With the last vestiges of summer now disappearing, it’s time to highlight some of the more notable condo-related entries from the blogosphere in August.
City Smoking Ordinances – Do They Apply to HOAs? – California condo lawyer Beth Grimm asks the tough question and raises the possibility that cities may be able to take the lead and provide a good example for condos to follow. In a related post, Beth responds to reader feedback on the question of Smoking in Units Okay … Or Not?
Present a Budget That Actually Means Something (and might actually get read) – Joe at the Community Associations Considerations blog explains why most budgets don’t strike a chord with owners. He then offers some creative suggestions and a neat specimen worth looking at. Who says budgets have to be dull, dreary and uninformative?
Upstairs, Downstairs – Among the most common complaints of unit owners are noises made from neighbouring units that are transmitted through walls or ceilings. Lawyer Paul Windust suggests some strategies for dealing with these sorts of noise complaints on his firm’s California Condo Issues blog.
How To Protect Your Roofing Investment – How do you properly test a roof? How often should you test? What new “evil genius” tools and methods are available? To find out, check this guest post at the Condominium Insurance Law blog.
Think twice before picking that legal fight! – So you’re a unit owner fed up with your condo board’s “antics.” You’ve got your lawyers cued up and set for stun. Read this piece by Donna Berger before filing the lawsuit.
The Top Five Ways Condominiums Get Into Trouble — Elysa Bergenfeld lists some common pitfalls for condos on the New Jersey Law Blog. While some of the items are specific to that state, some are universal.
Avoiding Defamation — Robert Meisner at the Michigan Condo & HOA Law blog reminds us that naming names is dangerous when it comes to owners who are delinquent in paying their common expenses.
Mould damage caused indirectly by rain seepage may not be covered by an all risk policy — Insurers across Canada continue to fight mould cases tooth and nail. The latest case (a blow for condos) is summarized on the Canadian Insurance Law Blog by Vancouver law firm Harper Grey.
Questions of Fact Found to Preclude Summary Judgment – I just have to mention a blog entry that starts off like this one from Roy Mura of the Coverage Counsel blog, with: “So if you’re a member of the board of directors of your condominium and you get into a bit of a tussle with the security guard of your building while returning from Christmas shopping with packages in hand and family in tow, will the condo’s CGL policy respond to defend and indemnify you in relation to the guard’s inevitable personal injury suit against you?” [I say: More importantly, what would Santa do?]