Blog

Guest Blog by Char Tedrick

This article fist appeared in The Communicator, Spring 2023 Edition. 

Let’s face it – life is stressful. We can try every calming strategy in the book, practice meditation, breathwork, and yoga – but when you are responsible for the peace of mind and contentment of a large community of residents, we’re talking next level. You need to be prepared and ready to handle whatever the day brings.

When circumstances call for the services of a general contractor, chances are your needs are urgent and time is of the essence. When your community is depending on you for quick and reliable service and support, having those strong partnerships and vendor relationships in place is critical. You may have your nominated vendors and trusted partners, but you never know what the future may hold. It is always better to have options and the ability to make a calculated and thoughtful decision on work based off the bids of a few qualified...

Tackling the uncertainties: best practices for bidding, budgeting, and contracting in HOA projects.

By Regan Brown and Chris Sigler, B.S.C.E., CDT

This article first appeared in The Communicator, Spring 2021. To read more, click here.  

Over the past four years, skyrocketing construction costs have created various forms of havoc throughout the construction industry, to the surprise of many HOAs in need of project work. The increases have taken on various forms. In 2017-18, a strong economy and a demand for housing fueled a labor shortage, showing an overall increase of almost 30 percent in construction costs nationwide; in 2019, political tariffs and multiple natural disasters fueled the next wave of increases, this time affecting material costs.

The Pandemic’s Impact On Cost Increases

2020, the year that will go down in history for the global pandemic, brought several new factors creating price changes that we had not experienced before. When the...

By Ritchie Lipson, Esq. and Scott Thomson, Esq

This article first appeared in The Communicator, Spring 2021. To read more, click here.  

Effective communication within a homeowners association is always important. Once an association brings a construction defect action against the builder, communication and cooperation among the board, community association manager, and the construction defect attorney become essential. However, with the outbreak of COVID-19, communication and cooperation regarding construction defects will most likely remain permanently changed.

A construction defect action by a homeowners’ association usually begins with a Notice of Commencement of Legal Proceedings under the Calderon Act (Civil Code § 6000 et seq.), which concurrently meets the need for a Notice of the Claim pursuant to SB800. However, before the attorney may prepare such notice, he or she must investigate the defects in the community and discuss the...