Your board of directors is conducting a regular board meeting when a disgruntled owner hands over a petition to the board. Now what? Is it valid? Do you have to hold an election or meeting? If so, by when? Where do you go from here? These are just some of…
Theft! Whether it occurs in the common area lobby, hallway, parking area, or on an owner’s porch, it is on the rise. Many associations are installing or updating surveillance cameras in response to this criminal behavior. Cameras may not stop all thievery, but they can still help to prove criminal…
Preparing for the Inevitable: Raising Assessments and How to Do It Whether it’s to pay for repairs to the common area, replenish reserve funds, pay for increased utilities, stay even with inflation, raise funds for a new project addition such as a playground or pool (also known as capital improvement),…
In October 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom approved the following three bills affecting homeowner association elections: SB 392, SB 432, and AB 502. These bills made some improvements to the HOA election laws that were passed in 2019, but then they complicated others. First, SB 392 made one simple improvement regarding…
Does your board table decisions because you can’t get through all of the discussion? Is there a big project that your association needs to complete, but the minutia of it is overwhelming the board? Don’t let the added work hold you back. Recruit volunteers from the membership to assist the…
Under California law, most licensed contractors or suppliers that provide labor, services, equipment, or materials on projects involving the common area of a community association are entitled to record a mechanic’s lien or issue a stop payment notice if they are not paid for their work or materials. Associations involved…
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) recently created a new webpage with helpful practical information to guide employers and employees about employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This new webpage provides additional clarity about sexual orientation and gender identity protections based on the 2020 Supreme…
When SB 323 took effect on January 1, 2020, it greatly modified the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act’s election procedures, including timelines for conducting an election. In the process, it inadvertently created a conflict in the law regarding recall elections that community associations have been struggling with ever since. …
Many California community associations are dealing with massive and significant increases in their insurance premiums. These increases were not anticipated and as a result they are unbudgeted requiring that boards levy emergency special assessments, borrow from reserves or otherwise find the money to pay the increased cost of insurance. It…
On September 28, 2021, the state passed AB 1584 which amends laws regarding mobile home parks, mortgage protections, and access to limited civil case records among other things. Most importantly, as it applies to homeowners’ associations, AB 1584 contains provisions that affect restrictions on accessory dwelling units (“ADUs”), junior ADUs,…