Category Archives: Uncategorized
CALIFORNIA – Convicted HOA embezzler released from jail
San Mateo – The former manager of the Woodlake Homeowners Association who was convicted of embezzling nearly $2.8 million from the San Mateo property owners group will be released from jail while she awaits sentencing.
Susan Marie Lambert, 65, appeared in court Thursday asking for her $1 million bail to be reduced. After her defense attorney argued she had been a model inmate since entering custody in 2015, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Lee ignored prosecutors’ objections and released Lambert on her own supervised recognizance, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
Lambert pleaded no contest to working with Michael Anthony Medeiros to embezzle millions of dollars from the massive condominium association between 2007 and 2013. Lambert was the manager of the HOA when she issued nearly 150 false invoices for property improvement work that was never done. Medeiros, who owns a painting company, would cash checks and split the money with Lambert, according to prosecutors. Read more:
FLORIDA – Condo owners in Tampa’s The Slade At Channelside battle to keep it from going all rental
Article Courtesy of Tampa Bay Times
By Susan Taylor Martin
Published January 3, 2017
TAMPA — Built in what could become one of Tampa Bay’s most dynamic neighborhoods, The Slade At Channelside condominiums boast an eclectic mix of unit owners.
There’s Brandon McArthur, a baseball scout for the Los Angeles Angels. And Anthony Arzola, a medical devices salesman. And Damon Mathis, a colonel in the U.S. Army.
They and many others bought in The Slade — paying more than $200,000 for their units — because they liked its sleek look, its wide range of amenities and its location in a prime area poised for massive redevelopment.
But they are fighting what could be a losing battle to keep their homes.
A St. Petersburg-based company, Slade Owner LLC, has acquired more than 85 percent of the units and wants to make The Slade rental only. It already is leasing out the units it owns and needs to acquire only a few more to achieve its goal. Read more:
FLORIDA – HOA worker illegally spent $94,000 on hotels, ring, purses, more
Article Courtesy of The Palm Beach Post
By Tony Doris
Published January 6, 2017
WEST PALM BEACH — The bookkeeper for a suburban West Palm Beach homeowners association has been arrested for allegedly using nearly $95,000 of the association’s money for personal expenses from a $2,138 diamond ring to an $804 purse.
According to a police affidavit, in April 2014, the association’s property manager reviewed the association’s credit card bills and called police after discovering about $10,700 in charges for personal purchases between November 2013 and March 2014. A further review indicated much larger losses, not just from association credit cards but in missing cash deposits that homeowners had made. Read more:
TEXAS – Condo residents frustrated with growing trash pile
CALIFORNIA – The drought defense
Richard and Carole DeProspo say they wanted to curb their outdoor water use in light of the drought, not pick a costly fight with their homeowners association.
And yet that’s where they’ve found themselves—headed to court to ask a judge to relieve them of thousands of dollars in fines levied by the Westlake Ranch Property Owners Association over their crushed-rock-laden front yard, arguing that a recent state law protects their landscape decision.
Pre-drought HOA rules are clashing with new state-imposed water conservation measures, which means a judge ruling in favor of the DeProspos could be setting a legal precedent, said Southwestern Law School professor Roman Hoyos. Read more:
NATIONAL – HOAs from hell: more horror stories, more fraud – and prospect of legislative action
In Georgia, a decorated Army veteran who lost a leg in Afghanistan is now ensnared in a battle on the home front — with his homeowners association.
The HOA filed a lien on his house related to the placement of his trash cans.
From Maryland to California, prosecutors have charged HOA officers and property management officials in fraud and embezzlement cases with losses that total in the millions.
And in Missouri, lawmakers are working on a proposal to make homes associations more accountable, with one saying homeowners in his district have become so incensed with their HOAs that “we are one step away from pitchforks and torches.”
In the few months since The Star’s report on HOAs from hell, horror stories continue to pile up and homeowners keep falling victim to thieves from within their ranks.
Lawmakers in some states are saying enough is enough. It’s time, they insist, to take on a more aggressive role in regulating the $85 billion industry.
