Blog

By Anuj Gupta

This article first appeared in our Communicator Magazine, Summer 2025 Edition.

If you’ve been on an HOA board long enough, you know that financial conversations usually revolve around the obvious – roof replacement, paving schedules, insurance premiums, maybe even lawsuits. But there’s one line item that shows up on every budget, year after year, and yet doesn’t always get the long‐term thought it deserves: landscaping.

Most communities treat landscape maintenance as an operational expense, a necessary part of keeping things neat. What often gets missed is that land‐ scaping is actually tied to some of the biggest financial decisions your association will face – whether it’s planning for reserves, avoiding special assessments, managing liability, or keeping property values high. I’ve worked with enough HOAs over the last 10 years to see that the communities who take a long‐term, strategic view of their landscaping avoid headaches. The ones who don’t? They’re usually the ...

By Robert W. Browning, PCAM, RS  

For years, tariffs were a topic mostly confined to college classrooms and economic policy debates. But, as recent headlines have shown, tariffs have stepped firmly into the mainstream – and with them, new and unexpected implications are emerging across various sectors, including reserve studies.  

If our office is any indication, in recent months, reserve specialists are fielding an increasing number of questions: Are tariffs impacting reserve studies? If so, how should associations respond? This article explores what tariffs are, how they might influence reserve funding plans, and what tools associations can use to mitigate their effects.  

What Is a tariff? A tariff is defined by Random House Webster’s Dictionary (1996) as “a schedule of duties imposed by a government on imports or exports.” In practical terms, tariffs are taxes placed on goods entering (or leaving) a country, designed to influence trade dynamics, support domestic industries, or a...

by Colleen Montoya from Whit's Painting 

If you were anywhere near San Pedro Square Market on July 31, you probably heard it — the laughter, the music, and the unmistakable hum of our CAI community having an amazing time. That’s right, Summer Fest 2025 was in full swing, and it was one for the books! From the moment guests arrived, the vibe was pure summer magic. The warm evening air, the buzz of conversation, and the scent of incredible food drifting through the market set the perfect stage for an unforgettable night.

One of the best things about the venue? The endless lineup of mouthwatering options. And everyone that came made the most of it! People were wandering with tacos in one hand, sliders in the other, even a mochi donut (or two) for dessert. There were so many tempting flavors to explore that “just one plate” quickly turned into “okay, maybe three.” Zero regrets.

It wasn’t just the two-legged guests having a blast either— the four-legged ones were living their best lives, ...

By Robert M. DeNichilo, Esq., CCAL
CLAC Legislative Co-Chair, Orange County Regional Chapter Delegate

This article first appeared in The Communicator Magazine, Spring 2025.

CAI’S CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE Action Committee (CLAC) hit the ground running in 2025 in pursuit of its legislative agenda, which included allowing emergency assessments to cover the cost of insurance premiums and liability protection for associations and board members who are unable to purchase the level of insurance coverage required by CC&Rs for a reasonable cost, or at all. While the bill introduction deadline passed without CLAC being able to secure an author for its proposed bills, we continue working and are hopeful of getting some cleanup legislation into an omnibus bill.

In addition to pursuing its legislative agenda, CLAC is taking positions on several bills introduced that will significantly impact associations and man- agers. AB-739 (Jackson) would require all managing agents to be licensed real esta...

By Jacqueline Vanacek

This article first appeared in The Communicator Magazine, Spring 2025.

When I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Gulf Coast of Florida, I thought I was done being an HOA board president. Not so! Now I have one HOA foot on each coast.

It is fascinating to see homeowner associations end to end, from a builder board in Florida to an owner board in California. And boy are those board objectives different. In 2024, I attended CAI West Florida Chapter’s “Home On The Range” to learn about Florida’s HOA best practices. As a California board director living in a Florida HOA, I was looking for common ground.

WHERE DID HOAS COME FROM?

California has the largest number of homeowner associations in the country, with approximately 80% of multi-family residences in HOAs. Homeowner associations (HOAs), or common interest developments (CIDs), first appeared in the 1960s when high density housing exploded. Cash-strapped municipalities looked to “associations” to fund...

By Kimberly Lilley, CIRMS, CMCA

This article first appeared in The Communicator Magazine, Spring 2025.

Most of us have been impacted by the insurance crisis in California, and if we haven’t been impacted yet, we will be. California has billions of dollars of property that needs insurance, and as losses piled up between 2017 and 2022, carriers in CA tightened their underwriting criteria, limited the amount of property they would insure, or left the state entirely in order to stay solvent. This constriction in the insurance marketplace left many without affordable or adequate insurance, and too often, no insurance options at all.

In this vacuum, carriers are being creative in finding ways to write insurance in CA, while reducing their risk enough for it to be reasonable for them to do so. One way of managing risk is to spread it out over multiple carriers, so each only takes a small part of the risk, ensuring that none of them hold the lion’s share of the losses if one should occur.

Similarities, differences, and what to expect.

By Cecilia Garza & Tina Keele

This article first appeared in The Communicator Magazine, Spring 2025.

PART I: THE PROCESS FOR QUOTING A NEW COMMUNITY
When an insurance agent seeks to obtain quotes for a homeowner’s association (HOA), a structured marketing process is essential. This process ensures that the agent collects com- prehensive and accurate data, selects the most suitable carriers, and presents competitive and appropriate coverage options to the HOA board. Each step of the process is critical in minimizing risk, ensuring compliance, and ultimately securing a policy that meets the HOA’s needs. Here, we explore the detailed steps and rationale behind each stage of this process.

Why Data Matters

The first and most crucial step in obtaining an HOA insurance quote is com- prehensive data collection. Accurate data allows insurance carriers to assess risks effectively and provide tailored coverage. It also helps ensure that the po...

By Terri Guest

This article first appeared in The Communicator Magazine, Spring 2025.

It seems the new trigger word in the common interest development industry is “Zinsco.” Electrical panels and breakers manufactured by this company, as well as several others, have been deemed unsafe by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) as they have the potential to overheat and cause fires. Thus, several insurance carriers have drawn a hard line when it comes to these items, and communities with certain com- ponents will have a difficult, if not impossible, time finding insurance coverage.

Zinsco panels, also sometimes branded as GTE-Sylvania, were installed in the 1960s and 70s and their circuit breakers have been known to melt into the main bus bar, which can start a fire. Federal Pacific panels and Stab-Lok breakers have similar issues and can fail to trip when overloaded. Originally used in the 1950s, Federal Pacific panels and breakers have been used as recently as the early 1990s. Other electri...

Legal Responsibilities and Liabilities. This article first appeared in The Communicator Magazine, Winter 2025 Issue.

By Holly Lull

WHETHER YOU LIVE in a quiet suburban neighborhood, condo, coop, master, sub, or other type of planned community association, you likely have a board of well-intentioned volunteers dedicated to maintaining the charm and harmony of their shared slice of home. However, when what seems like a minor decision about a violation or property boundary ends up leading to a lawsuit, it becomes clear that the board has unknowingly overstepped their legal authority.

This scenario is not uncommon. Across the country, community association boards face significant legal challenges, often stemming from misunderstandings or misapplications of the law or their responsibilities. These legal missteps can lead to costly consequences for both the board members and the communities they serve, highlighting the critical importance of understanding the legal responsibilities and po...