HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - April 15, 2016
Published: Fri, 04/15/16
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How Not to Respond to Owners with Electric Cars
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In this week’s tip, we offer advice on what not to say to owners who request to install electric car charging stations.
It stems from an unidentified Toronto condo association’s notice to its owners that they can essentially pound sand if they buy an electric car.
That’s an approach that confounds Brad van Rooyen, a partner at Home Encounter, a Tampa, Fla., company that manages community associations. “I was recently at Disneyworld, and they have two whole rows of parking that have car-charging stations,” he notes. “I’m really interested in hearing more about why this condo association isn’t going to allow them. It seems a little cart-before-the-horse because I don’t think there’s any expectation by electric car owners that the association would pick up the cost of the charging and have the rest of the community pay for it.”
We don’t know a ton of details because this condo association is mentioned without name by a columnist in Wheels.ca, a Canadian website for car aficionados. According to the publication, residents of a high-rise condominium received a letter from their “management board president” (yes, we see that odd wording; is it the management or the board president?): “Don’t buy an electrically powered vehicle in the expectation that you can have it recharged or powered on our premises … for now, thinking about buying an electrically powered vehicle may not be a practical thing.”
The condo’s leaders note the building was built in the late 1980s, and none of its 450 or so underground parking spaces are wired. The garage contains only a few electric outlets for maintenance work. Also, the building’s electricity bill covers the entire association—common areas and units.
The article runs through the various options the condo could implement to ensure electric vehicle owners carry their own weight—but the condo’s leaders have shot all down for now.
Our experts say this response may be called for only in rare situations. Read our new article for tips to better handle electric cars: http://www.hoaleader.com/members/1353.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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You'll Have to Address Electric Cars. But Is This Condo's Move the Smartest Way?
An unidentified Toronto condo association has essentially told its owners they can pound sand if they buy an electric car.
It's an approach that confounds Brad van Rooyen, a partner at Home Encounter, a Tampa, Fla., company that manages community associations. "I was recently at Disneyworld, and they have two whole rows of parking that have car charging stations," he notes. "I'm really interested in hearing more about why this condo association isn't going to allow them. It seems a little cart-before-the-horse because I don't think there's any expectation by electric car owners that the association would pick up the cost of the charging and have the rest of the community pay for it."
Click here to read full article: http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Youll-Have-Address-Electric-Cars-But-This-Condos-Move-Smartest-Way.cfm
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Judge Holds Co-Op Responsible for Migrating Cigarette Smoke
In this week's tip, we report on a case in New York that's either alarming or so unusual there's no sense worrying about it.
In it, a judge ruled in favor of--and awarded a gob of money to--a woman who bought a co-op unit in 2006 but never moved in because she claimed smoke from nearby units permeated her unit and made it uninhabitable. The defendant? Her co-op.
Click here to read full article: http://www.hoaleader.com/public/Judge-Holds-CoOp-Responsible-for-Migrating-Cigarette-Smoke.cfm
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New York Decision on Smoke-Smelling Condo Unit: A Siren or an Outlier?
A New York state judge has ruled in favor of--and awarded a gob of money to--a woman who bought a co-op unit in 2006 but never moved in because she claimed smoke from nearby units permeated her unit and made it uninhabitable. The defendant? Her co-op.
Click here to read full article: http://www.hoaleader.com/members/New-York-Decision-on-Smoke-Smelling-Condo-Unit-Siren-or-Outlier.cfm
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How to Prevent a Takeover and Quick Death of Your HOA
That headline sounds ominous, but sadly, it describes an actual possibility in many states. In this week's tip, we talk about how it happens and how to prevent it.
An Arizona community association has been taken over by investors, according to the ABC15 News Phoenix report, and it's not the first time this has happened in the state. In early March, the city's Jamestown Condominiums became the target of an investment group. Eventually, it acquired 80 percent of the units in the community and began sending notice to the remaining owners that the association was being terminated and they had to vacate.
Click here to read full article: http://www.hoaleader.com/public/How-Prevent-Takeover-Quick-Death-Your-HOA.cfm
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Rentals in Your HOA or Condo Getting You Down?What HOA Boards Need to Know About Regulating Rentals
Rentals are one of the toughest issues to control at HOAs, and they've become even more difficult to oversee now that websites like Airbnb and VRBO have caught fire, facilitating short term rentals for home owners. What's a responsible HOA or condo board to do?
Join us for a must-attend webinar on April 28 on how to create a smart--and enforceable--rental policy at your HOA. You'll hear two community association lawyers with decades of hands-on experience in advising associations share their best advice.
Click here to read full article: http://www.hoaleader.com/products/rentals-in-your-hoa-a.cfm
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