As a co-op, your building must comply with a patchwork of federal and state anti-discrimination laws protecting people with disabilities. This includes the Americans with Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA), the latter of which requires cooperative...
Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) mission statement "is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all." While playing a vital role in securing dwellings, they are not immune to the occasional bureaucratic error....
Many community associations have restrictions on short-term rentals in their governing documents. However, some people have concerns that proposed Michigan legislation could nullify those restrictions. Is HB 4722 a threat to restrictions on short-term rentals? HB 4722...
Financial crime in Homeowners’ associations (HOAs) is rising. Unfortunately, embezzlement may involve directors, officers and managers. Keep in mind that HOA law is complex. State laws vary. And sometimes, it is governed by local rules. In Michigan, no law requires...
As a member of the Board of Directors of your HOA, you know that the Fair Housing Act forbids it to discriminate against anyone belonging to a protected class. What you may not realize however, is just how extensive this list of protected classes is. The Homeowners...
Disputes between homeowners’ associations (HOAs) and their members are relatively common. Often an HOA will have to take the step to evict a homeowner, and given the proper preparations, they may do so. What are the right conditions for evicting a member from an HOA?...
As a governmental entity, one may feel like they are on their own when sued by a business, citizen or other entity. It may feel like one’s only option is their own, in-house municipal attorney. However, that is simply not the case because no one in-house municipal...
For the board of directors of a Homeowners’ Association, avoiding lawsuits is among the most critical goals in your work. The cost and time associated with defending a lawsuit can be disastrous to your HOA’s bottom line, and this is true even for a winning lawsuit....
Stories involving emotional support animals have cropped up frequently in the news in recent years. Usually, the articles tend to focus on the bizarre, such as people bringing peacocks onto airplanes and the like. While these stories may be alternately baffling or...
Traditional newspaper readership has dropped but local governments and other municipal entities must publish public notices in newspapers to fulfill Michigan’s legal notice requirements. For the 12th consecutive year, however, a bill was introduced amending this...