HOA Law Blog

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the effect the sub-prime crisis is having on many community associations. While the crisis is not a problem in some areas of the country, in California it is a affecting many associations budgets, as many boards did not anticipate or address the potential for bad debt when they adopted their budgets. In an article entitled "When Dues Dry Up, the Neighbors Pay", the WSJ reports that the other owners are having to make up the deficit that results from the fact that some owners are losing their units or homes to foreclosure because they cannot afford the increased payments to their lenders. The article points out that at some associations, the boards are cutting back on services. Some associations are delaying projects such as painting or new roofs. We are also seeing some associations that are paying out money to deal with stagnant water in pools and brown lawns and dying landscaping at abandoned homes. How is the sub-prime crisis affecting your association? Let us know. And to learn more about collecting unpaid assessments from defaulting owners, see our recent blog entry: To Foreclose or Not to Foreclose.

On July 1st, 2006, the way community associations have traditionally conducted annual meetings and/or taken votes will be history. This new law, set out in new Civil Code Section 1363.03, will affect how all homeowners associations in California will conduct most of their voting and elections, including the election of directors, a vote by the membership for assessment increases, amendments to the governing documents, and grant of exclusive use common area (subject to the limitations of Civil Code Section 1363.07). This new law was premised on what we believe is the mistaken opinion that association elections and balloting are “fraught with fraud.” The big change is that all voting will be by secret ballot. There is cleanup legislation that has been proposed, which expands the secret ballot process to all association votes. Failure to comply with these new rules could, by court order, set aside the results of an election or vote taken by an association and/or could subject an association to a penalty of five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each violation.

The newly required Election Rules and Regulations (Rules) are considered “operating” rules under the Civil Code, which will require that they first be sent out to the owners for comment. The Rules should set forth the process by which membership meetings are to be conducted, how voting is to occur and who is in charge. No longer may the association’s managing agent (unless your Rules provide otherwise) be in charge of the registration process nor may they assist the inspector(s) of election (“inspector(s)”) with the vote tally. While the number of inspector(s) has not changed (either one (1) or three (3)), the new law requires associations to specify how they are going to select the inspector(s), requires the inspector(s) to be independent third parties which include, but are not limited to, volunteer poll workers with the county registrar of voters, a licensed CPA, or a notary public. Although inspector(s) may be a member of the association, that member cannot be related to a board member, nor a candidate for election to the board of directors, a member related to the candidate, or be a person that is currently employed by or under contract to the association unless expressly authorized by the Rules. The inspector(s) must be selected prior to the vote or election as the inspector(s)’ role and responsibilities have been expanded.

If an association’s governing documents require an annual meeting to elect the board of directors (“board”), you will still be required to follow the Civil Code-mandated process. Cumulative voting and quorum requirements set forth in the governing documents remain controlling. The association or its managing agent will be obligated to provide information to the inspector(s) so that the inspector(s) can determine which members are in good standing and have a right to vote, notify members that they have a right to run for the board, the right to submit a candidacy statement, the right to utilize the association’s media in the same manner that any other candidate is utilizing an association’s media, which includes (by way of example) the association’s website or newsletter, if applicable. The board must be consistent with the procedures as they are to be applied to all members. Further, associations must provide access for all members to the association’s common area meeting space (or spaces) so that the member/candidate can have a forum to discuss their candidacy or anything reasonably related to the election.

The code provides a comprehensive list of inspectors' obligations, which include the designation of a location for the homeowners to mail their secret ballots, determination of the good standing status of the member as referenced above, the counting of the secret ballots (more on that in a moment), the designation of mailing address (referenced above), notification to the homeowners of when the voting will commence and when it will conclude (referred in the code as a polling place, which would make that consistent with municipal elections), request for candidacy statements, etc. Because the legislature apparently believed that community associations were not allowing for secret voting, the underlying process is to secure confidentiality in all votes by homeowners for the elections referenced above.

