CAI is being awarded a prestigious award from the Public Affairs Council (PAC) - the Lobbying Strategy Innovation Award for our Condominium Safety Policy Response and Initiative

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I am honored to share that CAI is being awarded a prestigious award from the Public Affairs Council (PAC) - the Lobbying Strategy Innovation Award for our Condominium Safety Policy Response and Initiative – in response to the tragic Champlain Towers South condominium collapse. This is a prestigious award program recognizes three top organizations each year for their work in grassroots, communications, or lobbying strategy innovation. The 2022 Innovation Award Category winners include:

Lobbying Innovation: Community Associations Institute

Communications Innovation: AAA (The Auto Club)

Grassroots Innovation: Feeding America

The Condominium Safety Public Policy Initiative was developed under the leadership of Peter Kristian, AMS, PCAM, LSM (Chair) and the Government & Public Affairs Committee over a five-month period with the engagement and leadership of more than 600 volunteers who dedicated hundreds and hundreds of hours to develop a solid and sound public policy that has now been adopted by several states and continues to be considered and adopted by legislatures.

This award is dedicated to the memory of the 98 residents of Champlain Towers South who lost their lives, those who lost loved ones, and those who lost their homes in the tragic collapse in Surfside, Fla., on June 24, 2021.

Phoebe Neseth, Esq. CAI’s Director of Government & Public Affairs will be at the PAC Conference this week to accept the award on CAI’s behalf.

How to Keep Residents Engaged In Your Community

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neighbors walking down the street

Residents are the heart of any community. The community would not function without the engagement and buy-in of its residents. That is why you should foster a good community through resident engagement. 

Many communities saw a drastic drop in resident engagement with the rise of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, with infections leveling off in many locations, and the widespread availability of the vaccine, communities are beginning to open back up. That means you need to work to build up your resident engagement again. 

Tips for Keeping Residents Engaged 

Looking for ways to keep your residents engaged in your community? If so, try the following tips. 

1) Schedule regular activities.
Activities are a great way to keep your residents engaged. In-person activities allow your residents to meet each other. This social interaction creates important ties between the resident and the community. When residents feel a part of a community, they are more likely to engage with it. Barbeques, parties, and programs for children  are all ways to increase resident engagement. 

Also, you can plan activities around making your community nicer. These volunteer activities foster community engagement because the participants are directly working to make their community a better place. Tree planting, trash clean up, and other similar activities are very popular. 

2) Use social media.
When it comes to community engagement, social media is your friend. Use a couple different sites so that a wider group of residents frequents your pages. 

Remember that different demographics use different social media, so try to have a social media location for everyone. This may mean developing a community page on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. 

3) Talk to your residents. 
You will have a better idea of how to keep your residents engaged if you talk with your residents. Surveys, townhalls, and even informal conversations can help you determine what your residents want. 

Obviously, you will not be able to make everyone happy. But, if you are noticing certain complaints or requests coming up all the time, you should attempt to address them. When residents feel heard, they will be more likely to continue engaging with the community. 

4) Don’t forget online tools. 
We have already mentioned social media. However, there are many other online tools that you can use to foster good community engagement. Zoom, YouTube, and more provide a great place to discuss your community and engage your residents. 

For example, plan some community events to take place online. Many people are still worried about Covid-19 and may be more comfortable interacting with other residents online. Online organizational tools and web portals can also help you bring your community to a single online location. 

If you are looking for more community engagement tips, contact Association Management Group (AMG). We are North and South Carolina’s source for excellent property management. We provide administrative, fiscal, and facility services to our partner communities. We do the hard work, so your Board can focus on making the important decisions and engaging residents.

5 New Years Resolutions for HOA Managers

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As the New Year begins, HOA managers and boards should start thinking about what 2023 has in store. Here are some important resolutions that are essential for a well running homeowners association.

1. Recruit Board Members

Each HOA manager needs to focus on recruiting and finding people who are interested in community affairs. One way to approach them is with an invitation to join an HOA board. Another good idea is to put a notice in the newsletter that they are accepting new members. Also, ask current board members to accept new people.

2. Planning Committee

Events are an integral part of an active community. Put together a committee that will create events that all residents will participate in. Set up an advanced schedule for the year. Propose a budget for yearly events and plan promoting the events.

