HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - March 27, 2020
Published: Fri, 03/27/20
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What to Do When HOA Meetings at the Board President's Church Lower Turnout
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In this week's tip, we answer a reader's question about whether HOA meetings with poor attendance because they're held at a church the president belongs to must be moved legally or should be moved to encourage better attendance.
Our experts stress that this is common and doesn't violate any laws governing meeting locations. "I honestly haven't seen that generate a lot of tension," according to Elina Gilbert, a shareholder at Altitude Community Law in Lakewood, Colo., who has specialized in community association law for 19 years. "A lot of communities meet in churches because they're often a free or inexpensive place to hold a meeting.
"To me, it makes no difference where you hold the meeting as long as it's to conduct business and you're not doing anything religious in nature," she adds. "The questions are usually: Where can we get a room, and can we afford it? I don't think there should be a legal issue related to where the meeting is held unless maybe it's so far away that you're making it difficult for residents to attend."
That's also the conclusion of Molly Peacock, counsel at Rees Broome in Tysons Corner, Va., who's represented condos and HOAs for nearly 15 years. "I've seen this," she says. "It's fine to gather or have a meeting in a religious building, such as a temple, a mosque, or a church, if it's free and all that other stuff, such as it's a good location.
"I do understand that the very presence of these religious icons or the whole design of the physical plant might bother people even though there's nothing illegal happening and we're allowed to have this meeting in this location," she adds. "Religion has been the subject of wars throughout history."
Read our experts' suggestions for deciding whether to move the meetings in our new article: https://www.hoaleader.com/members/4086.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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A Colorado homeowner apparently made a dumb choice--there's no question, if the reports are true. He allegedly refused to pay $110 in dues to protest a $100 fee imposed by his HOA for a garbage can violation. The HOA filed a lien, then foreclosed on the owner's home, according to MSN Money.
Click here to read full article:
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