It was just over a year ago that Mayor Murphy led the charge for Metro Mayors by pushing through an ordinance that destroys the right of homeowners living in Lakewood to adequately pursue remedies for construction defects to their homes.  Mayor Murphy argued that the right of HOAs, working on behalf of their homeowners, to hold builders responsible for their defective construction was hampering the development…

Do you think that you have a struggle convincing your homeowners that a small raise in homeowner association assessment fees is beneficial for the community? You should be very thankful that you do not manage or serve on the board of an association in the Palm Springs, California area where monthly assessment fees can run as high as $900 per month. While that amount is not uncommon in some condominium associations, in a homeowners association? Gasp! Although the assessments may cover such ‘country club’ amenities such as golf courses, gated entrances and lush landscaping in a dry climate, can you imagine trying to convince homeowners that those fees are reasonable and necessary?

Continue Reading How about those $900 monthly HOA Fees?!

 In a recent decision [Houston v. Wilson Mesa Ranch Homeowners Association, Inc., 2015 WL 4760331 (D. Colo. August 13, 2015], the Colorado Court of Appeals held that an association’s covenants stating that homes could not be occupied or used for any commercial or business purpose did not prohibit a homeowner from renting out his property for short-term vacation rentals.

A homeowner in the community advertised and rented his home for rent through the VRBO website. In response to the homeowner’s actions, the association passed an amendment to its ‘administrative procedures’ prohibiting its members from renting out their properties for a period of less than thirty days without prior board approval and establishing a $500 fine for violations. 

Continue Reading Short Terms Rentals may not be Commercial Use of Property

As the leader in providing educational opportunities for affordable housing and free market HOAs in Aspen and Pitkin County, the Aspen Pitkin County Housing Authority ("APCHA") will be hosting another free seminar on September 15th entitled:  Covenant and Rule Enforcement in HOAs:  What Boards and Homeowners Need to Know.  Here’s a description for the seminar:…

Winzenburg, Leff, Purvis & Payne is pleased to announce that our good friends and colleagues Kim Porter, Wendy Weigler and Myra Lansky have joined our firm. Kim, Wendy and Myra are accomplished attorneys specializing in the practice of community association law and are outstanding additions to our law practice.

Kim Porter focuses on the transactional side …

Today, the Colorado Court of Appeals issued an opinion addressing the statutory declaration amendment process set forth in C.R.S. 38-33.3-217(7).  This process allows community associations that have sought to amend their declaration, and received fewer approvals than required to amend the declaration outright, to obtain a court order that approves the amendment notwithstanding the vote…

We’ve written many times before that community associations are bound by the provisions of the Fair Housing Act. There is a lot of information available about the Fair Housing Act, who it applies to, what it takes to comply, and what the consequences are for failure to comply. Notwithstanding all of the available information, some communities and managers (and apparently their legal counsel) still don’t "get it."

HUD recently announced a decision in connection with a complaint involving familial status. In the case, the association had rule in effect since 1998 known as the "children rule" which prohibited children from playing in the common areas. In July 2011, the association amended the rules to prohibit riding bicycles, tricycles, scooters, skateboards, skates and rollerblades; playing; picnicking; and sunbathing in the common areas.Continue Reading Fair Housing News – Again

By now, we all know that prior to an association turning a delinquent account over for collections, certain procedures under CCIOA must be followed. One of those procedures is sending of a notice of delinquency to a delinquent owner that includes the following information: (1) the amount due with an accounting of how the total was determined, (2) a statement as to whether the opportunity to enter into a payment plan exists and instructions for contacting the community association manager and/or board member to enter into such a payment plan, (3) the name and contact information for the individual the unit owner may contact to request a copy of the unit owner’s ledger in order to verify the amount of the delinquency and (4) a statement that action is required to cure the delinquency and that failure to do so within thirty days may result in the unit owner’s delinquent account being turned over to a collection agency, a lawsuit being filed against the owner, the filing and foreclosure of a lien against the unit owner’s property or other remedies available under Colorado law.

Continue Reading CCIOA v Collection Policy

In my first installment of this blog series entitled HOA Board Meeting Basics, I discussed whether the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act ("CCIOA") or the Colorado Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act ("Nonprofit Act") require that members of an HOA be provided with notices of board meetings and agendas.  In this installment of the series, I will discuss open board meetings in HOAs.

For most folks living in Colorado, our home is the biggest investment we will ever make in our lives.  For those of us with a home in an HOA, we know that in addition to our normal obligations as homeowners, we must pay assessments for our share of the common expenses of the community and comply with the governing documents of our association. 

Our HOAs are governed by boards of directors which have a great deal of authority over our how our communities are maintained, the fiscal health of our communities, how the governing documents are enforced and the overall culture of our communities. Since boards of directors have a great deal of power, it only makes sense that CCIOA requires that Board meetings be open to the members of the HOA or their designated representatives.  Having open meetings provides members with an opportunity to see their boards in action and to observe the due diligence they engage in before making important decisions. Continue Reading HOA Board Meeting Basics: Exceptions to Open Meetings Limited

Just last week, I had the privilege of teaching a class for the Aspen Pitkin County Housing Authority on HOA meetings.  Since my friends in Aspen and Pitkin County had numerous and excellent questions relating to meetings, I thought it would be helpful to post a series of blog entries on HOA board and membership meetings.  In order to avoid confusion, I will start this series of blog entries by addressing issues relating to HOA board meetings.

For those of you who follow our blog, you know that the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act ("CCIOA") is the primary body of statutory law in Colorado that regulates HOAs.  Since most HOAs are nonprofit corporations, when we are dealing with issues relating to governance, we must also look to the Colorado Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act ("Nonprofit Act") for guidance. 

The first question I will address is whether HOA boards must provide notice of their board meetings to the members of their associations.  Interestingly, CCIOA and the Nonprofit Act do not require that members of an HOA be provided with notice of board meetings.  However, it is important to check out the bylaws for your association to determine whether the bylaws require that notice of board meetings be given to the members.  If your bylaws require that notice be given to members, make sure to carefully follow the notice requirements outlined in your bylaws. Continue Reading HOA Board Meeting Basics: Notice to Members and Agendas