Our general counsel group often gets questions from clients about their Association's authority to deal with roads in their communities. Whether the question is about speed limits, parking, towing, or just improving the roadway, the question always requires us to make a number of determinations before being able to answer the question. Following these steps and trying to determine the answers to these questions before contacting counsel may even help communities resolve the ultimate issue with little legal intervention (and less expense!). read more

Incorporating technology into our homes is big, big business in the Unites States. Where once we were clapping at our lamps, now we can control virtually everything inside and outside of the home with the sound of our voice or apps on our phones. As part of this growing trend, video doorbells have become immensely popular, and offer real-time video and audio streams, as well as cloud-based recording. Companies like Ring, August, Nest, and Honeywell have a wide variety of devices with near limitless options. read more

OK, so no, despite the clickbait title, there is no one little trick to deal with problem owners. Maybe it's the political climate or the phases of the moon, but it sure seems like the "problem owner" issue is out in force right now. Take the Florida community that was recently vindicated in an arbitration against a particularly problematic owner in this Florida article. read more

A relatively common request fielded by condominium associations is from owners wanting to sell their parking spot to another owner. While many owners may believe they own their parking space, parking spaces are almost universally classified as limited common elements that are assigned to a particular unit. While this means unit owners have many of the rights of ownership related to their parking space - such as preventing other vehicles from using the space - from a legal standpoint, they do not own title to the space. read more

In part one of our three-part series on Tree Trouble, my colleague David Silver wrote about Timber Trespass. In this post, I'm going to discuss self-help. Self-help is the legal term that describes "taking the law into your own hands"—literally. In this context, it would include a property owner getting out their pruning shears or shovel and cutting or trimming parts of a neighbor's tree that infringe upon his or her property. You may be surprised to hear that in Washington, such conduct has been endorsed by the courts. read more