Tag Archives: Pennsylvania

HOA, condo & co-op corruption and fraud roundup (Oct. 2019)

Posted on by
Arrest handcuff fraud theft

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Debgoonan@icloud.com A noticeable pattern of theft this month: trusted HOA managers, treasurers embezzling money, then falsifying records to cover up their alleged crimes. Plus: one of Chicago’s condo attorneys suspended for one year. Illinois Condo attorney suspended, after he falsified financial records at his former law firm The state agency that regulates legal professionals, Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC), recently suspended Michael Shifrin, of Kovitz Shifrin Nesbit. ARDC Continue ReadingHOA, condo & co-op corruption and fraud roundup (Oct. 2019)→

Pennsylvania HB 523 considers maintenance of private roads, without an HOA (Oct. 2019)

Posted on by
Dirt gravel road country rural

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities The Pennsylvania House recently tabled a bill that clarifies who will be responsible for maintenance of private roads. HB 523, as amended on September 24 (2019), attempts to sort out a person’s obligation to pay for maintenance of a shared private road. The reader may assume that all shared private roads and driveways are part of a common interest ownership community. In these communities, a homeowners, condominium, or cooperative Continue ReadingPennsylvania HB 523 considers maintenance of private roads, without an HOA (Oct. 2019)→

Attorneys say HOAs entitled to undermine Constitutional rights

Posted on by
We the people Constitution

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Debgoonan@icloud.com   In spite of recent state Supreme Court decisions in their favor, homeowners and residents in HOA-governed communities face an uphill battle for their Constitutional rights. That battle has been brewing since the 1970s. At that time, federal housing agencies threw their financial support behind deed-restricted common interest communities (commonly known as homeowners associations). But the fight for community association residents’ rights became more fierce over the years. Continue ReadingAttorneys say HOAs entitled to undermine Constitutional rights→

OTC Podcast: Shu Bartholomew & Deborah Goonan (Sept. 2019)

Posted on by
Podcast microphone online internet radio

Free Speech, legal double standards, and signs of decline for the HOA industry By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities debgoonan@icloud.com In this Sept. 27, 2019 podcast, Shu and I discuss HOA-ville’s assault on Free Speech. We talk about the HOA industry trade group’s double standards and ever flip-flopping legal and political arguments to suit their agenda. And I present some fascinating housing construction statistics on new single family and multifamily homes in HOAs. ♦ On the Continue ReadingOTC Podcast: Shu Bartholomew & Deborah Goonan (Sept. 2019)→