Here, for your early summer reading pleasure, are some of the most thought-provoking pieces from the condo law blogosphere last month.
Community Needs Cosmetic Surgery — Mike Inman of the Virginia Condo & HOA Blog suggests a good thought process for boards to follow in deciding whether and how to conduct renovations at their complex.
How to Effectively Run a Board Meeting — Are you looking for a way to shorten those agonizing board meetings that go nowhere and don’t end? Try some of the tips offered by Ashley Yorra of Vial Fortheringham and bring order to chaos.
Can Owners View Draft HOA Meeting Minutes? — The answer is not cut and dry, according to this article on LeClairRyan’s Virginia Community Association Law Blog.
When the Board Should Really Call the Association Attorney – Part I –In a two part series, Donna Berger provides helpful examples about when to call the lawyers. Part II is here. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish!
Do Away With Community Directory — Does any condo still publish an owners’ directory? If so, Ohio condo lawyers Kaman & Cusimano suggest that you rethink the wisdom of that decision.
Smoking in Community Associations — This topic has grown legs in recent months and will continue to gain momentum. The folks at HindmanSanchez’s HOA Legi-Slate blog feature a meaty NY Times article on the growing movement to ban smoking in multi-unit residential buildings.
“Smoking and condominium associations” — Another smoking piece, this one from Patrick Brady at the MEEB law firm in Boston, discusses the developing trends in American lawsuits over smoking in close quarters and gives some insight into the state of the law on this growing issue and where it’s going.
Getting the Scoop on that Poop — CSI comes to Condoland. The blogosphere and Twitter were abuzz last month with the story of the Baltimore condo considering (then rejecting) DNA testing to help identify the source of dog poop on common elements. Lincoln Hobbs of Utah reveals that the idea is not so crappy after all!
HOAs Going Green with a bit of Kicking and Screaming — In a guest post on the Construction Law Musings blog, Arizona community association lawyer Roger Wood discusses the difficulties of “going green” from the perspective of boards of existing condos and HOAs. Whereas life is easier for the new developments that are built with green technology, existing associations seem doomed to stumble through the conversion process.
How to Deal With a "Crazy" Board of Directors — After tackling the issue of dealing with crazy owners earlier this year, Daniel Zimberoff at the Northwest Condo and HOA Law Blog turns the tables and shines the light on the boards.
Goat Dispute Highlights Best Practices for Covenant Enforcement — Seattle condo lawyer Kevin Britt reminds boards to think carefully when confronted with a potential rule violation.