Hard to believe that the CAI Law Seminar in Las Vegas was 7 weeks ago.  I have been meaning to report on the seminar but the practice has kept me very busy.

The Law Seminar provides a unique learning opportunity to discuss emerging trends, practices and legislative issues important to the practice of community association law. Attendees include attorneys, management professionals, and other industry leaders.

The Law Seminar was excellent this year! I attended education sessions each day that were well-presented, topical, and detailed.  My colleagues in the HOA and condominium industry have a lot of experience to share.

I attended a session that reviewed a case study on Repair Projects, Special Assessments, Association Divisiveness and Litigation.  This session provided a lot of good information.  Two of the attorneys involved in advising the association, and in defending the subsequent litigation, provided an in-depth analysis of a community that needed to move forward on repair projects but did not have sufficient funds in its reserve account.  (Sound familiar?).  The program identified the issues faced by the community, the challenges of getting consensus from the owners on the needed repairs, and the solution that the board pursued.   There are many communities in Virginia that have aging infrastructures and will soon, if not already, be facing the challenges of making repairs and having the money to do so.  The presented case study provided a road map for a major repair project.

I also had the opportunity to serve on a “Panel of Pundits.” Along with colleagues from Colorado, Massachusetts, Hawaii and New Jersey, we fielded questions from the audience concerning community association issues.

Attorneys that make the effort to attend and participate in events like these help us all to stay current on issues that affect HOAs. That enables us to provide better service and advice to our clients. Because the law changes quickly, make sure your HOA law firm stays current.

Tarley Robinson, PLC, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law

Williamsburg, Virginia

We have blogged about the many changes coming to your community association as a result of 2013 legislative changes. As an additional service, we are providing free seminars in Williamsburg and Newport News to review those changes. Susan Tarley will discuss what the Association and its members can expect in this FREE seminar.

See this flyer for details! 

Contact:

Monica Godman at Tarley Robinson, PLC to reserve your seat!

(757) 229-4281 or  mgodman@tarleyrobinson.com

Tarley Robinson, PLC, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law

Williamsburg, Virginia

Will your homeowners association or condominium association transition from developer control to homeowner control soon? Have you recently transitioned? Susan Tarley will explain a Developer’s responsibilities, help you establish your first homeowner Board of Directors, and discuss what the Association and its members can expect as they go through transition in this FREE seminar.

Details:

June 20, 2013 6-8PM

William E. Wood Building

5208 Monticello Ave, Williamsburg, VA 23188

Contact:

Monica Godman at Tarley Robinson, PLC to reserve your seat!

(757) 229-4281 or  mgodman@tarleyrobinson.com

Tarley Robinson, PLC, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law

Williamsburg, Virginia

The (“LAC”) had a busy 2013 legislative session. This is my third year on the LAC and each year brings new challenges. Our mission is to monitor and influence legislation affecting community associations. This year I served as the Chair of the LAC and we monitored over 30 bills and were active on over 10 of the bills. We were successful in getting some bills tabled, some modified, and some passed. All of the bills cited below are effective July 1, 2013 unless otherwise noted. If you have any questions on the impact of these changes for your community, please let us know.

Legislation

Continue reading “2013 Legislative Update for Virginia HOAs”

The Central Virginia Chapter of Community Association Institute is sponsoring two sessions of the Legislative Lunch & Learn. The June 5 session will be held in Williamsburg at the Ford’s Colony Swim & Tennis Club, and the June 7 session will be held at The Wyndham Foundation. The sessions will cover updates on Virginia legislation and case law that affect Virginia homeowner associations and condominium associations. Managers, HOA Boards of Directors, and interested owners will benefit from this educational opportunity.

Our own Susan Tarley will be teaching both sessions, along with Jerry Wright of the Richmond area law firm Chadwick, Washington, Moriarity, Elmore & Bunn, P.C. Use this registration form for either the Williamsburg or the Richmond event. Already registrations have been strong for this event so sign up soon!

Tarley Robinson, PLC, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law

Williamsburg, Virginia

In the Spring of 2011, we blogged about Homeowners Associations and Condominium Associations that own swimming pools, wading pools, or spas. The issue we addressed was whether your Association needed to be aware of new requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The Justice Department had issued new ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which include mandates for removing barriers to access to pools and spas. We suggested that if your HOA or Condo Association allows non-members of the association to use its pool in exchange for some form of compensation, your pool may fall under the definition of a public accommodation. If it does, the association would have to comply with the new ADA Standards and provide accessible entry and exits no later than March 15, 2012.

