Homeowners associations are governed by a private board, generally comprised of residents of the condominium. Just because board members are unpaid volunteers, however, does not exempt them from exposure to lawsuits. Indeed, HOA board me…
In most cases, New Jersey's community and homeowner associations largely govern themselves, with little oversight from the state and no standardized procedures or best practices. But recently there has been some movement from the powers …
While a condominium owner owns his unit, and a shareholder in a cooperative owns shares of a corporation, there are a lot of aspects of their living situations that they can't control. If the elevator doesn't work, or the grass isn't bei…
For most people, the thought of legal fees and litigation costs are enough to cause heightened anxiety and maybe a heart palpitation or two. Consider that same scenario when it comes to board members in charge of the well-being of an ent…
There are new faces, a new two-year session, a new governor and a new General Assembly speaker in Trenton, and these changes may have repercussions for homeowner reforms, housing legislation and other quality-of-life issues. From CE…
Lawsuits should be the last resort for resolving conflicts within community associations. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and other mediation avenues make it possible for community associations to avoid litigation altogether. Nevert…
From time to time, legal cases pass through the courts that have important, far-reaching implications for those of us living in or serving on the boards of our homeowners associations. These are precedent-setting cases that dictate chang…
It's a familiar covenant in most New Jersey leases. The rules and regulations allowing pets may differ from association to association but the gist is the same. If you live in a multi-unit building or community and you want to keep pets,…
When the weather is warm and the days are long, nothing says Summer like the sounds of neighborhood kids at play. There's safety to consider along with all the fun, however. While all fifty states have statutes on the books spelling…
If laws weren't made to be broken, they at least need to be amended once in a while. As a community's residents change—and the world in general changes around the community—yesterday's rules and bylaws can become outdated or no longer su…