HOA Legi-Slate

AARP (www.aarp.org) recently released a research report called A Bill of Rights for Homeowners in Associations:  Basic Principles of Consumer Protection and Sample Model Statute, which outlines "crucial principles needed to balance the interests of an association and individual residents, and to foster equitable procedures in case of a dispute."  Distributed to AARP state offices and various potentially affected parties, the report focuses on key association issues, including foreclosure, alternative dispute resolution, and the creation of state ombudpersons.  It also includes examples of homeowner-association disputes as well as cases of litigation that could have been handled by other means.  To read the full text of AARP's A Bill of Rights for Homeowners in Associations, visit www.aarp.org/research/legal/legalrights/2006_15_homeowner.html.

Thank you for posting this information.
I think Attorney David Kahne has produced a remarkable document that deserves careful consideration. (Especially, Section 104.)

I think the AARP's "Bill Of Rights" for homeowners more adequately and appropriately deals with the problems faced by owners in common-interest communities than our own Legislature's ill-fated attempts at meddling during the past-2 sessions. I encouraged our legislators to take the time to study all the issues and to consult with association professionals before taking action, but it seemed that they were hell-bent on "doing something -- anything -- right now," rather than taking the time to approach the problem logically and appropriately. The mere fact that the first bill (100) needed a clean-up bill (89) is evidence of this. How silly to adopt ill-advised legislation that needs to be "cleaned up." If I had sponsored such a bill, I would be ashamed of myself.