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Law & Legislation
Your Condo's Attorney
While it’s generally understood how to employ the first two people – to call the accountant when bills are due and at tax time and the property manager
pretty much all the time – rules for engaging the condo’s lawyer remain somewhat vague. For instance, exactly when should you contact your attorney? What is the best way to contract for legal services? And who should be pointperson for contacting the attorney?
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Resident Vs. Board
Jack has heard talk that the board has voted to continue a contract with the poorly-run lawn care company the association has contracted with for years. Rumor has it that damage was done to a window by a careless worker and a complaint has even been filed. Read More
Conservation on the Line
From Connecticut to California, homeowners—including condominium-dwellers—are looking for ways to cut energy expenses. And, increasingly, their attention has focused on an appliance recognized as an energy hog: the clothes dryer. Read More
Feeling the Squeeze
Even while faced with massive deficits, the governors of each of the New England
states have pledged not to raise taxes in their proposed fiscal year 2011
budgets. While this is good news for taxpayers in the short run, no new taxes
in 2011 comes at the price of cuts to city, town and state services and added
pressure on future administrations to raise taxes.
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Legal Briefs
Although there seems to be no shortage of talking heads touting the beginning of
the end of the economic decline, associations (like the average consumer) are still struggling to do more with less.
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A Shot in the Arm
Fresh from hoisting up the banking and automobile sectors, a newly muscular Uncle Sam is now turning his attention to putting the skids on the real estate meltdown. The Obama Administration earlier this year rolled out two major housing initiatives that combine one part stimulation with one part bailout. The stimulus portion awards an $8,000 tax credit to first-time home-buyers, aimed at creating demand that will stabilize the housing market. This is especially beneficial to condominiums, which have become default starter homes for many buyers. Read More
Community Law in the News
Clothesline legislation is not the only community association issue in the news these days. A look around New England and the US finds action on a variety of community association legal concerns. Read More
Pretty as a Picture
First dubbed “Eden” by settlers at the end of the eighteenth century, Bar Harbor, Maine has always sounded like the quintessential place to vacation. Even the original
inhabitants, the Wabanaki Indians, called the area Ah-bays'auk or the “clambake place.” While the style and tone of Bar Harbor has shifted as America matured over the
centuries, one thing has remained constant: people voyage to this corner of Maine to relax, eat clams and bask in some of the most gorgeous scenery in
New England.
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Q&A: Who Passes the Annual Budget?
Does our condominium board of directors need to have our next annual budget passed by the condominium owners or can they pass it themselves? Read More
Legal Briefs
There seem to be at least two contrasting views of expensive community association recreational amenities – one that’s favorable, and another that’s cautiously skeptical. The first view is generally held by a minority of a condominium’s residents who actually use a condominium’s swimming pool, community room, or tennis court. The second, more cynical, view is often held by condominium boards who must wrestle with the myriad of fiscal and practical realities attendant to managing association amenities. Read More
