Blog

By Donna Vingo

This article first appeared in the Communicator, Fall 2025 Edition. To view click here.

There is an ongoing information and insurance crisis in California. Homeowners’ associations are having their insurance premiums increased, sometimes drastically, or their insurance is cancelled. Without association insurance, a would-be homebuyer new to the association cannot obtain a mortgage for a unit within the HOA, thus limiting his or her ability to purchase at this association.

The largest number of insurance claims are due to water intrusion, with the roof being the main area of entry. Prior to a new policy being accepted and bound, insurance underwriters now require five to 10 years of maintenance records and no deferred maintenance/capital projects.

HOA roof maintenance and roof replacement, especially on an emergency basis, is one of the costliest decisions an HOA board makes. The lack of roofing information is one of the main reasons why boards don’t make the decisio...

A checklist for HOAs

By Donna Vingo

Having an excellent roofing system can help protect a property owner’s greatest asset. Throughout the year, the change of seasons brings different challenges to the roof of a structure. From the sweltering summer heat to the deep freeze of winter, from strong winds or powerful rains to the wildfire dangers throughout California, having a roofing system that can withstand any of these challenges, let alone all of them, is an important protection against losing everything. This article is focused on providing the HOA board, the HOA roofing committee, and HOA homeowners with information on the re-roofing process.

The HOA board is responsible for two major tasks: making decisions and spending money. HOAs are nonprofit corporations that have as their principal asset the land and buildings in the HOA common areas, which can be valued from hundreds of thousands up to tens of millions of dollars. The HOA board is usually composed of volunteers from within...