The Rules must provide procedures that the inspector(s) can utilize at the annual meeting, if applicable. This is important because the association’s managing agent (unless authorized in the Rules) will not be able to provide information and direction to the inspector(s) as to how they should handle any issues or problems that arise.

The secret ballot referenced above requires that associations send to the homeowners (and for the homeowner to return) two (2) envelopes, one that will fit inside the other. The “secret” ballot will go inside the smaller inner envelope. The secret ballot, which requires the homeowner’s vote, may not be signed by the homeowner or have any other documentation on the ballot that would identify the homeowner. That ballot will be placed into the inner envelope, which will be, on its face, designated as the envelope for the secret ballot. That envelope will be placed into another envelope that will be pre-addressed to a location specified by the inspector(s). On the exterior envelope the homeowner, must in their own hand, print and sign his or her name, address, and lot or parcel or unit number that entitles him or her to vote. Owners will likely need some help with this as they likely will not know their parcel number. The homeowner is required to, where referenced, sign their name on that envelope. Although the cleanup legislation referenced above would allow for that information, other than the signature, to be provided not in the homeowner’s own hand, currently that is not the law. Managing agents and boards of directors are rightfully concerned that homeowners will have difficulty understanding that if they do not fill out all of the information, the ballot inside the envelopes will not count towards the election. Not only is the board obligated to prepare the Rules, they should carefully set forth instructions to the homeowner as to how to fill out the envelope.

Counting of the ballots is also going to be an issue. How long will it take to register the members and then count the secret ballots? Will this interfere with the inspector(s) noticing when the polls will close? Members of the association are entitled to watch the counting of the votes. However, no one except the inspector(s), including members of the association, the board of directors or the association’s managing agent, may review or open any secret ballot prior to the time and place where the secret ballots are counted and tabulated. When completed, the inspector(s) are required to provide the board with the results of the election and the association is required to advise the homeowners, in writing, within fifteen (15) days of the election by publicizing the results.

If a member requests a recount and challenges the election results, the association shall make the ballots available for inspection and review by the members or their representatives. The association has an ongoing obligation to preserve the confidentiality of the vote and that includes the recount. Any member may bring a lawsuit against the association in small claims court (within a one-year period from the date of the election or vote) contesting the results. The small claims judge now has the power to void the results of the election upon finding that the election procedures required by law or the rules were not followed. If the member prevails in a lawsuit contesting the vote, under the new law they will be entitled to reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs and the Court may impose a penalty of up to $500 for each violation. On the other hand, if the association prevails in that lawsuit, assuming the small claims court judge’s decision to void the results of an election or vote has been appealed to the Superior Court, it shall not be entitled to its attorneys’ fees and costs unless the Court finds that the homeowner’s action was frivolous, unreasonable, or without foundation.

While the voting and elections procedures have changed, boards of directors still have an obligation to enforce the governing documents while complying with civil code obligations. The State Legislature has enacted a very complicated new law designed to ensure elections and voting are secret. It remains to be seen how well this new law will work. Good Luck! And if you need help, contact our office!

© SwedelsonGottlieb

It comes up all the time. A resident wants to attend and participate at a board meeting or wants to serve on the board of directors. That resident may be a tenant or the significant other of an actual owner of that property, or perhaps the beneficiary of a trust or shareholder of a corporation that owns the property. Often, governing documents state that only an "owner of record" can serve on the board, and the Open Meeting Act states that "any member of the association may attend a meeting of the board of directors of the association." Electing a non-owner to the board of directors, when the governing documents require ownership as a qualification, could jeopardize the legality of the board's decisions, and perhaps even insurance coverage.

