HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - October 6, 2017
Published: Fri, 10/06/17
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The Lessons of Recent Hurricanes and Wildfires, Even If Your HOA Was Unscathed
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Our hearts have been and still are with our readers who were affected by disasters in the past two months.
To recap, in late August, hundreds of thousands of Texas residents were swamped by disastrous rain and flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Then hurricanes Irma and Maria hit residents in Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands (among others). And while those disasters were making life miserable—and dangerous—for those in their way, wildfires in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Montana, Utah, and Washington were menacing those states’ residents.
Harvey reportedly destroyed more than 6,000 homes in Texas and damaged another 82,000. Wildfires are blamed for the devastation of more than 500 homes. The number of homes totaled by Irma and Maria hadn’t been reported at the time of this publication.
“Obviously, everybody’s heart goes out to those people,” says Matthew A. Drewes, a shareholder at DeWitt Mackall Crounse & Moore S.C. in Minneapolis. “Many of us know someone affected by these disasters.”
In the coming months, we at HOAleader.com hope to cover topics readers will surely run into as they rebuild. In the meantime, our experts say there are five lessons from these disasters for those affected and those luckily spared. Here’s the first:
1. Have a plan. “We actually had a similar situation here a couple of years ago with wildfires in the spring,” reports Elina Gilbert, a shareholder at HindmanSanchez in Lakewood, Colo., who’s specialized in community association law for 17 years.
“What we took away from that experience is that it’s important for associations to have a disaster recovery plan,” she advises. “What happens should everything or a bulk of the community gets destroyed? What steps is the board going to take? What will be done with the association’s bank account? It’s kind of like if I lose my wallet, whom do I need to contact? Is it the utilities, my insurance company, and so on? Have all that planned out.”
Lisa Magill, of counsel at Kaye, Bender & Rembaum in Pompano Beach, Fla., who advises Florida community associations, is on the same page. “All of your building systems may be impacted or required to be shut down for safety purposes in the event of a flood,” she says. “An evacuation plan is crucial.
“Also, the association should already have emergency contact information for owners and copies of records—things like insurance policies, pre-condition surveys, maintenance contracts for building services, water extraction, and other contractor information—saved off site for easy access,” adds Magill. “You can save all that in the cloud.”
Read all 5 Things Your HOA Can Learn from Harvey, Irma, and the Wildfires in our new article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/3613.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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What HOA and Condo Boards Need to Know About Regulating Rentals
Rental restrictions are unlike most other policies HOA boards create because they necessarily curb owners' real property rights. The law jealously protects property owners' rights, which means any HOA board that seeks to restrict rentals in their community needs to act wisely and deliberately.
This report provides you with the information you need achieve that goal.
It's filled with tips from our editorial team and experts on HOA governance and management from across the country. With the information in this report, you can begin investigating and working toward implementation of legal and enforceable rental restrictions immediately.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/public/What-HOA-Condo-Boards-Need-Know-About-Regulating-Rentals.cfm
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5 Things Your HOA Can Learn from Recent Hurricanes and Wildfires
In late August, hundreds of thousands of Texas residents were swamped by disastrous rain and flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Shortly afterward, Hurricanes Irma and Maria hammered residents in Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and elsewhere. And while those disasters were making life miserable--and dangerous--for those in the storms' paths, wildfires in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Montana, Utah, and Washington were menacing those states' residents.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/5-Things-Your-HOA-Can-Learn-from-Recent-Hurricanes-Wildfires.cfm
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7 Provisions That May Mean Your HOA's Governing Documents Are Sub-Par
One of HOAleader.com's experts, Robert E. Ducharme, founder of Ducharme Law in Stratham, N.H., who specializes in representing community associations, says bad legal documents can cost you money and grief.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/7-Provisions-That-May-Mean-Your-HOAs-Governing-Documents-Are-SubPar.cfm
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Fireplaces Must Go! (So Say Some HOAs)
Apparently, some condos and attached HOAs, like townhomes, are requiring that owners convert wood-burning fireplaces into gas fireplaces for safety reasons. It's an idea some municipalities have considered, too.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Fireplaces-Must-Go-So-Say-Some-HOAs.cfm
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Good or Bad: HOA Board Member Fleshes Out the Minutes
In this week's tip, we answer an HOAleader.com reader's question on whether it's OK to do a little creative writing with your meeting minutes by including things that weren't said or discussed.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/public/Good-or-Bad-HOA-Board-Member-Fleshes-Out-Minutes.cfm
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