Blog - Educational Community for Homeowners (ECHO)

Maintenance Manuals for New Associations: How Much Maintenance is Enough?

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, March 2009 Introduction Many of the statutes in the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act (“Act”) address common area maintenance and the calculation and levying of […]

Is Tough Love in Order in 2009?

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, March 2009 The year 2007 was a tough year for homeowner association boards financially, 2008 was worse, and now in 2009 we are facing even […]

5 Ways to Improve Your Meeting Minutes

Educational Topics

The minutes of a community association are always extremely important. An association is a business, and like any other business it protects its history, preserves and maintains the records […]

Tree Disputes in HOAs: What the Law Says

Educational Topics

Trees are beautiful, but they can cause headaches for homeowners association residents and board members. Disputes related to view obstruction, mess, and property damage can all spark legal problems. Learn […]

Myths of Chairmanship

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, May 2009 Have you ever had to chair a meeting? Scary, isn’t it? Whether you are a past president or a newly‑elected president, you must […]

What Happens If A Community Association Fails?

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, May 2009 Does The Experience In Florida Presage The Future For California? We have written many times about the difficult future of the housing industry […]

The Disappearing Developer

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, June 2009 In today’s economy, many builders are leaving unbuilt or partially-built homes, consequently causing hardships for associations. Imagine a community of 450 lots with […]

HOA Management Working with Construction Managers

Educational Topics

Community Managers (CMs) often rely on Construction Managers (the other CMs) to assist with the management of construction projects. The community manager’s understanding and responsibilities for their community’s needs must […]

Self Help

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, June 2009 Your board wants to go on a property and correct a covenant violation themselves. Can you? Even if you have legal authorization, should […]

A Board Member’s Right to Inspect HOA Records is Not Absolute

Educational Topics

“Every director shall have the absolute right at any reasonable time to inspect and copy all books, records and documents of every kind and to inspect the physical properties of […]

HOAs and Defamation: What Can You Say?

Educational Topics

Emotions can run hot in HOAs, and both boards and owners are occasionally tempted to say nasty things about one another. But words can spark lawsuits, and both boards and […]

Raise My Maintenance Fees, Please!

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, July 2009 Homeowners campaign for election or re-election to their community association’s board of directors all too often with the promise of never increasing maintenance […]