The March 15, 2012 deadline has come and gone, but Attorney General Eric Holder signed a rule that extended the deadline for a period of 60 days after publication of the rule in the Federal Register.  A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) was also filed on March 15, 2012, which proposes a 180-day extension of the compliance deadline. This blog post discusses what these delays mean for your HOA or Condo.

Continue reading “ADA Compliance – Update on HOAs, Condos and Swimming Pools”

It’s that time of year again to schedule your attendance at the Homestead for The Virginia Leadership Retreat. This event has become a favorite for Virginia community association attorneys, management companies, and business partners.  The VLR is a very popular seminar sponsored by Central Virginia Community Association Institute, Southeastern Virginia Community Association Institute, and Washington Metropolitan Community Association Institute. Here are some photos from last year’s event.

Continue reading “Virginia Leadership Retreat at The Homestead – 2012”

My first year on the Community Associations Institute Virginia Legislative Action Committee (“VALAC”) was a great learning experience. The education on how our legislature works was, well, interesting. The greater educational moment came in watching the members of the VALAC volunteer for innumerable hours towards the betterment of the community association industry. Here are some of the changes in Virginia law for HOAs: Continue reading “New Legislation will change the operations of your Virginia Condominium Associations and Homeowner Associations”

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) has changed its proposed rule. As you will recall, FHFA had proposed a rather sweeping rule which called into question the ability of common interest communities to collect transfer fees, capital contributions or similar one-time assessments when a property is transferred. CAI weighed in heavily on this subject matter, pointing out the negative effects of such a rule. The result is that FHFA has revised the proposed rule.

The FHFA press release stated that:

FHFA has determined to propose a rule with a narrower focus. . . . In summary, the principal differences between the proposed guidance and the proposed rule are:

1. FHFA proposes to except from the rule private transfer fees that are paid to homeowners’ associations and similar associations, and to tax-exempt non- profit organizations, where the fees are used for the direct benefit of the encumbered properties.
2. FHFA proposes to make the rule prospective in effect, so that it applies to private transfer fee covenants created after the publication date of this proposed rule.
3. FHFA allows an implementation period of 120 days for the regulated entities.

The public participation was crucial to getting the FHFA to change its proposed rule. More than 4,210 comment letters were sent to the FHFA. This included comments from CAI and numerous homeowners, cooperative, and condominium associations; individuals living within such associations; community associations; and other nonprofit organizations.

Tarley Robinson, PLC, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law

Williamsburg, Virginia

The 2011 Virginia Leadership Retreat was held this past weekend at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia.  The Virginia Leadership Retreat is the leading educational and networking forum for community association professionals in Virginia. This was the 3^rd annual retreat and it was a great success!  The attorneys at Tarley Robinson, PLC participated in many events at the Retreat. From teaching to sponsoring to working at the VLR, our attorneys devoted dozens of hours to this event.

Susan Tarley serves as a member of the Virginia Leadership Retreat Committee.  The Committee is comprised of members of the Washington Metro, Central Virginia and Southeastern Virginia Chapters of the Community Associations Institute.  Susan is a representative of the Central Virginia Chapter, serving on the Board of Directors as well as the Virginia Legislative Action Committee.

Both John Tarley and Susan Tarley presented educational sessions that provided community association managers with their annual continuing education credits.  Susan’s topic was Protecting Confidentiality:  The Attorney Client Privilege.  The importance and purpose of the privilege for homeowner and condominium associations was discussed along with best practice tips to protect the privilege. We have blogged many times on this important topic.

John’s area of expertise in social media provided the backdrop for his presentation on how to use social media, including Facebook, Twitter and blogging to help move management companies to the forefront in the industry. John provided a roadmap on how to implement social media into a business, and related the benefits that gained as a leading professional in the field.

The keynote speaker was one of Williamsburg’s own Deborah Reeser McKinnon who presented an inspiring session on leadership.

John, Susan and Philip Chapman, also attended the educational forums and retreat events.  The event includes many industry professionals. We find that sharing information and socializing with colleagues is a tremendous learning experience, helping us provide even better service for our clients. Pictures will follow!

Tarley Robinson, PLC, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law

Williamsburg, Virginia

John Tarley