TO FILE, OR NOT TO FILE? FOR AN HOA BOARD, THAT MAY NO LONGER BE THE QUESTION
Life used to be fairly simple. In the old days, when a Long Island Homeowners Association (HOA) amended its Declaration or By-Laws, the common practice was for the Board to file a Certificate of Amendment with the County Clerk. First of all, when an amendment is...
New York Smoke Detector Law
On April 1, 2019, a new law went into effect in New York State changing the type of smoke detectors that will be permitted for sale in the State. Section 399-ccc of the General Business Law prohibits the sale of smoke detectors that are powered solely by a...
ANNUAL MEETINGS AND ELECTIONS
Now that Spring is here, many community associations will start planning for their annual meeting. Annual meetings are for more than providing information to the Community. They are also for electing Board Members who will be responsible for making the day to day...
Buying a Condominium
What misconceptions do people have about condos? Many do not understand what a condo is, what is actually owned, and what it means to live in a community association. In essence, a condominium is a form of ownership whereby a person owns the entire condo unit (much...
Private Mortgage Insurance (“PMI”) FAQ’s
What is PMI? PMI is a type of mortgage insurance policy that provides compensation by the insurance company to the Lender in the event a borrower defaults on the mortgage. PMI does not protect the borrower from having to pay the mortgage if they are unable to do...
NEW LAW PASSED CONCERNING ELECTRONIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
There is a growing trend of new legislation that encourages the use of environmentally friendly energy sources. In light of this trend as well as the increase of electric vehicles on the roads, the New York State legislature recently passed a new provision to the New...
Paws for Thought
Community association Board members may squawk at the idea of allowing pets in their no-pet community, or at making communities more pet-friendly, but instituting such changes should not necessarily be a concern. Rather, Boards may want to consider implementing...
AVOIDING “US v. THEM” PART I – INCLUSION
Too often, hardworking community association Boards find themselves at odds with their homeowners. Conscientious Board members, who are volunteering their time, talents and energy to better the community, wonder why their efforts are unappreciated and why they are...
Grandfathered … or not?
A Westchester County cooperative apartment corporation decided to prohibit washing machines in apartments by creating a new House Rule. The basis for the new rule was a finding by the Board that the plumbing system in the building was “not sufficiently robust” to...
THE RULES OF THE COMMUNITY RULE THE DAY
As homeowners and a Board in Westchester County recently discovered, nothing constructive comes from a Board member’s informal and improper permission to a homeowner for an alteration. According to the Appellate Division, Second Department’s decision in Ives v...
Community Associations in the News
You may have read recently about the homeowners association in Las Vegas in which a teenage resident was severely injured in a playground accident (see the July/August 2018 issue of CAI’s Common Ground Magazine, pages 20-25). The jury rendered a $20 million verdict...
Board Member E-mails
While e-mail has become one of the most common and preferred means of communication, it may not always be the wisest or safest method for board members of community associations. At the very least, certain precautions need to be taken. First and foremost, boards...
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