- Home
- Law & Legislation
Law & Legislation
The Paper Trail
Remember that thick stack of documents you received when you bought your condo
or co-op? If you're like most people, they're probably sitting in a drawer or
in the back of your filing cabinet, communing with the dust bunnies, largely
forgotten.
Read More
Chicagoland Legislative Update
As housing sales in the Chicagoland area remain stagnant, legislation both
nationally and locally relating to property ownership and management continue
to remain active. The majority of the legislation introduced recently has
sought to protect homeowners as well as provide more resources for struggling
condo and homeowner's associations.
Read More
No Time Like the Precedent
Condo, HOA, and co-op boards are generally made up of volunteers—and they're frequently a pretty diverse group. There’s the stay-at-home mom who’s looking to get involved with something beyond homework and housework. Maybe
there’s also the young doctor who just moved into the building and immediately took an
interest. Or perhaps there's the retired school bus driver who's got a green
thumb and delights in chairing the landscaping committee each spring. No matter
what their background, most board members share a genuine desire to serve their
building community and have a hand in the way it’s governed. What they may not have in common is a firm grasp of the law and the
legal implications of their decisions as board members.
Read More
Can We Go Green?
As gasoline prices rise with increasing summer demand, building administrators'
attention has turned sharply to the cost of energy, and ways to trim fat from
their overall energy budgets.
Read More
Watch Your Mouth
When you were little, your mother might have told you, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Read More
Getting to Know the ISBA
The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) has been the premier legal association
in the state since being founded in 1877. As a voluntary organization, the ISBA’s primary focus is to help Illinois attorneys practice more effectively and
efficiently.
Read More
Paying it Forward
The ongoing recession has changed the financial picture drastically for many
residents, and their buildings are feeling the effects of late and missing
assessment payments, owners unable to pay special assessments, and even owners
who withhold maintenance payments for the same reasons rental tenants withhold
rent: They may feel that nonpayment punishes the board or management for some
shortcoming—real or perceived. A building’s assessments are used to pay for routine cleaning of common areas, door
personnel, amenities and unexpected issues such as roof damage, balcony repairs
and other problems, but if someone doesn’t pay their share, it can quickly lead to some very serious problems.
Read More
Q&A: Smoking and the Bylaws
As property manager for a 36-unit condominium, we have received complaints about smoke emanating from a downstairs unit to an upstairs unit and common area hallway. There has been an ongoing feud for several years now between the upstairs unit owner and the downstairs unit owner. The upstairs unit owner is leaving the common area front door open to alleviate the smell of smoke. The bylaws do not state anything specifically about cigar or cigarette smoke. The bylaws on “odors” reads as follows: Read More
Q&A: Removal Without Cause
Does the individual condo association board members and president have the legal right to remove a treasurer from duties without due cause and deny a chance for rebuttal?" Read More
Q&A: Charging the Renter for Delinquency
We have an owner in our condominium association, who is several months behind in his fees. He currently has a tenant in his unit. The association pays the bill for his water, sewage, pool and other amenities. Do we as an association have the right to take any of these amenities away from the renter, and would it be possible to have the renter pay his monthly rent to the association until the delinquency is resolved?” Read More
