homeowners associations

Prelitigation Mediation for Homeowner’s Associations

  One of the new laws for homeowner associations in North Carolina is a law “encouraging” parties with a dispute with their HOA to try and resolve the dispute before filing a lawsuit. The statute provides for a voluntary prelitigation mediation that is similar to a mediation required in every North Carolina Superior Court case. […]

View Post

Who controls the roads?

One of the most visible areas in a planned community is its roads and streets. Because of that, homeowners and their homeowner’s associations sometimes exceed their authority over those roads and get themselves in trouble. Usually, as I’ve written before, when a planned community is developed, a plat is filed that shows the lots, common […]

View Post

Lawyer in a Box

Consumer Reports took a break from comparing washing machines and SUVs and subjected some of the do-it-yourself legal products to their testing and review. Using the products of LegalZoom, Nolo, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken’s Willmaker Plus, the testers created a will, car bill of sale, a home lease, and a promissory note using those company’s […]

View Post

Welcome to the Pool

One of the first amenities that are built by developers of planned subdivisions and condominiums in North Carolina is the neighborhood pool. Pools are an attractive addition to a subdivision and developers and owners see them not only as a great place to socialize with neighbors and entertain the kids, but to enhance the value […]

View Post

Good TV

I’ve watched a lot of lawyer shows over the years. The first I remember was “The Paper Chase” which was actually about law school. After watching that I decided I didn’t want to be a lawyer just from the shear amount of stress it appeared that law students have. (Of course I did eventually go […]

View Post

Hoarders & Homeowner’s Associations

One popular reality show today is A&E's "Hoarders. "The show details the problems of pathological hoarding or disposophobia. The individuals acquire possessions and fail to discard them even when the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary and impair mobility and interfere with basic functions of life. The show scratches a morbid curiosity and probably makes […]

View Post