Assessments, Condos vs. Town Homes
The most common question community associations in planned communities (i.e., single, family homes) pose is, "How can we amend our declaration?" Of course, this question includes many layers: What is the proper procedure?;...more
The North Carolina Court of Appeals recently released two cases that raise the question of whether a covenant amendment containing rental restrictions may be adopted by a condominium association or homeowners association....more
The North Carolina Court of Appeals waded into territory that has become increasingly challenging for developers and homeowners' associations (HOAs) to navigate: the regulation of short-term rentals....more
The Virginia General Assembly recently passed legislation that addresses concerns for the community association industry from the ruling in a recent Court of Appeals decision in Burkholder v. Palisades Park Owners Ass’n, 76...more
On December 7, 2023, the Arizona Court of Appeals held in State of Arizona v. Foothills Reserve Master Owners Association, Inc. that 589 homeowners in an Ahwatukee subdivision were not entitled to “proximity damages” after...more
In City of San Clemente v. Department of Transportation (2023) 92 Cal.App.5th 1131, the Fourth District Court of Appeal held that a homeowner’s association (Association), who challenged a proposed state highway extension...more
California’s common law “business judgment rule,” as described by the courts, protects from court intervention “those management decisions which are made by directors in good faith in what the directors believe is the...more
Under California law, a homeowners association (HOA) is considered a “quasi-government entity” similar to a municipal government. And, as courts have noted, “with power, of course, comes the potential for abuse.”...more
“Standing” is the legal term used to describe the requirement that a lawsuit be brought by the person(s) or entity(ies) having a right to bring the claim, generally referred to as the “real party in interest.” Lawsuits fail,...more
In Maarten Kalway v. Calabria Ranch HOA LLC, et al., the Arizona Supreme Court weighed in on the issue of whether a homeowners' association (“HOA”) may rely on a general-amendment-power provision in its covenants, conditions,...more
A recent decision from the Maryland Court of Appeals provided somewhat surprising new guidance on the permissibility of confessed judgment clauses in consumer contracts. In Goshen Run Homeowners Association, Inc. v. Cisneros,...more
That pesky excess sale proceeds statute, A.R.S. § 33-727, is making waves again. We previously blogged about this statute... In the prior post, we explained that excess sale proceeds (i.e., a foreclosure sale price greater...more
A California Court of Appeal (“Court”) addressed in a July 2nd opinion an issue associated with a damage claim involving mold/water intrusion. See Longmire v. 1022 10th Street, Inc., Court of Appeal of California, B288063. ...more
In September 2018, in Baumgartner v. Timmins, 245 Ariz. 334, 429 P.3d 567, the Arizona Court of Appeals provided further clarification on what constitutes an “encumbrance” on a property for purposes of Arizona’s statutory...more
In a recent case, the Texas Supreme Court addressed an attempt by a homeowners’ association (“HOA”) to restrict short-term rentals based upon recorded Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (“CC&Rs”) applicable to a...more
When a foreclosure sale generates more money than needed to pay off the lien, the excess proceeds usually go first to creditors in the order of their priority, and second to the owner after creditors are paid in full. So, in...more
Lenders routinely accelerate notes after a default occurs, calling the entire loan due immediately. Less regularly, a lender may change its mind and unilaterally revoke the acceleration. Rarely, however, does a lender fail to...more
The California Court of Appeal for the Fourth District has determined that the actions of a homeowners association undertaken in accordance with its land use approval process are protected activities in furtherance of free...more
On September 20, 2017, the Colorado Supreme Court heard oral arguments in UMB Bank v. Landmark Towers Association, 2016SC455. The case was brought by the homeowner’s association of a condominium development regarding a TABOR...more
When a lienholder starts a foreclosure, it usually is focused on getting money into its pocket. Yet a recent opinion from the North Carolina Court of Appeals (In re: Ackah – Sept. 5, 2017) should provide a warning to all...more
In Retzloff v. Moulton Parkway Residents’ Ass’n, (2017) Cal. App. LEXIS 727, the Fourth District Court of Appeal considered the novel question of whether attorneys’ fees can be included as part of the cost award to a...more
UPDATE: Based upon a settlement reached with Respondents, Petitioners filed a motion seeking dismissal of their petition for a writ of certiorari to the Court of Appeals. They also asked the Court to vacate the opinion of...more
The Nevada Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of Nevada's pre-2015 statutory scheme for homeowners association (HOA) foreclosures. This decision contradicts the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' conclusion that the...more
The Ninth Circuit sent shockwaves through the mortgage industry when it held that NRS 116—the statute allowing an HOA to impose a nominal super-priority lien that can extinguish a senior deed of trust when foreclosed—was...more
The dispute between lenders and the purchasers at homeowners’ association foreclosure sale regarding superiority of title has embroiled the State of Nevada since at least as early as 2012. Since the issue rose in volume and...more