HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - June 19, 2015
Published: Fri, 06/19/15
=================================================================
How One Arizona HOA Battled Criminals
=================================================================
Our experts hesitate to advise their clients to take on the responsibility
for crime fighting. In this week’s tip, we highlight an Arizona HOA that’s
doing just the opposite.
The Circle Tree Owners Association in Mesa is made up of 250 condos, and it
used to be a mess, says homeowner and manager David Russell.
“In 2007, I purchased a unit here, and I had to live here because I couldn’t get
any tenants in the property,” he recalls. “The Mesa Police Department had so
many calls, they had a strategic plan just for our property,” adds Russell.
“If somebody was murdered and one police car showed up, it had to wait for more
cars before it could enter the property. There was a murder of a young girl and
her unborn baby in a drug deal gone wrong. We had 68 convicted felons here, and
over the years, we’ve had a half-dozen sex offenders. Some were level three,
which is the highest. We had to get them out of here along with their pitbulls
and dope deals.
In 2007, the HOA implemented the Tri-Star program, which brought the
police, community managers and owners, and landlords and residents
together to increase safety in rental units.
“We incorporated Tri-Star provisions, like tenant screening, into our
regulations,” explains Russell. “We could exclude convicted felons, sex
offenders, and drug dealers—all the bad guys. We required owners to turn in
criminal background checks and a registration form on tenants. And when we
started doing that, lo and behold, we went from a community known as a
crime-ridden dump to the Mesa police chief giving us an award for exemplary
crime prevention in the Tri-Star community in 2013. Our calls for service
have dropped about 90 percent since 2007. Now we have Canadian snowbirds,
retirees, and nice little families who live here.”
But the Tri-Star program took a hit when the legislature passed new
legislation affecting HOAs’ ability to screen tenants. So Russell
spearheaded an amend-the-docs drive at Circle Tree. “To amend the CC&Rs, we
had to have 75 percent approval of the homeowners,” he says. “In less than 45
days, I had that and then some.”
Read our new article to find out more:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/1191.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
=================================================================
Brand-New Event!
=================================================================
New HOA Board Members?
Here's How to Run a Successful Board Orientation
An Exclusive HOAleader.com Webinar
With Practical Tips for Condo and HOA Boards
Thursday, July 16, 2015
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Pacific Time
Learn more or Register now:
http://www.hoaleader.com/snip/202.htm
Members save $30!
=================================================================
Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
=================================================================
New HOA Board Members? Here's How to Run a Successful Board Orientation
Upcoming Live Webinar
Want your condo or homeowner association board to operate effectively,
no matter how many members come and go over time? It's not a pipe dream.
It's an achievable reality if you create and implement a new-board
orientation to help just-elected or just- appointed members hit the
ground running. Join us for a July 16 webinar to hear from two experienced
community association lawyers everything you need to know to craft an
effective and timeless new-board orientation program.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/products/new-hoa-board-members-a-2.cfm
=================================================================
Arizona HOA Changes Rules: No Sex Offenders or Felons--Part 2
An Arizona HOA has passed new rules to restrict residency from certain
convicts. In Part 1, an owner and manager of the HOA explains the whys and hows
of his HOA's tactic to maintain the low-crime conditions the community.
Here in Part 2, our legal experts discuss the pros and cons of this HOA's
moves.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Arizona-HOA-Changes-Rules-No-Sex-Offenders-or-Felons-Part-2.cfm
=================================================================
Arizona HOA Changes Rules: No Sex Offenders or Felons--Part 1
An Arizona HOA has passed new rules to restrict residency from certain
convicts. Here in Part 1, the manager of the HOA explains the whys and hows of
his HOA's tactic to improve the community. In Part 2, our legal experts
discuss the pros and cons of this HOA's moves.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Arizona-HOA-Changes-Rules-No-Sex-Offenders-or-Felons-Part-1.cfm
=================================================================
Tips to Ensure Safety in Your HOA Pool
Pools are opening at HOAs across the country now. Here our experts suggest
four rules and practices to ensure HOAs meet the standard of safety they're
required to uphold.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Tips-Ensure-Safety-in-Your-HOA-Pool.cfm
=================================================================
HOA to Owners: Drought or Not, Artificial Turf Is a No Go
In this week's tip, we continue to update you on fast-moving events in
drought-stricken California, where HOAs are beginning to deal with the
effects of the drought and recently enacted water restrictions. (Keep
reading if you're not in California; we promise you'll still learn
something valuable about HOA management.)
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/public/HOA-Owners-Drought-or-Not-Artificial-Turf-No-Go.cfm
=================================================================
Permitting Rain Barrels at Your HOA: There's a Risk
A Colorado lawmaker introduced legislation that would require HOAs to
permit owners to place rain barrels on property--but it went down in defeat,
at least for now. An HOA expert says the bill, while well intentioned, raises
challenges and perhaps increases an HOA's liability. Here, we explain.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Permitting-Rain-Barrels-at-Your-HOA-Theres-Risk.cfm
=================================================================
Get your own copy!
Subscribe to the HOAleader.com Tip of the Week at:
http://www.hoaleader.com/public/department49.cfm
=================================================================
Please feel free to forward the *entire text* of this email to
others.
Copyright 2015, Plain-English Media, LLC
(866) 641-4548
http://www.hoaleader.com