Black’s Law Dictionary defines an "owner" of real property as a person who is vested with title to property and has a right to enjoy that property and do with it as he or she pleases. The "Record Owner" is usually defined in the CC&Rs as the "owner of the Title" at the time of notice. But does this mean that the association is required to go out and check Title? Not necessarily. Typically, the owner of record at a community association is the owner on the association's records based on the information that was provided, perhaps through escrow, when the unit was sold. Some management company agreements obligate the manager to a higher level of record keeping by requiring that the manager keep not only a list of the homeowners, but rather a "current list." This rather innocuous phrase could actually place an ongoing obligation on the manager to verify correct ownership. If that's your intention, great; if not, contracts should be rephrased. The association is entitled to rely on its records, unless it is provided proof by way of a recorded deed, that ownership (in whole or in part) has been transferred to someone new. A resident may present the association with a copy of a quit claim deed, showing that he or she may own all or a portion of the property, but that deed may not have been recorded. Then that person would not necessarily be the "owner of record," at least not recognized by the County Recorder's Office as the owner, and thus should not be considered by the association to be an owner.

Record Owner

It is important to determine who the owner of the property is because many activities (read most) at common interest developments require the owner to be the Record Owner of the property. Only a Record Owner can make decisions on behalf of a unit/lot as it relates to association matters. Association disputes over ownership generally arise over the issue of "legal ownership" and are usually easily resolved by determining identity of the property owner as listed on the recorded grant deed.

Prior planning and organization should allow a board or manager to ascertain who the true Record Owner of the property is prior to mailing ballots or holding official meetings of the members. Most CC&Rs require homeowners to provide the association with the names and addresses of the Record Owners. In fact, Corporation Code Section 8320 places the obligation on the corporation or unincorporated non-profit association to maintain a list of all homeowners and their addresses. It is the association's obligation, even prior to an annual meeting, to ascertain who is the record owner for the purpose of collecting assessments and enforcing the governing documents. Because state statute provides that the levy of assessments is a debt of the owner at the time the assessment was levied, going after the correct owner for payment is important, not only to the association's financial health, but also to limit the association's liability for proceeding against the wrong person or entity for a debt.

Under California law, a recorded interest has priority over an unrecorded interest. That means if two owners claim a right of ownership to a piece of property, the association should treat the Record Owner, the person listed on the recorded grant deed, as the true owner. The same holds true even where a homeowner acquires title to their unit/lot by a quit claim deed, provided, of course, that the deed is recorded. When an unrecorded grant deed is involved or if more than one person claims a right of ownership under a separate recorded grant deed or a representative of a trust claims the ownership, the issue can become murky. If no recorded deed exists or more than one recorded deed is discovered. Management should, based on the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, refer to recorded interests only. Other statutes, not specific to homeowner associations, provide that a grant deed is valid and enforceable even if not recorded as long as the grant deed gives notice to all. However, what is more commonly found is that the notice of ownership has not been given to all prospective buyers and does not provide legal notice as required by law.

First In Time, First In Right

If there is an ownership dispute between record owners and management does not know who to allow to vote (who gets the ballot), management should rely on Civil Code Sections 1213 through 1220, which provide, when more than one grant deed exists, the "Record Owner" will be the person(s) whose grant deed was recorded first. For example, if a homeowner were to record her or his deed to a unit/lot in 2002 and a subsequent grant deed for that same unit/lot was recorded by another person in 2003, without there being a chain of title that satisfies the transfer of property, the Record Owner would be the homeowner who recorded first.

Trust Ownership

A problem occurring more and more frequently arises when property is owned in trust. When conducting check in at an official meeting or sending out a written ballot, if a trust ownership is presented, the association should require official verification that the person who wants to vote on behalf of the trust is authorized to do so. The individual is usually the trustee of the trust. Interestingly, although the trustee does not own the property, the trustee has the same legal rights to act on behalf of the property as those that would be afforded any other ownership rights of the association. It is incumbent upon associations to advise homeowners that, if they are a trustee of a trust, they need to provide trust documentation to establish that they have the authority as referenced above.

Most times it seems the ownership issue is a problem only in contested elections or when certain members of the association have an agenda. Management's agenda is to make sure the right owners are representing the memberships in the association. Following the above guidelines will guarantee your success.