HOA Law Blog

On Tuesday, June 28, 2011, David Swedelson of SwedelsonGottlieb and Timothy Cline of Timothy Cline Insurance Agency will present their technology program, "Beyond Ctrl, Alt, Del (Taking your Tech to the Next Level)" at Community Association Institute's Channel Islands Chapter.

Download this PDF page for a handy link reference to some of the cutting edge technologies covered in the program.

By David Swedelson, Senior Partner, SwedelsonGottlieb

As reported in several publications, including this article from MSNBC, Timothy Adams, a member of a homeowners association in Omaha, Nebraska, has taken some unusual steps to engender support for his fight against his homeowners association as he battles to keep solar panels installed on his home.

According to the MSNBC article, homeowner Adams is being sued by South Shore Heights Homeowners Association after he refused to take down the solar panels he had installed on his roof. While we have seen owners publicize their positions in letters in an effort to garner fellow owner support for their positions, Adams is spending a lot of money (and vows to spend even more) trying to generate support for his cause by putting up billboards, launching a webpage, sending letters to neighbors and utilizing social media.

Continue reading " Homeowner Uses Billboards, Website to Defend Solar Panels " »

By Joan E. Lewis-Heard, Esq., Attorney, SwedelsonGottlieb

Edited by David C. Swedelson, Esq.

Many California condominium associations have common area storage lockers, rooms or areas that are made available to the owners. Sometimes, the storage area is assigned in a deed as exclusive use common area. More often than not, these areas are not assigned, and the board has the ability to assign and rent them to owners. And boards and the association’s management often have no idea of the issues that storage areas can create until they are smack dab in the middle of a dispute with an owner.

There are many commercial self-service storage facilities that serve the general public; one of the more popular ones is called “Public Storage”. Although homeowner associations that rent storage spaces to their owners generally do so on a much smaller scale, when an association does rent out these areas to owners, it is considered to be a “self-service storage facility” as defined under the California Self-Service Storage Facility Act.

To read more, follow this link.

SwedelsonGottlieb, Condo Lawyers and HOA Attorneys

You may not be aware, but 2011 has been a historical year for California hockey, as California’s three NHL teams, the San Jose Sharks, LA Kings, and the Anaheim Ducks, all made the playoffs for the first time together. Or perhaps you were aware of this incredible feat due to the multiple proud fan displays, signs, and banners gracing the homes in your community.

But what would this momentous occasion have to do with HOA law? I am so glad you asked.

In Florida, some homeowners associations had their hands full this year as the Tampa Bay Lightning, who also made the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, sent banners, flags and lawn signs to its devoted fans for display. Alas, as this news story reports, some Tampa HOA members who displayed such signs on their property were met with opposition by their association. Read the story as to how the ingenious owner got around the association’s objections.

Continue reading " What Do You Mean I Cannot Hang My Banner or Sign On My Garage Door (or Window, or...)! " »

We just received CACM’s 20th Anniversary publication. SwedelsonGottlieb and Association Lien Services congratulate the California Association of Community Managers (CACM) on providing 20 years of leadership and education for California's community managers. CACM's record of support for managers and the communities they serve is truly extraordinary, and homeowners across the state have CACM to thank for a better quality of life in their associations.

CACM's publication included a retrospective of the major milestones in its development from its formative years through today. It contains a number of photographs of members, attendees at events and participants, and we were pleased to see a 1999 photograph of Senior Partners David Swedelson and Sandra Gottlieb and a 2009 photo of Sandra Gottlieb receiving CACM's Lifetime Achievement Vision Award.

We look forward to many more years of working closely with CACM and supporting California's community association managers.