by Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL | Aug 12, 2019 | Articles, H.O.A. Homefront
Senate Bill (SB) 323 (Wieckowski) is now pending in the Assembly after passing through the Senate. The bill originally proposed to significantly expand election procedural requirements and now strays into additional areas, potentially creating even further problems for California HOAs. Since July 2006, when 2005’s SB 61 became law, HOAs have the most complex election requirements of all California nonprofit corporations. For example, HOAs are the only nonprofit corporations barred from using electronic voting (Civil Code 5115 requires paper ballots in double sealed envelopes). While many (including this author) felt SB 61 was overkill, SB 323 would take things even further. Under current Civil 5200(a)(9), members can request the HOA membership roster, including names and addresses, but under Civil 5220 members can opt out of that roster and keep their information private. SB 323 would require adding email addresses to the available roster information, something which many homeowners prefer to keep confidential. A proposed amendment to Civil 5125 would add additional items for post-election member inspection, requiring signed exterior ballot envelopes, voter lists and proxies also to be available for member inspection. Many residents do not wish their signatures or voting record to be available for public inspection. Some associations have bylaws automatically disqualifying delinquent members from voting, while others hold hearings under Corporations Code 7341 to suspend delinquent member voting rights. However, SB 323 would force associations to give ballots to all members – even to those deemed ineligible to vote. This would, in effect, cancel Corporations Code 7341, leaving HOAs as the only corporations unable to suspend member voting rights. SB 323 also would in a proposed...
by Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL | Jun 10, 2019 | H.O.A. Homefront, Reader Questions
Dear Mr. Richardson, Our HOA has operating and reserve investment funds. The monthly assessments include amounts to increase the reserve account balances. Interest earned on the reserve account investments is transferred to operating income monthly rather than to increase the reserve account balance. I believe this treatment overstates income from operations and understates the reserves account balance. What do you think? I.L. Oceanside Dear I.L., Your association’s practice of transferring reserve account interest to the general account troubled me, but I am not an accountant. I checked with Tim Bradley CPA, an accountant known for working with HOAs. Mr. Bradley said the interest “was earned in the reserve fund and should be reflected there.” If the association is moving that interest to the operating account, he said it should then be reflected as an interfund transfer between the reserve fund to the operating fund, and included in the annual budget as an operating fund item (interest income-reserve transfer). He concluded by saying “the Board should inform the reserve study company of this transfer since reserve studies contemplate the retention of interest with reserves.” Based on Mr. Bradley’s comments, I checked with a leading reserve study expert, Robert Nordlund of Association Reserves Inc. He said, “but since the funding plan is all about preparing for costs in future years, it is prudent and common that the effects of interest and inflation are incorporated in Funding Plan calculations.” I.L., bluntly, your association should be setting its budget so that its regular assessments meet the anticipated expenses. Siphoning reserve income to subsidize the budget obscures the fact that the association budget is inadequate....
by Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL | Jan 7, 2019 | Articles, H.O.A. Homefront
The late and legendary coach John Wooden said “The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.” Your association might benefit from setting a few goals, and then moving to achieve them. Here are some ideas for goals in the coming year: Increase the association’s reserve funds by 15%. The closer the association is to a fully funded reserve account, the more financially secure it is. Reduce assessment delinquencies by 20%. Make sure the association has all the Annual Budget Report (Civil 5300) and Annual Policy Statement (Civil 5310) items and annually provides them to owners. Improve member communication and save money by encouraging members to accept communications by email. The law now allows such a consent to be sent by electronic mail. Update the association CC&Rs and bylaws if they are the original documents or are at least 15 years old. Make sure the documents use the current Civil Code references which have been in effect since 2014. Updating the statutory references can be accomplished by board motion (in an open meeting) under Civil 4235. Review and update the rules. Remove rules discriminating against children or which are outdated and no longer enforced. Make sure the HOA has all the legally required rules. Hire an independent consultant to provide a comprehensive assessment of association maintenance and repair needs, to discover any overlooked problems before they become more expensive later. The consultant should NOT be a candidate for the work, so there is no mixed motive in their recommendations. Re-evaluate and update the association web site (or...
by Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL | Nov 19, 2018 | Articles, H.O.A. Homefront
An unfortunate reality is that occasionally communities can be confronted with disaster, when earthquake, wildfire, or other calamity can transform a community within a few hours. Planning for the unthinkable can improve the association’s recovery prospects. Preparedness: Enhance communication. Embark upon an aggressive campaign to build email contact points for every association resident or owner. The ability to flash bulletins to owners is critical in emergencies and saves labor and postage and increases communication in normal times. Check the association insurance. Does the association have replacement cost or code upgrade coverage? What is covered? Some years ago an association sustained hundreds of thousands of dollars of landscaping and irrigation equipment destroyed in a major brush fire. Fortunately, their policy covered landscaping and the insurance paid to restore common area hillsides. Does the association have earthquake coverage? Check the deductible and inform members of the amount that will be association responsibility in the event of major seismic damage. A meeting with your broker may reveal gaps or inadequacies in the association’s insurance protection. Create emergency policies and plans. The manager should be empowered to respond to emergencies, and each director should know association policy regarding who makes emergency calls to vendors if the manager is not available. Risk management. Is the association adjacent to any hillsides or other brush areas? When was heavy vegetation last cleared from the association perimeter? Your local fire department or a consultant may provide a risk assessment. The Emergency: Immediate Actions. Call first responders. Call management. Issue an update via email and bulletin board, avoiding unsubstantiated reports or anything promoting panic. If evacuation is not...
by Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL | Oct 8, 2018 | Articles, H.O.A. Homefront
September 30 was the last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature in 2018. Many bills affecting HOAs were signed, and two were vetoed. SB 261 This bill, signed by the Governor on September 27, amends Civil Code 4040 to allow homeowners to use email to request the HOA send communications via email to the homeowner, and amends Civil 4360 to require 28 days (instead of the current 30) notice to homeowners for proposed rule changes. SB 721 HOAs exempted. SB 721 requires multilevel residential properties to conduct inspections of balconies and other elevated elements every six years. Signed into law by the Governor on September 17, the final version of the bill exempts HOAs from its requirements. SB 1016 Time of Usage (“TOU”) Meters. SB 1016, signed by the Governor on September 13, adds a new Section 4745.1 to the Civil Code, protecting the installation of TOU meters for electric vehicle charging stations. HOAs may impose reasonable requirements on the requesting owner. AB 2912 New Association Financial Requirements. AB 2912 requires boards to review the HOA financials monthly instead of the current quarterly requirement. The new law, approved by the Governor on September 14, requires all HOAs to have fidelity (dishonesty) insurance in place. It also requires documentation of board authority for expenditures over $10,000 or 5% of the HOA’s budget, whichever is lower. SB 1128 and 1265 Vetoed. Two of the most troubling bills for California HOAs this year were Senate Bills 1128 and 1265. SB 1265 would have made it much harder for common interest development associations to preserve elections...
