ccfj.net:  He rented his condo to a fugitive — and the guy won’t leave

Article Courtesy of The Miami Herald
By Kyra Gurney   

Published July 5, 2016

The trouble started in April, when Sergey Umrikhin’s new tenant paid his $1,500 rent a month late — surprising, considering records showed $138,000 flowing into his bank account in December alone. 

Then Umrikhin received a violation letter from the property manager at Avant Garde, the highrise Hallandale Beach condominium complex where he owns a unit. Umrikhin’s tenant was throwing cigarettes over the third-floor condo balcony and drinking out of glass bottles on the pool deck, the letter said.

Umrikhin filed eviction papers in mid-May, after two months of late payments.

 

Three weeks later, his rental problems still unresolved, Umrikhin searched online for his Russian tenant, Vladimir Kholodnyak, using a Russian search engine. That’s when he learned that Kholodnyak was wanted by the international police agency Interpol. And that shedding an international fugitive is not as easy as one might think. “International criminals are walking free on our streets and no public or government authorities care about it,” Umrikhin stated in an e-mail on June 16, when he first contacted the Miami Herald. Read more:

By Susan Taylor Martin

July 2, 2016

Several times this year, a woman with the intriguing name of Sadie Daiquiri has been the winning bidder at Tampa Bay foreclosure auctions. Daiquiri has an intriguing address, too — 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in New York City. That’s a 49-story tower near the United Nations headquarters that houses the permanent missions of France, Italy and several other countries.

But it turns out that there is no Sadie Daiquiri in  Manhattan, or anywhere else. So it wasn’t totally surprising that she defaulted on the bids, failed to pay up and forced the auctions to be rescheduled.

Daiquiri is one of three phony bidders whose names have repeatedly popped up at bay area foreclosure auctions — all involving houses linked to a Tampa company called HOA Problem Solutions. By walking away from their bids, they’ve enabled HOA Problem Solutions to continue to collect thousands of dollars in rent from houses facing foreclosure even while the company is under investigation by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office.  Read more:

By Ward Lucas

June 30, 2016

Many of the Homeowners Associations in Boulder County Colorado have roads that are falling apart. In fact, they’re downright dangerous. A group of homeowners decided to sue the county to force them to repave the rotting public roads.

Well, it seems that some of those public roads aren’t so public after all. The Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled against the homeowners, and told them to pay to maintain their own roads.

What do you think that does to property values? No, your HOA was never intended to protect property values. Never!

(link to lack of road repairs in Longmont Times Call)

Article and Video Courtesy of Channel 10 News By Christina Vazquez Published July 2, 2016

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Condo owners say the illegal renting of units in violation of by-laws is wreaking havoc on HOA dues and quality of life.

Condo owners who reached out to the Call Christina team said their building is overrun with tourists that are not just soaking up the sun, but their HOA dues, and claim the board and the management company is not doing a thing to put a stop to it.

“We have tried everything else to protect our rights and we have not been able to be successful,” Ellen Hassman, who owns a condo at The Tides, said. “They think they are getting around it because they call them guests. We never get answers and no one is helping us anywhere.”

    

“It is not their fault,” another Tides condo owner, Jeff London, said about the visiting tourists. “It is the fault of the association and the management company that lets it go on.”  Read more:

By Jeff German

June 27, 2016

Saitta, 65, notified Gov. Brian Sandoval in a letter last week that she was stepping down from the high court on Aug. 8. Her six-year term runs through 2018.

“After nearly 20 years as a judicial officer, with 10 of those years as a justice of the Nevada Supreme Court, I have decided that it is time to move on to the next chapter,” Saitta wrote in the letter. “I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to be of service to the courts and the citizens of the state of Nevada.”

In a news release Monday, Saitta added: “After careful consideration, I am confident that this is the right time for me.”

Saitta, who served as chief justice of the Supreme Court between September 2011 and May 2012, said she plans to become a senior judge and continue her work on several commissions and task forces that focus on the welfare of children.  Read more:

By Marjorie Murray

June 27, 2016

Sacramento lawmakers listened to homeowners who protested a bill that would take away voting rights and the right to run for a board seat. Homeowners had sent emails, faxes, and called Senate offices to protest the bill. Story at:

Article Courtesy of The First Coast News
By Anne Schindler

Published June 23, 2016

JACKSONVILLE — After four years of litigation and an epic 38-day trial, a jury found America’s largest homebuilder was negligent when it built the Jacksonville community of Heron’s Landing.

The verdict requires DR Horton to pay $9.6 million to remove and replace the stucco, roofs and windows on the entire 240-unit development.

Condo residents and experts testified that the Beach Boulevard structures violate Florida building code, and are riddled with defects, including cracked stucco, leaking roofs, and failing windows and sliding glass doors. Attorneys say the damage amounts to $9 million, or nearly $38,000 per condo. Before discharging the six member jury, Circuit Judge James Daniel said words could not convey his gratitude for their lengthy service and careful attention. He said a personal goodbye to each juror as they left, shaking their hands, and it was clear jurors were moved. One juror said she was “a hugger,” before embracing the judge tearfully. “It’s emotional,” she admitted. Read more:

By Lauren Kravets

June 22, 2016

HUTTO, Texas (KXAN) — A flag flap had some Hutto homeowners on the defensive, facing off with their homeowners’ association on when they can fly the U.S. flag.

The Hutto Lions Club leases flags to help support their organization. Club members will put up flags at your home during holidays and then take them down in between.

The club put up six flags in Audrey Rambikur’s yard in the Emory Farms subdivision in Hutto for Flag Day this year. Right after they took the flags down, Audrey received a violation notice from the property management company, Goodwin Management, on behalf of the homeowners’ association. The letter said Rambikur didn’t get permission to put up the flags.

“I feel like it’s my right as an American. The flag is a symbol of our nation and my husband was a veteran,” explains Rambikur.  Read more: