For most people, “foaming at the mouth” is just a figure of speech. Attorney Ellen Hirsch de Haan, a managing partner in the Tampa Bay, Florida office of Becker & Poliakoff PA, has encountered the real thing—and not at an animal shelter,…
Q We have a small condominium complex of 25 town houses. One home is owned by the son of the resident but the son does not live in the townhome. He has given his father a note allowing him to act on his behalf, as owner of the proper…
Most of the time, condo and HOA residents live in harmony with (or in relative ignorance of) their association’s rules and regulations. It’s not until conflict arises that people begin to examine and familiarize themselves with the laws…
Turn on daytime television and you might get a false impression that people like to go before a judge to work out their differences. There are so many cookie-cutter court shows like where they make the process look simple and quick. Th…
For anyone who has ever taken in a stray, won a goldfish at a county fair, or indulged a pleading child with an impossibly cute kitten, the disarming charm a pet holds over its owner is self-evident. A pet becomes more than just a presen…
When considering rules and regulations for their community, board members must decide what is necessary versus what could be burdensome for their building's residents. Times change, as do community mores, population demographics, and ind…
Let's say the guy down the street is a sucker for all things medieval. On weekends, he dresses up in armor and whacks other armored men with clubs. Sometimes he even jousts. You get the idea. Now let's say this same fellow wants his…
It's a familiar covenant in most New Jersey leases. The rules and regulations allowing pets may differ from association to association but the gist is the same. If you live in a multi-unit building or community and you want to keep pets,…
In 1997, a racially mixed couple wanted to sublet a co-op apartment at the Beekman Hill House Apartments in New York City. Nicholas A. Biondi, then-president of the Beekman Association's board of directors, refused to approve the couple'…
When you're a homeowner living in an association environment, it's a good bet that at some point during your residence you are going to take issue with something that a neighbor is doing—or vice versa. Whether it be something small like …