It happens all the time – I pick up the phone or get a random email from someone (generally a real estate agent or a closing department of a law firm) and they need help finding a contact for a community association. They got my name because, well, I drafted the documents. Or I’m the [...]

Through the State Board of Workers Compensation, employers in Georgia can obtain certification as a Drug-Free Workplace, guaranteeing a minimum statutory 7.5% discount on their annual Workers’ Compensation premiums. The benefits of Drug-Free Workplace certification, however, extend far beyond reduced premiums. Employers in existing Drug-Free Workplaces report heightened morale and productivity, a reduction in workplace [...]

  In February 2009, Facebook reached 175 million users, with the 30+ demographic being the fastest-growing user group. Membership rose by 25 million from just one month earlier, and is almost double what it was last summer. Businesses and individuals worldwide maintain profiles, with varying degrees of privacy, on Facebook, and other social networking sites [...]

There have always been difficulties swirling around having leasing restrictions in homeowners associations. Now there are some new wrinkles for Georgia homeowners associations to watch. Unfolding right now, Walker v. Charter Club on the River Home Owners Association, Inc., Superior Court of Gwinnett County Case No. 08-A-08345-10 (Order filed March 26, 2009) brings into question [...]

The property tax revaluation process rewards property owners with experienced advocates to pursue their legal rights promptly. Retaining experienced legal counsel from the outset of the tax revaluation process enhances property owners’ chances of success in decreasing an unjustifiably inflated revaluation. Once you retain legal counsel in a tax appeal matter, the first step will [...]

  Tom Tate and Matt Reeves recently prevailed in a 2-1/2 day foreclosure confirmation trial in the Superior Court of Gwinnett County, thereby saving the firm’s client, a developer and builder, from a seven-figure deficiency judgment. The case was tried against a large regional bank represented by one of the largest firms in the world. [...]

You know the tune, it’s like the Macarena and it will not stop playing in your head, “the economy is terrible and money is tight.” Just like everywhere else, you can hear this tune when it comes time to try to fund your homeowner, condominium, or commercial property association dues and assessments. But just what [...]

  If passed, H.R. 2454 will affect many homeowners associations as it is common practice to prohibit solar panels (and other alternative energy devices) by private covenant, at least in Georgia. See below for the specific provisions of H.R. 2454. The language in the bill is similar to the language in the FCC’s OTARD (Over [...]

In some subdivisions, membership in the homeowners association is voluntary.  Generally, these associations are older and the voluntary nature of the association arose because mandatory homeowner associations were not as common as they are now. Over time, these voluntary homeowners associations may struggle, as they try to maintain expensive amenities (pools, tennis courts, lakes, and [...]