3. Community Safety

Plan and implement safety measures in the community. Once a year, preferably at the beginning of the year. Conduct a safety check on all community lights, door locks, pool lights, fencing and community signage. Make sure all safety measures have been taken to keep residents safe.

4. Community Maintenance

Make sure all pool equipment, playground equipment, tennis court and all recreational amenities are functioning properly. Make necessary repairs to the common buildings, grounds and areas. Make a new year plan and budget for lawn maintenance, seasonal planting and curb appeal for the community.

5. Review and Update Governing Documents

As part of the HOA New Year’s resolutions, a board should consider reviewing and amending old documents. Doing so will allow these documents to reflect the times and environment today, as outdated documents can put associations in a bind. As new technologies continue to emerge, HOA boards will likely need to do this every year to avoid getting left behind the times. Refresh yourself on the procedures for holding annual meetings and Board elections, the types of architectural changes that are allowed, and the procedure for getting changes approved by the Board or the architectural control committee. Also, it can be a good idea to consider whether the rules governing the use of common areas need updating.

Even the simplest New Year resolutions can keep you on track and make being an association Board member a more enjoyable experience. Why not try one or more of these resolutions to make 2023 a positive and successful year for you and your Board?

Is Your Association Required to Confront the Bully?

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These days, it seems like there’s no such thing as a minor disagreement. Normally, owner-to-owner disagreements between neighbors in a homeowners’ association or condominium association fall outside of the association’s authority or jurisdiction, but not necessarily when the disagreement reveals a more-sinister motive: discrimination.

Read More

For additional information on community associations' responsibility to address discrimination issues, Click Here.

SAFETY REMINDERS FOR RESIDENTS TO KEEP IN MIND THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

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While everyone wants to enjoy the holiday season in their community, it is important to make sure everyone stays safe during this enjoyable time. Here are 4 safety reminders that will help everyone in the community stay safe.

1. Outdoor Yard Ornaments

During holidays and even birthdays, gaining in popularity are gigantic yard signs, blowup novelties, special effects, and more. With all of these comes risks. If you are going to use ornamental yard decor, ensure that it is within your property boundaries and does not go on to sidewalks, driveways, or common areas.

Glass ornaments can be attractive to young children and can break easily. Stepping or crawling on the glass is a problem, but some ornaments also contain lead, mercury, or methylene chloride, which can poison children if they touch, taste, or swallow them.

2. Disrupting Noises

Ensure your yard decor or outdoor festivities and parties are not loud and disturbing the solace of your neighbors. Don't use outdoor decor that makes noise or has flashing lights that can disturb your neighbors.

Make sure you are informed about your association’s noise rules. It’s not uncommon for homeowners to file general grievances about the level of noise they hear coming from a neighbor’s home. This might be loud music or noisy parties that go late into the night.

3. Electrical Items Outdoors.

While holiday lighting does contribute to the splendor of the season, it is crucial that outdoor light safety be of the utmost concern for the protection of you and your community.

Make sure you plug in all outdoor electrical decorations into a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). This safety outlet is designed to cut the power if electricity comes into contact with water, which is common outside. Also make sure your outdoor lights are labeled “waterproof” if you live in a wet area.

Don't run your extension cords through window or door cracks. The cord could become pinched, which can ruin the insulation around the wires and lead to a dangerous shock.

4. Parking Problems

Another problem during the holiday season are parties that result in parking problems. This problem can be exasperated because many visitors are spending the holidays with families, resulting in more parking congestion. This congestion can also endanger children in the community.

Parking problems like these can result in community disputes and complaints. This usually results in enforcing HOA parking rules, which are a set of policies that regulates where residents and guests leave their vehicles. These rules are part of the HOAs governing documents such as the CC&Rs.

These are some safety concerns to keep in mind this holiday season. Check your HOA rules to be incompliance with lighting, parking and animated decorations.

Recently begun enforcement of 15-year-old law creates headaches for some homeowners

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Unbeknownst to ordinary homeowners, everyone connected to the water supply, if they have an irrigation system, has to have one installed or get it tested annually if they do,” she said on condition of anonymity as her board hadn’t OK’ed spilling the tea.

https://journalnow.com/news/local/recently-begun-enforcement-of-15-year-old-law-creates-headaches-for-some-homeowners/article_5308298c-554b-11ed-9548-739250a4913e.html

A Miami building is evacuated near the site of the deadly Surfside condo collapse

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Residents of a Miami Beach building on the same street where a condominium collapse killed nearly 100 people were forced to evacuate on Thursday evening after officials determined the structure was unsafe and gave orders to leave.

