May 22, 2020
Michiganders living in condominiums and homeowners associations have been subject to some form of a stay-at-home order since March 24, 2020 due to COVID-19. However, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has started reopening portions of Northern Michigan, and it is expected that the restrictions on recreational facilities in community associations throughout Michigan will be relaxed in the near future. However, at the…
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April 23, 2020
Community associations just wrapped up soliciting, reviewing, negotiating and executing contracts with vendors for a multitude of services to be performed throughout this upcoming year, including landscaping, infrastructure maintenance, repairs and new construction, just to name a few.
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March 28, 2018
In many Michigan condominiums and HOAs, the governing documents contain a provision creating an Architectural Control Committee ("ACC") tasked with maintaining the overall aesthetics of structures within the community. Normally, when an owner wishes to modify a structure, the owner may petition the association's ACC for approval. If the owner is denied the requested modification, this can lead to claims…
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March 19, 2018
In McGue v Glenbrook Beach Association, unpublished opinion of the Court of Appeals, issued March 6, 2018 (Docket No. 337785), the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the trial court’s dismissal of an owner’s claim against a Michigan Summer Resort Owners Association for failing to maintain the roads in the subdivision according to the township ordinance. In this case, James McGue…
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March 4, 2016
Matthew W. Heron, Esq. Introduction A well-run condominium can be thought of as having two components: (1) physical assets, which are the buildings, structures, and grounds on which the condominium is located; and (2) financial assets, which are the funds necessary to maintain the condominium’s physical assets. So long as the financial assets are adequate to meet the maintenance needs…
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January 20, 2016
Introduction The recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan has gained regional and national headlines and caused a great deal of controversy regarding the responsibility of local, state and federal governments to provide clean water. One of the biggest issues facing Michigan condominium associations today, albeit rarely discussed, is the aging infrastructure located underground in the common elements of the condominium…
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