Category Archives: Insurance Liabilities & Litigation

Fairfax County to take over Kingstowne Lake?

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities debgoonan@icloud.com   A large-scale Virginia homeowners’ association is asking its County to take a 14-acre stormwater retention pond off its hands. Kingstowne Residential Owners Corporation, or KROC, is a planned development of more than 5,300 homes. It shares maintenance costs of Kingstowne Lake with the Kingstowne Commercial Owners Corporation (KCOC). KROC sent a petition to Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay in July, asking the County to take over maintenance Continue ReadingFairfax County to take over Kingstowne Lake?→

How about some HOA Good News for a change?

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Every once in a while, homeowners win small victories, and finally reach the end of their HOA nightmares. It happens when good people get involved and do the right thing. Today’s post shares three rare examples of HOA good news, and a glimmer of hope for millions of other homeowners and residents stuck in HOA hell.   FL mobile home park says Catholic resident can keep her painting of Continue ReadingHow about some HOA Good News for a change?→

HOA’s ‘poor decisions’ lead to multimillion dollar jury verdict

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Sometimes an HOA board’s poor decision leads to human tragedy. And that tragedy, in turn, opens up the Association to huge liabilities in personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits. The latest report comes to us from Florida, the result of a bicycle accident. In April 2016, James Schnurr was cycling behind his wife, Christine, when he crashed into a pole on the bicycle path of Jonathan’s Landing, in Jupiter, Continue ReadingHOA’s ‘poor decisions’ lead to multimillion dollar jury verdict→

Do housing consumers benefit from integrated Condo HOA management?

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  By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities   During the past several years, I’ve noticed several changes in the homeowners’ association management industry. In my opinion, some of these changes do not benefit homeowners. First, large management companies continue to buy up smaller management businesses, decreasing competition. That’s been happening for years. But, more notably, the larger HOA management firms keep adding extra services — and revenue streams — to their business models. HOA, condo Continue ReadingDo housing consumers benefit from integrated Condo HOA management?→