Home Association Ills Can Be Cured

* Re Melvin Thomas’ April 6 Orange County Voices column, “Homeowners Should be Careful With Whom They Associate”:

The California Assn. of Community Managers strongly agrees that the Davis-Sterling Common Interest Development Act is badly in need of reform. Amended more than 40 times in the 10 years since its passage, the act has created a legal and financial nightmare for homeowners associations trying to comply with the California Civil Codes.

We do, however, take issue with many of Thomas’ other points.

To our knowledge, no legislation has been introduced regarding the licensing and regulation of management firms. Nor do we anticipate any, given the fact that no amount of licensure will stop a criminal.

We too are concerned about association fraud and abuse of funds, and are working hard with boards of directors around the state to ensure that they hire only qualified professionals to help them comply with California’s Civil Codes.

Because of the complexity of complying with state and federal laws, any board of directors that chooses to self-manage must be extremely knowledgeable and have the time to devote to the association’s day-to-day operations. Many associations have CC&Rs; (Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions) that require professional management. Moreover, more and more lenders require that the homes they finance be in professionally managed associations.

Ultimately, the power resides with each homeowner, and the best way to protect your investment is to participate in the running of your community.

KAREN CONLON

President

California Assn. of Community Managers

Irvine