Monday, March 03, 2014

WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: News - Top Stories - Elderly man faces homelessness after being evicted for growing a garden

WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: News - Top Stories - Elderly man faces homelessness after being evicted for growing a garden: BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - Rules are rules and the homeowners association inside Royal Manor Estates in Boynton Beach follows them very closely.

That's why a 4' x 8' garden outside the home of Israel Negron has put management over the edge and the Negron on the street.

"Someone's getting kicked out because of growing vegetables is insane and cruel ," said Barry Silver, Negron's attorney.

Silver attempted to file an emergency stay of eviction but the court denied it without a hearing.

The 72-year-old will have to vacate even though he owns his mobile home.

Negron did not take the news very well.

"I had to take him to the emergency room," said one friend.


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More bad press coming out of Florida spotlighting mean-minded governance in Privatopia. Film at 10 on WPEC-TV.

HOA head in RSF is paid $275K-plus | UTSanDiego.com

HOA head in RSF is paid $275K-plus | UTSanDiego.com: The head of the Rancho Santa Fe homeowners association has received more than $275,000 in compensation for the past three years, and the president of the board was ousted from her position after she raised questions about it.

Such pay levels are more typically reserved for city managers or school district superintendents running complex functions of large government agencies.

The community association’s manager, Pete Smith, is responsible for collecting association dues, maintaining common areas and enforcing covenants for the community of about 5,000 with a median income in excess of $172,000 and median home price of $2.4 million.
The ousted president, Ann Boon, said she wanted her questions to bring clarity to the pay process

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Pay's going up in Privatopia. But the managers apparently don't like the HOA directors who employ them asking questions about it. I guess the boards work for the managers instead of the other way around.

Sunday, March 02, 2014

Insight: Underfunded U.S. homeowner associations get heavy | Reuters

Insight: Underfunded U.S. homeowner associations get heavy | Reuters

Thanks to Shu Bartholomew for this link.  The first sentence is just plain wrong, but overall the article highlights the important fact that many associations are in financial trouble--and it isn't just because of the 2008 crash in real estate values.



"Foreclosures on delinquent properties by homeowner associations were almost unheard of before the financial crisis of 2008. Now lawyers and real estate researchers say they are becoming more common as association funding bases shrink because of previously foreclosed homes' standing empty. About 70 percent of association-governed communities are underfunded, up 12.5 percent from 10 years ago, according to Association Reserves. The average association has financial reserve accounts - the amount required to maintain infrastructure and common areas - that are only funded at 52 percent, down from 60 percent a decade ago, its research shows.Tyler Berding, an attorney whose firm is consulting with a San Francisco condo homeowner association, suggests the problem is one of governance. "It's very much akin to the public pension crisis," he said. "Homeowners' associations are simply not putting enough money away to make the repairs and replacements they will have to make over time."