Hill Wallack LLP’s Community Association Practice Group will be exhibiting at the 2016 CAI-NJ Annual Conference & Expo, which is being held on Wednesday, October 26, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, New Jersey.

This year’s conference returns to Central Jersey, so do not miss out on the exciting lineup of networking events, educational sessions, informative exhibits and more! Registration is FREE for all homeowners and board members (pre-registration is recommended). There will be plenty of giveaways and FREE breakfast and lunch. Come see us at Booth 505!

Also, join Terry A. Kessler, Esq. and Jonathan H. Katz, Esq. of Hill Wallack LLP and Denise Becker, PCAM, of Homestead Management Services, Inc. for their 12:00 p.m. presentation entitled Batman vs. Superman: The Struggle Regarding Ethics and Confidentiality for Board Members & Property Managers. Program Description: “In a world where association board members are faced with issues regarding ethics and confidentiality on a daily basis, who can you turn to in order to work through these complex problems? In this battle of good versus evil, you can’t rely on the Man of Steel or the Dark Knight. This program will arm you with the necessary information and discuss the relevant law in order to help you properly navigate these thorny issues.”

For more information and to register to attend the 2016 CAI-NJ Annual Conference & Expo, click here. 

This Alert transmits an important message from CAI regarding a disturbing bill pending in both houses of Congress. The proposed Federal Legislation would allow HAM Radio Operators to install antennas anywhere in a condominium or HOA despite association architectural covenants. I urge you to communicate with our U.S. Senator Corey Booker, who is on the Committee considering this legislation.

The Amateur Radio Parity Act (S. 1685) is scheduled for mark-up in the Senate Commerce Committee on November 18. Your Senator serves on the Senate Commerce Committee and it is very important he/she hears from you today to oppose S. 1685.

To view Hill Wallack’s full Client Alert, click here.

If you have a question about this issue or any other issue concerning your community association, please contact one of our Community Associations attorneys. For breaking news or updates on new blog posts, follow us on Twitter at: @njcondolaw.

Have you ever wanted to learn the art of mediation and help resolve community association disputes? Now you can…

Become a mediator or refresh your mediation skills as part of CAI-NJ’s Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program training. Mediation/ADR is a non-adversarial approach in which a neutral party – the mediator – guides parties to a dispute through the resolution process to reach a mutually acceptable agreement as an alternative to litigation. CAI-NJ is sponsoring the Mediation/ADR Training Program for a limited number of registrants to fill the critical need of providing affordable mediation services by person who are experienced in community association matters and issues.

Hill Wallack LLP’s Community Association Practice Group will be exhibiting at the 2015 CAI-NJ Annual Conference & Expo, which is being held on Saturday, September 26, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, New Jersey.

This year’s conference returns to Central Jersey, so do not miss out on the exciting lineup of networking events, educational sessions, informative exhibits and more! Registration is FREE for all homeowners and board members (pre-registration is recommended). This year’s keynote speaker is Terry Watson, who will speak about “The Essential Truths… The Unspoken Rules… The New Consumer Demands,” simple strategies and systems that provide obscene return of your time, energy, motivation and income. Big Joe Henry of NJ101.5 will be broadcasting his show live from 10-3 p.m., there will be plenty of giveaways and FREE breakfast and lunch.

Come see us at Booth 505!

To register to attend the 2015 CAI-NJ Annual Conference & Expo, click here. For more information and to review the Conference & Expo Program Schedule, click here.

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s “Know Before You Owe” mortgage closing rule becomes effective on October 3, 2015. The new federal rule sets in motion sweeping changes to the disclosures borrowers receive about their mortgage loans and closing costs when buying or refinancing a home. After October 3rd, community associations and their managing agents will be required to provide very specific and accurate information earlier in the process.

In order to prepare you for these changes, Ronald L. Perl, Esq., the partner-in-charge of Hill Wallack LLP’s Community Associations Group, will be participating in a Live Webinar on Wednesday, September 2, 2015, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Joining Ron will be Dawn Bauman, CAE,  senior vice president of government and public affairs for Community Associations Institute (CAI) and C. Scott Canady of Tambala Strategy.

Earn Continuing Education Credit and learn about these important, new requirements and ask questions to help incorporate these new rules into your association’s everyday practice.

For more information and to register to attend this Webinar, click here.

By Jonathan H. Katz, Esq.

The following statistics, along with additional details, can be found in the Community Association Institute’s National and State Statistical Review for 2014:

• As of 2014, there were approximately 333,600 community associations in the United States, which means that approximately 20.7% of the U.S. population lives in an association.
• Of those 333,600 community associations, about 51-55% are homeowners associations, 42-45% are condominium associations, and 3-4% are cooperatives.
• Approximately 66.7 million people live in a community association in the United States.
• By comparison, in 1970, there were only 10,000 community associations (housing approximately 2.1 million residents).
• In 2000, the number of associations jumped to 222,350 (housing approximately 45.2 million residents).
• The states with the most community associations in 2014 were: (1) Florida (47,100 associations) and (2) California (43,300 associations). Texas remains a distant third (19,400 associations).
• New Jersey and Pennsylvania, who were tied at 16^th in the number of total community associations in 2012, each dropped in the rankings: New Jersey is now 17^th (6,600 associations) and Pennsylvania is now 19^th (6,000 associations).
• Seven (7) states still have fewer than 1,000 associations: Alaska, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming.
• There were approximately 2,300,000 community association board and committee members in 2014, who collectively performed approximately 78,000,000 hours of service for their associations.
• There were approximately 50,000-55,000 community association managers and between 7,000-8,000 community association management companies in 2014, which is steady from 2012.
• It is estimated that between 30-40% of all associations nationally are self-managed, meaning they do not employ a professional manager or management company for day-to-day services.
• Approximately $70 billion in assessments was collected from association homeowners in 2014, and $22 billion was spent from accumulated reserve funds for the repair, replacement and enhancement of common property.