Blog - Educational Community for Homeowners (ECHO)

Legislature Targets Board Actions by Email

Educational Topics

It is very common for board members to communicate with each other and with management via e-mail, and this is often the preferred method of communication on HOA issues. For […]

HOA Transfer Fee Laws for Selling or Transferring Property

Educational Topics

When a homeowners association decides to sell or transfer property, HOA transfer fee laws are in place to ensure full disclosure of documents between the real estate company and the […]

SB 563 and You: How Amendments to the CID Open Meeting Act Affect Board Activities

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, January 2012 Last fall Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 563 into law. The bill, authored by the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee, amends the Common […]

East Bay Community Takes Giant Step to Save Energy

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, January 2012 Sometimes it requires a leap of faith in coming up with ways to save money for homeowner associations (HOAs). That’s what Dave Rosenblatt, […]

How to Protect Your Community’s Trees from Uprooting

Educational Topics

Winter weather often reveals negligent tree care, sometimes in the costly damage of a tree crashing to the ground. Learn how to protect your trees during the stormy months by […]

SLAPPs and HOAs

Educational Topics

What is SLAPP? It stands for Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. The legislature enacted the anti-SLAPP statute in 1992 in response to large land developers filing a lawsuit against environmental […]

And Justice for All

Educational Topics

Providing Meaningful “Notice” and an “Opportunity to be Heard” to HOA Members Chapter 15 of Robert’s Rules of Order begins like this: Every organization has the right to enforce its […]

When Can the Board Increase HOA Assessments?

Educational Topics

Here is the scenario: a board adopts the annual budget and notifies the owners that assessments will increase from last year by 10%. After the beginning of the association’s fiscal […]

Lessons from the field: Developing a Systematic Approach to Maintaining Common Areas

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, March 2012 Maintenance is a concept that most people understand; yet its potential for economic savings is often overlooked. The reason is maintenance is often […]

Is it an Emergency? Your HOA Board Can Use Email

Educational Topics

In an emergency, HOA boards can use email to make critical decisions. But board members need to know what constitutes an “emergency” under the law.

Twelve Traits Every Great HOA Board of Directors Has

Educational Topics, Frontpage Article

What differentiates a great board from just a good board? Great boards develop, maintain and value their credibility and their integrity. And they continually display, individually and as a group, […]

Building Community Involvement

Educational Topics

Published in the ECHO Journal, April 2012 There are so many factors that go into running a successful association that listing them could prove exhausting and counterproductive in the area […]