When you're shopping for a new place to live, you probably consider a lot of factors – location, schools, taxes, and the community itself. You're essentially interviewing the neighborhood to see if it's the right fit for you. But once you move in, it's easy to feel...
Articles
4 Reasons Your Michigan Condominium or Subdivision Association Should Update Its Governing Documents
Governing documents for Michigan community associations serve several functions. The foremost of these functions is to inform members and prospective members of the respective rights and obligations of membership in the association relative to the upkeep of the...
Preventing Mold and Water Damage in Your Condominium Association: Proactive Steps for Managers and Boards
From frozen pipes, broken appliance supply lines, to roof leaks and leaking drain pans, in townhome and attached condominiums, these and other sources of water intrusion can quickly wreak havoc for owners and the association if not handled properly and quickly....
Is it Safe to Run for the Board? Broad Protections Afforded to Directors in a Litigious Age
The vitality of Michigan community associations is directly related to the quality of their volunteer board of directors. However, in this litigious age, potential directors may be concerned about the personal liability faced when their every decision may be...
Michigan Condos – Addressing New Lending Questionnaires
UPDATE: See also our October 2023 update on Lending Questionnaires. It has been just over a year since tragedy struck Surfside, Florida, when ninety-eight individuals perished in when a 12-story beachfront condominium partially collapsed. The national response...
Michigan HOA Awarded Legal Fees for Restriction Enforcement
Winning one appeal is hard; winning two appeals in the same case is harder. When the experienced Michigan condominium association lawyers at Makower Abbate Guerra Wegner Vollmer helped their HOA client win for the second time in Copperfield Villas v Tuer, No 356494...
Forced Adaptation: Community Association Management and Administration After COVID
The COVID pandemic continued longer than many had expected and has impacted almost every facet of everyday life. Facing evolving governmental guidance and individual comfort levels, we have been forced to adapt to what appears to be a new norm. This is particularly...
Michigan Court Of Appeals Confirms Need To Pay Condo Dues
Frye v. Golfpointe Village Condominium Association The condominium and homeowner association attorneys at Makower Abbate Guerra Wegner Vollmer recently successfully defended a challenge by a co-owner relating to her unpaid condominium association assessments. In Frye...
Court Requires More Disclosure for Michigan Condos and HOAs
Bafna v Echo Valley Condominium Association A Michigan Court of Appeals decision suggests courts will view Michigan owner requests to inspect condominium, homeowner, and community association documents quite broadly and will generally frown on refusing to allow...
Appeals Court Decision Affects Michigan Condo Developers
Michigan Condominium Owners of Units in Incomplete Condominiums Take Note – Significant Court of Appeals Victory Confirms Developers Who Drag Their Feet on Developing a Condominium in Michigan May Lose All Development Rights, Leaving the Undeveloped Land for the...
Michigan Court Holds Short-Term Rentals Not “Residential Use”
As renting residential property in Michigan via websites has grown in popularity, so too have complaints from neighbors living in deed restricted communities. While these short-term rental opportunities may benefit the individual lot owners, they can represent a...
Deferred Maintenance and Revised Lender Questionnaires: Responding to the Surfside Tragedy
On October 13, 2021, the Federal National Mortgage Association issued Lender Letter to take effect January 1, 2022. This Lender Letter temporarily revises the eligibility requirements for lenders issuing loans that may be purchased by Fannie Mae for properties located in condominiums containing five or more attached units.