With no active HOA, who should pay for bridge repair on private road?

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Old snow covered Bridge over creek

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities debgoonan@icloud.com What will it take to rebuild safe access to a private 9-home community with no active homeowners’ association? It’s a neighborhood problem that has been brewing for at least 15 years. The issue: for decades, nine secluded properties on the northern end of East River Road were served by a private road crossed by Baker’s Creek Bridge. But 4 years ago, when it developed gaping holes, the city Continue ReadingWith no active HOA, who should pay for bridge repair on private road?→

Building your Dream HOA — a Checklist

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities debgoonan@icloud.com Does your HOA have what it takes to work well for residents? The industry that builds, sells, and serves homeowners’ associations (HOAs) promotes a wildly unrealistic premise — that unit owners and shareholders will forever engage in fair and friendly cooperation with their association leaders and their neighbors. Unfortunately, in the real world, HOAs aren’t always fair or friendly. In the U.S., reports of HOAs from Hell are Continue ReadingBuilding your Dream HOA — a Checklist→

See results of IAC reader HOA satisfaction survey

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Last week IAC posted a 2-minute,10-question HOA survey, what was also e-mailed to subscribers and shared on social media. So far, the results are fascinating, and somewhat surprising. Here’s a brief summary to date.   HOA fees and value IAC asked readers how their HOA assessments have changed in the past 5 years. Not surprisingly, 80% say that their HOA fees went up, at least a little. More than Continue ReadingSee results of IAC reader HOA satisfaction survey→

FL First Amendment dispute: condo HOA threatens fines, lawsuit if meeting videos posted on YouTube

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Should Florida condo owners be fined and potentially sued by their association for posting a video recording of a meeting on YouTube? Or do owners have a First Amendment right to publish condo meetings? That’s the latest legal question to be tested in the Sunshine State. The dispute began when two owners of condo units in Key Biscayne, Matt  Bramson and Maria Bueno, videotaped an association meeting in January. Continue ReadingFL First Amendment dispute: condo HOA threatens fines, lawsuit if meeting videos posted on YouTube→