Legislative Overview for Homeowner’s Associations

There’s always something going on in government regarding real estate.  The following list is a collection of current state and house bills that are on record regarding Homeowner’s Associations:

• HB2245 Homeowners associations; open meetings; recordings.Allows persons attending HOA meetings to tape record or video tape portions of the meeting.  The Board of Directors of an HOA is allowed to adopt reasonable rules governing the taping of open meetings, but may not preclude the tape recording or videotaping.
• HB2609 Homeowners associations; signs; political; leasing.Makes various changes to laws governing HOAs; prohibits HOAs from charging fees for the use or placement of an indoor or outdoor display of for rent or lease signs by a property owner on their own property; allows HOAs to prohibit signs that are not commercially produced; permits the HOA to prohibit the number of political signs earlier than 71 days, rather than 45 days before an election through 3 days after, rather than 7 days after an election and states that an HOA cannot prohibit the number of political signs that are displayed, except that maximum aggregate total dimensions of all political signs may not exceed nine square feet.
• HB2717 Homeowners’ associations; penalties; attorney fees.Prevents an HOA from charging a fee for the use or placement of indoor or outdoor display of a for sale or lease sign by a unit owner on their property; clarifies that an HOA shall not prohibit in any other way than as specifically authorized in statute the use of temporary open house signs, a unit owner’s or their agent’s for sale sign and open house hours for property that is available for sale or lease; states that an HOA or managing agent that violates certain statutes governing the use of indoor, outdoor or political signs by a property owner on their property forfeits and extinguishes the lien rights authorized by statute against that unit or property for a period of six consecutive months from the date of the violation.
• SB1148 Homeowners associations; disputes; administrative hearings.Asserts that the Department of Fire, Building and Life Safety applies and enforces the statutes regulating HOAs through its hearing officer function, as well as the interpretation and enforcement of the otherwise private contracts and rules that govern those communities.
• SB1149 Planned communities; condominiums; document fees (Effective Dec. 31, 2011)Limits the fee that a planned community and condominium association can charge a unit owner for the preparation of required documents associated with the resale of a unit to an aggregate of $400.

Exciting, isn’t it.