When the government needs land to widen a highway, install a power line, extend light rail or build a runway, it just takes it from the surrounding landowners. Is this fair, or legal? I don't know about fair, but it is legal. read more

There are a number of ways an upset homeowner could choose to express their discontent with their association, the board, or another resident. They could raise concerns at a meeting, complain in writing, or even run for the board to try to make policy changes. Instead, unfortunately, sometimes they choose to interrupt, disrupt, shout over others, and generally hijack the meeting. One way we've seen this play out is when an owner insists upon recording a meeting. read more

It has been quite some time since this Blog explored an associations' authority to tow vehicles within their communities (prior blog article can be viewed here). Considering towing is a high-stress situation for most boards and the sheer number of questions we receive related to towing, we thought it would be useful to revisit a few of the basics of this issue. read more

The Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (Chapter 64.90 RCW "WCIOA")) took effect on July 1, 2018. Since that time, board members, managers, owners and (definitely) attorneys have been studying to understand its reach and ramifications. read more

I think we can all agree that social media is becoming more and more pervasive. What used to be an occasional diversion to reconnect with high school friends, has become a significant source of news and social and political engagement for everyone from the Greatest Generation to Gen Z'ers. Of course, this includes homeowners and board members, many of whom believe social media should be a public square to discuss and debate association issues, and even to allow owners to air grievances. However, whether or not social media is a good thing for community associations is debatable. read more