HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - November 30, 2018
Published: Fri, 11/30/18
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From Pool Chairs to Lobby Benches: Your Condo/HOA's Common Areas Aren't Immune to Theft
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People will surprise you and steal things you'd never expect them to steal. In this week's tip, we discuss whether you should bolt down your common-area furniture to avoid theft.
This isn't something seen that often by Joe Wloszek, a member at Hirzel Law in Farmington, Mich., which represents more than 100 community associations; he lived in a condo for seven years and now lives in an HOA.
That's not to say it doesn't happen. "In one case where this came up, people were drinking, and someone took chairs from the common area pool to sit outside their unit to smoke and drink—and the cops were called," he recalls.
"We also have seen theft outside the common areas," adds Wloszek. "In one condo association I lived in, someone broke into a unit and stole all the copper pipes. The unit was under foreclosure, and it turns out someone was monitoring the foreclosure notices and identifying which units didn't have residents in them. Over the course of a single night, they took all that copper piping. The only reason we knew about it was because that caused water damage."
Oh, this sure does happen, says Mary Arnold, CMCA®, AMS®, the Austin, Texas-based national director of training and community association management support at RealManage, an association management firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that oversees properties in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, and Texas.
"I've had contractors working in the building, and they took a lunch break and came back to their power drills being gone," she laments. "I've seen it in the lobby with furniture—I've seen benches disappear. We've had association pools where we've had to secure the furniture."
Arnold has a solution, and it's probably one you're already thinking about. Read about it in our new article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/3827.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Upcoming Event
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Reduce Your Stress:
Effective Dispute Resolution Techniques to Use at Your Condo or HOA
Thursday, December 13, 2018
2:00 p.m. Eastern
An Exclusive HOAleader.com Webinar
With Practical Tips for Condo and HOA Boards
Learn more or register now:
https://www.hoaleader.com/products/effective-dispute-resolution-techniques-a.cfm
Members save $30!
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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Is It Time to Carry an Umbrella (Policy, We Mean) to Shield Your Condo/HOA?
An umbrella insurance policy is liability insurance that stacks on top of your other policies; it adds extra protection once you've maxed out your limits on your underlying policies.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/It-Time-Carry-Umbrella-Policy-We-Mean-Shield-Your-CondoHOA.cfm
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What to Do When Your Condo/HOA Residents Conceal Ownership Information
An HOAleader.com reader asks, Have you addressed a trend in Cook County, Illinois, where HOA owners are placing their property in a land trust? The names of any agent or beneficiaries are hidden within the land trust. An HOA resident with such a land trust joins the board and refuses to verify their beneficiary or agency status to the HOA.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/What-Do-When-Your-CondoHOA-Residents-Conceal-Ownership-Information.cfm
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Should Your Condo or HOA Stop Holding In-Person Meetings Altogether?
In this week's tip, we ask whether you'd want the opportunity to do what a new Virginia law, House Bill 1205, permits. That's to allow allows nonstock corporations--and in that state, community associations are nearly always nonstock corporations--to conduct annual and special meetings of members electronically if their governing documents don't require the meetings to take place at a particular location.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/public/Should-Your-Condo-or-HOA-Stop-Holding-InPerson-Meetings-Altogether.cfm
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Reduce Your Stress: Effective Dispute Resolution Techniques to Use at Your Condo or HOA
An in-depth webinar on December 13 will walk you through concrete steps you can take to reduce conflicts in your association and more quickly and effectively resolve conflicts when they do arise.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/products/effective-dispute-resolution-techniques-a.cfm
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Virginia Allows Electronic Meetings; Is a Totally Remote Condo/HOA Meeting Wise?
A new Virginia law, House Bill 1205, allows nonstock corporations--and in that state, community associations are nearly always nonstock corporations--to conduct annual and special meetings of members electronically if their governing documents don't require the meetings to take place at a particular location.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Virginia-Allows-Electronic-Meetings-Totally-Remote-CondoHOA-Meeting-Wise.cfm
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Special Report Download:
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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.
Members can download the report now:
https://www.hoaleader.com/public/What-HOA-Condo-Boards-Need-Know-About-Regulating-Rentals.cfm
Not a member yet? Start your free trial membership and download your copy today:
http://www.hoaleader.com/details.cfm
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