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/28/1132172867/miami-building-evacuated-surfside-condo-collapse

Tooele County man in dispute with HOA over artificial turf in front yard

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Valencia homeowner at odds with HOA over drought-tolerant landscape rules

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A homeowner at North Park in Valencia says he reached out to his homeowner’s association with an application to put in a drought-tolerant garden, but says his application was delayed and ultimately rejected by the board.

Source: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/homeowner-at-odds-with-hoa-over-drought-tolerant-landscape-rules/

Man's Comeback to HOA Fining Him Over His Truck Applauded: 'Motivation'

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A homeowner has been praised online after confessing to parking his truck outside a home and revving its engine daily in a bid to annoy his homeowner association.

Source: https://www.newsweek.com/homeowner-association-reddit-truck-post-1743655

Clearwater man sent threatening emails to attorneys representing HOA: affidavit

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Man involved in a civil dispute with his homeowner’s association was arrested, accused of sending threatening messages to the firm representing the HOA.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HOME FOR THE FALL SEASON

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Although it doesn't quite feel like it yet, Fall is just around the corner. What better time to start prepping your home for the weather to come? We've gathered the most important Fall home maintenance tasks to get you and your home ready for this next season.

MAKE SURE YOUR ROOF IS IN GOOD SHAPE

Inspect for missing and loose shingles. Ice, rain, snow and wind combined with rapidly changing temperatures and humidity wreak havoc on roofs. Your roof is your first defense in protecting your home. Without it functioning properly, water damage can occur. This causes deterioration to insulation, wood and drywall, making electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems vulnerable.

CLEAN OUT YOUR GUTTERS

It’s good to clean out your gutters every season, but it is most important to do before fall hits because you don’t want them to get clogged. All of the leaves on your trees will fall and these can easily get stuck in your gutters and cause damage if the weight becomes too heavy.

FIX ANY CRACKS IN YOUR DRIVEWAY

When water gets into cracks it freezes, expands, and can make the crack even bigger. Enough small cracks can turn into big cracks, and eventually the concrete can crumble. You would prefer a driveway without a giant pothole. So, using concrete crack sealer, fill it up and be done with it.

SEAL UP AIR LEAKS

A home with air leaks around windows and doors is like a coat left unbuttoned. Gaps in caulk and weatherstripping let cold air into your warm home, and sealing up a drafty house can save up to 20% on your heating bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

FERTILIZE YOUR LAWN

You know what they say: The best offense is a good defense. If you want to keep your lawn looking great in the spring and summer, you need to prep it for the fall and winter. Roots are still active when the grass isn't growing, so applying fertilizer will prevent winter damage.

HAVE YOUR FURNACE INSPECTED

Hire an HVAC professional to test for leaks, check heating efficiency, and change the filter. They can also do a carbon monoxide check to ensure air safety. It’s also a good idea to stock up on extra air filters and change them every few months.

SWEEP YOUR CHIMNEY, AND CLEAN YOUR FIRE PLACE

This is an extremely important check that you need to do before the start of the fall season. Creosote is a very high flammable substance that builds up inside the chimney as a result of burning wood and it needs to be cleaned out for your safety and energy efficiency. Before you get the fireplace up and running with your marshmallows, your fireplace also needs a thorough cleaning. Make sure there are no nests from spiders, and clean out all the leaves that may have fallen into the fireplace area.

PUT SEASONAL FURNITURE AWAY

A lot of homeowners forget to store their summer patio furniture before fall. While this may not be a problem for drier regions, homes that experience a lot of rain should contemplate putting their seasonal furniture away before fall hits. This could potentially save you a lot of money and from needing to replace your outdoor furniture next year.

INSPECT YOUR SCREENS AND WINDOWS

Fall is the perfect time to throw open windows and let fresh, cool air inside before the days get too chilly. But you should check your screens first to make sure they are aren't warped or bent. Large spaces encourage curious insects to enter your home. This is also a good time to check your window weatherstripping to make sure the felt is intact and not letting any drafts through.

Fall is right around the corner. With it comes dropping temperatures that can damage your home. How are you preparing your home for this transition from summer to autumn?