“It’s the number one constituent issue in my district,” said Missouri state Rep. Bryan Spencer, a Republican from Wentzville, near St. Louis. “This is basic property owner rights. It’s a fundamental right that we should have as Americans.” Read more:
NATIONAL – Are HOA Dues Making Real Estate Unaffordable?
HOA Dues Don’t Make The News — But Maybe They Should
When mortgage rates move a quarter percent in any direction, that’s big news. But lurking in the background are fees for homeowners associations. (HOA dues). Don’t overlook them.
HOA dues are an expense that can sink many loan applications and derail personal finances. This is especially true for first-time buyers and those with marginal finances.
Who Really Owns Your Home?
The world of real estate ownership can be divided into two flavors: properties which are owned “fee simple” (you own your building and land) and those under a homeowner or condo association.
With fee simple ownership, you can do what you want with the property. Just work within the limits of zoning and local laws.
If you want to paint the place orange, that’s fine. If you want a big American flag out front, or a 120-pound dog inside, that’s not only okay, it’s nobody else’s business. Read more:
FLORIDA – Court Ruling Puts Condo Buyouts At Risk
As Florida developers adapt to the lack of suitable development sites, some are turning their focus to condominium communities that were built decades ago for middle-income working families and retirees that are now located on what would otherwise be prime development sites.
This is causing angst to some Florida condo owners about the future of their homes and communities. To some condo owners, developers offer the opportunity to cash out for a good price. But to others, condo buy-outs are nothing more than a nightmare where developers force them out of their homes, and in some cases in a way that forced homeowners to incur significant losses.
The Legislative Background to Condominium Terminations
In 2007, the Florida legislature enacted laws setting forth the procedures for condo terminations, sometimes called condo buy-outs. The law provided that a condominium could be terminated if least 80 percent of the total voting interests of the condominium approve of the termination, but only so long as no more than 10 percent of the total voting interests do not reject the plan by a negative vote or written objection. Read more:
FLORIDA – ‘Super nice guy’ accused of HOA fraud
Article Courtesy of The News-Press
By Melanie Payne
Published December 13, 2016
When an anonymous caller told me Joshua C. Hall, the former general manager at Herons Glen Golf and Country Club, was caught embezzling money, I thought it was old news.
“Didn’t that happen a few years ago?” I asked. It turns out I was recalling another North Fort Myers homeowners’ association, Sabal Springs.
Herons Glen’s problem was discovered early in the summer and a special meeting of the Herons Glen Recreation District was held on July 6. According to the minutes, “some financial discrepancies were found and based on those findings, Josh Hall decided to resign the position of General Manager…District Counsel (Tom) Hart has a letter from Mr. Hall admitting his guilt in defrauding the District of funds. At this time, the total amount of the fraud is not known, but it is a significant amount.”
According to the board, Hall admitted to taking money, beginning in September 2015. He promised to pay it back by cashing in a 401(k) and selling some real estate. Subsequent minutes stated he had made partial restitution. Read more:
FLORIDA – Cape HOA pays extra after company fails to pay bill
CCFJ.NET: Cape HOA pays extra after company fails to pay bill
Article Courtesy of WINK NEWS
By Lindsay Sablan
Published December 4 , 2016
CAPE CORAL — An ongoing Call for Action investigation has found another person claiming Goldy Krekic of Cape Coral-based Croat Pavers did not follow through on a job.
Jerry Dout, president of the Rubicon Condo Association in Cape Coral, recently reached out to WINK News after his condo association received a lien for a job he thought he fully paid for.
Dout said he paid Krekic $7,410 in July to put in new pavers around the association’s pool.
But in September, Dout said his condo association received a lien on their property because Krekic did not pay the company supplying the pavers.
As a result, Dout’s condo association has to pay an additional $2,392.60 to Tremron, the company that supplied the pavers, to get the lien taken off their property.
“I would obviously like to not have to pay all this extra money because we paid for it,” Dout said.
Krekic and his lawyer declined to comment. Read more:
HOA Reform Coalition 