April 2011

As the saying goes, spring showers bring May flowers. In Colorado, we could add another line to that verse: Dry summer conditions bring water restrictions. Okay, I’m not a poet. I also don’t have a green thumb, which is one reason I’m a fan of X-rated landscaping. And, no, I’m not talking about risqué roses. This “X” rating refers to a plant’s ability to tolerate xeric, or dry habitat, conditions.
 
Colorado homeowners who want their flowers and other landscaping to survive the high desert and alpine summers—without breaking the bank on water costs—may consider Xeriscape options as part of their overall landscape plans. Colorado law ensures that homeowners who live in community associations can use drought-tolerant plants, including buffalo and blue grama grasses, in their landscaping. This does not mean that owners in HOAs can turn their yards into rock gardens. Xeriscaping is not "zero-scaping." It does mean that Colorado community associations cannot require owners to install landscaping that consists primarily of turf grass on their lots.Continue Reading Are Your Landscape Guidelines X-Rated?

After giving stakeholders time to work through proposed amendments to Senate Bill 11-234 (“SB 234”), late last week the Senate Committee on Local Government (“Committee”) referred an amended version of the transfer fee bill to the full Senate for consideration. While SB 234 has not yet been placed on the Senate Calendar to be considered on second reading, we expect the Senate will take up the bill very soon. (For the bill to be sent to the House for consideration, the Senate must pass the bill on second and third readings.)

From the HOA perspective, the good news is the provisions we really care about have remained unchanged in SB 234. In fact, the HOA-specific provisions were not the subject of controversy during the Committee hearing. The following provisions remain excluded from the definition of “Transfer Fee Covenant” in the bill and are permitted to be charged:Continue Reading HOA Provisions Still Safe in Transfer Fee Bill

Next Friday is going to be a banner day. It’s the day of the long-awaited Royal Wedding and the Community Associations Institute (“CAI”) Spring Showcase! While it’s certainly a day to celebrate, it’s also an outstanding opportunity for folks in the HOA industry to come together, to share and learn from one another. 

Did you know that a recent national survey conducted by the CAI found that the majority of the nation’s estimated 310,000 HOAs are undergoing financial strain? In the survey of more than 1,500 community managers, 54% said their associations face “serious” or “severe” problems as a result of the economic downturn.Continue Reading Grab Your Top Hat or Tiara and Join Us at CAI’s Spring Showcase!

Senate Bill 11-253 (“SB 253”), sponsored by Senator Morgan Carroll and Representative Angela Williams, was just introduced in the Colorado General Assembly. The purpose of the bill is to clean-up and clarify provisions of HB 10-1278 which last year created the HOA Information and Resource Center (“Center”) and the HOA Registration to fund the Center – both of which are under the auspices of the Colorado Division of Real Estate (“Division”).  

CAI’s Colorado Legislative Action Committee (“CLAC”) supports SB 253 and worked hard to get the legislation introduced. Here’s what you need to know about the bill:Continue Reading Late Status Bill Just Introduced to Clean-Up HOA Registration

I grew up in Boulder, but as I decided to attend college in Oklahoma, and have no chronic pain issues, I never participated in the annual “4/20 Day” festivities that occur on the CU campus. For those not familiar with the tradition, April 20 is the day when individuals either protest the illegality of marijuana by smoking in public, or smoke in public to, well, smoke in public.

When Colorado voters approved medical marijuana over ten years ago, the effects were not immediately felt. Everyone recognized that marijuana was still illegal at the federal level, even for pain management, but no one was quite sure how to handle distribution and enforcement at the local level.Continue Reading Down to Seeds and Stems (Again)?

I love Maggie – our beautiful black lab. She is the sweetest most lovable dog you will ever meet. She is mellow and well behaved . . . that is until she steps outside into the backyard. Maggie immediately becomes a one-dog Neighborhood Watch and a BAD BARKING CITIZEN! 

While I’m extremely annoyed by Maggie’s barking, I can only imagine how my neighbors feel about it. It’s up to me as a homeowner living in an HOA to get the problem under control. After all, it’s natural for dogs to bark. In fact, I have it on good authority that barking is in their job description. 

 

If you live in an HOA and are putting up with a bad barking citizen, here are some tips to deal with the problem:Continue Reading Who Let the Dogs Out?

Imagine this – you are an avid environmentalist, you are lucky enough to be one of the first individuals in your state to purchase the Chevy Volt (an entirely electric car), you have your Volt customized to make it even more fuel-efficient than normal and you proudly drive your car home only to realize at the moment you pull into the parking lot of your condominium association that there’s no place to charge your Volt. Yikes! What do you do now? 

As reported by WAMU 88.5, that’s exactly what happened to Ron Ball of Fairfax County, Virginia. Not only did Mr. Ball live in a condominium association with no charging station for his Volt, he also has no garage or even a designated parking space. Luckily, Mr. Ball lives in an association where the board was willing to have a serious dialogue with him and to come up with a solution to deal with charging his new car. Continue Reading Electric Car Owner Avoids Condominium Association Shock!

9News recently published a story about a man in the Denver Highlands who is protesting the construction of a nearby duplex by putting multiple toilets and other items in his front lawn. According to the contractor constructing the duplex, the homeowner has resisted its construction from the beginning, and is now trying to discourage its sale.

The toilets and debris do not violate city ordinances or codes, and as the neighborhood was developed before common interest communities became commonplace, there is apparently no homeowners association to dictate lawn décor.Continue Reading Homeowners Associations: Keeping Property Values Out of the Toilet