations by requiring strict compliance with statutory procedures and ample notice to homeowners.

Answering Your Most Pressing CC&R Questions

Little did you know when you first got into home ownership that your brain would be flooded with a plethora of new acronyms to comprehend. Whether a dispute has arisen, or you are about to participate in the conveyance of a property that part of an HOA, it is likely you have a now developed a sudden interest in what are termed “covenants, conditions, and restrictions,” knows as CC&Rs.

Governing DocumentsBrian K. Berman, Esq.June 6, 2018CC&Rs, HOA Rules

5 HOA Documents Every Homeowner Needs To Know

Too many terms and acronyms are thrown around and used interchangeably when folks are discussing homeowners' association documents. Sometimes when people are referring to the entire suite of homeowners' association documents, they will use the term CC&R, which stands for covenants, conditions, and restrictions. In fact, CC&Rs are just one part of the association's documentation. This article will distinguish CC&Rs from the other documents you need to know including articles of incorporation, bylaws, rules, and regulations, and financial documents.

Buying and Selling an HOA Property: Let’s Get This Thing Right

Whether you are buying or selling a home that is a party to an association, we know how important it is to complete the transaction the right way so as to not upend the lives of you and your family. Today’s article will provide the guidance you need—either as a buyer or seller—to operate with confidence regarding the home transaction. We will address where these disclosures come from, how they balance the rights of buyers and sellers and clarify once and for all the difference between disclosure and transfer fees.

Do Members Have The Right to Inspect And Copy HOA Documents?

Homeowners' Association laws vary considerably from state to state. But the right of homeowners to inspect association documents is uniformly recognized. After all, as a homeowner, you are a member of the association, and the ultimate purpose of any association is to benefit homeowners. Just as the shareholders of a corporation have a right to know about the financial status, management, and assets of the business they own, so, too, do HOA members have a right to stay abreast of association budgets, expenditures, and financial transactions.

Is Your HOA Following the Law with its Enforcement Measures and Fine Policy?

The enforcement mechanisms of a homeowners’ association may seem a bit arcane and obtuse, but they are important to understanding if either you or a fellow member is accused by the board of violating the rules. There are very specific duties, obligations, and procedures that the board of directors must follow. We will provide the full explanation you need to understand how and why your board of directors is permitted to assess a fine by addressing why associations are granted the power to enforce Bylaws, the necessary procedure to assess a penalty to enforce the rules, and what is considered a “reasonable” fine under the law.

EnforcementBrian K. Berman, Esq.May 14, 2018Due Process, HOA Violation, HOA Fines

A Guide to Architectural Control in Homeowners’ Associations

The ability of a homeowners’ association to regulate certain property details, impose obligations on members, and levy fines is governed by a combination of statutory and case law in the jurisdiction where the association is located and the community's governing documents—including articles of incorporation, bylaws, declarations (also known as CC&Rs—Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions), and rules and regulations, which contractually bind the homeowner association and its members.

Know the Duties and Responsibilities of Your HOA Board

We all have what we like to think is a general understanding of the basic elements of Homeowners’ Association—there is a president, a board, and a set of rules that these nice people are entrusted to enforce. And the cursory understanding of these elements of an association are perfectly fine, until something happens. Upon the formation of a dispute between a homeowner and a homeowner's association, these seemingly innocuous details will suddenly be anything but.

The Fiduciary Duties of HOA Board Members

This article will help elucidate what the law requires of an association Board with respect to its obligations toward homeowners. There are three broad categories of fiduciary duties of association Boards that we will discuss: the duty of care, the duty of reasonable inquiry, and the duty of good faith. With each topic, we will first explain general concepts then delve into examples for clarification. These rights for homeowners derive from old English common law (meaning that this law has grown over time through court decisions), but today almost every state has codified these rights into state statutes.

How the Fair Housing Act Protects Homeowners from Discrimination

Congress initially effectuated the Fair Housing Act (FHA)—codified at 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601-3631—in 1968 to prevent discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, or national origin. By 1988, the FHA had been expanded to protect classes to include sex, disability, and familial status. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in concert with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), brings actions against housing providers that violate the statute.

DiscriminationBrian K. Berman, Esq.February 6, 2018Fair Housing Act, Home Owner Rights, Discrimination, FHA

Understand The Law That Protects Owners From Abusive HOA Debt Collection Practices

In 1977, Congress passed the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (the “FDCPA” or “Act”) to prevent abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices by debt collectors. The act prohibits debt collectors from harassing consumers or using deceptive conduct when attempting to collect a debt. Homeowners or condominium maintenance assessments are subject to the FDCPA, therefore, the association’s debt collectors must follow the law when attempting to collect past due fees from homeowners.

3 Types of HOA Maintenance Fees Owners Cannot Escape

The association, under its documents and local laws, has the authority to charge annual, special, and capital assessments against all owners in the community to pay for the maintenance expenses and improvements to the common areas. The common areas consist of parks, pools, gyms, sidewalks, and any other area in the community, except those portions which lie within the boundaries of the owner's property.

Understanding The Homeowners Association (HOA) Fee Obligation

The local statutes and recorded Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (the "CC&Rs" or "Declaration") serve to establish the association's authority to charge maintenance fees and enforce non-compliance against all owners and properties subject to its authority. The HOA fees cover the costs of the maintenance and repair of the common areas, amenities, and operation of the association to preserve property values.

AssessmentsTammy Y. HayesSeptember 22, 2017No Offsets, Duty to Pay Assessments, Past Due Assessments, HOA Fees

An Owner's Freedom To Display The U.S. Flag In An HOA Community

Although a Homeowners Association has the authority to rule a community in accordance with its governing documents, its scope of authority is limited under federal and state laws. For instance, an Association cannot adopt, or enforce a rule that prohibits owners from displaying the United States flag on their property, because the owners have the right to do so, under the law.

Deed RestrictionsTammy Y. HayesAugust 18, 2017Federal Law, Flags

HOA Violations: The Homeowner's Right to a Fair Due Process

All condominium, cooperative, and homeowner associations ("Association") are subject to basic rules of due process under the law. Although the Association has a fiduciary duty to enact and enforce rules to promote health, happiness, and peace of mind of owners, the Association through its body of authority, must act in good faith and offer owners fair procedures...

EnforcementTammy Y. HayesAugust 4, 2017Due Process, Notice & Hearing Requirements, Fines

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