Legislative Update – NC House Select Committee on HOAs Files New Bill

As the short session continues and the legislature continues to negotiate House Bill 542 with interested parties, a new bill was introduced on May 1, 2024 by Representatives Frank Iler, Steve Tyson and Ya Liu. House Bill 959, entitled an AN ACT TO MAKE VARIOUS CHANGES TO THE NORTH CAROLINA CONDOMINIUM ACT AND THE NORTH CAROLINA PLANNED COMMUNITY ACT, TO MANDATE PRELITIGATION MEDIATION OF DISPUTES BETWEEN OWNERS’ ASSOCIATIONS AND THEIR MEMBERS, AND TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO COLLECT AND REPORT ON COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED TO IT INVOLVING SUCH DISPUTES, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATIONS, … Continue reading

NC Community Association Legislative Update – March 20, 2025

A Busy Week for HOA and Condo Proposals! Yesterday, House Bill 444 (the “Homeowners Association Reform Bill”) was introduced. (For details, see What House Bill 444 Would Mean for North Carolina Condominium & Homeowners Associations). Today, the trend continued with the filing of Senate Bill 378 (“HOA Revisions”). The structure and tone of SB 378 closely resemble last session’s HB 542, though it introduces several new provisions. Some of these proposals have appeared in previous legislative sessions. (For background, see Legislative Update – NC House Select Committee on HOAs Files New Bill and NC Community Association Legislative Update – February 28, 2024) … Continue reading

NC Community Association Legislative Update – March 18, 2025

What House Bill 444 Would Mean for North Carolina Condominium & Homeowners Associations Today, Tuesday, March 18, House Bill 444 (the “Homeowners Association Reform Bill”) was filed. This is the first bill in the new two-year legislative session that, if adopted, would impact North Carolina homeowner and condominium associations. While some updates to existing laws are necessary, any legislative changes should be made carefully and with common sense. North Carolina has over 15,000 community associations (homeowner and condominium associations) with 2.9 million residents living in them. Any changes that hurt an association’s finances—forcing other homeowners to pay more—or that prevent … Continue reading

NC Community Association Legislative Update – February 28, 2024

House Select Committee on Homeowners’ Associations Issues Final Report Today (Wednesday, February 28) was the fourth and final meeting of the NC House Select Committee on Homeowners’ Associations. As a reminder, this Committee was created by House Bill 311 (see NC Community Association Legislative Update – May 9, 2023) and tasked with examining planned communities and condominium associations, including: The Committee was instructed to provide a final report to the General Assembly on its study, including any proposed legislation, on or before March 1, 2024, which it did through a 27-page report with eight main legislative recommendations. Law Firm Carolinas … Continue reading

Harmony Taylor Recognition

Law Firm Carolinas’ partner Harmony Taylor is on a roll! Harmony has been named a Fellow in CAI’s College of Community Association Lawyers. The College, which was created in 1994, recognizes excellence in the practice of community association law. Of the thousands of attorneys who work with homeowner and condominium associations in the US, there are fewer than 200 current CCAL Fellows. As a past national CCAL President, I can say without reservation that Harmony reflects the high standards of professionalism, professional involvement, and passion for community association law the CCAL designation was created to spotlight.​ Harmony has also been elected Chair of … Continue reading

NC Community Association Legislative Update – May 9, 2023

Thursday, May 4, was the “crossover deadline” in the NC General Assembly. That’s the date bills not related to taxes or spending must have passed one chamber to be eligible for consideration during the 2023-2024 legislative session. CAVEAT: In terms of legislation, “dead” doesn’t always mean “completely dead.” A News & Observer story once noted that legislative rules “are made to be circumvented, so there are many ways to keep legislation alive.” (For instance, proposals sometimes appear later in other bills as “technical corrections.”) With the crossover deadline behind us, now is a good time to revisit my last legislative update (NC … Continue reading

Voting Platforms for Nonprofits, HOAs, and Other Organizations

Our firm’s attorneys serve as parliamentarians for many of the largest trade and professional associations as well as counsel to many hundreds of community associations (HOA and condominium associations). Given this extensive experience, we are frequently asked to advise on electronic and online voting platforms. These days, deliberative bodies often rely on electronic voting systems to conduct elections and facilitate decision-making, especially when it would be impractical or costly for members to gather in person. Digital voting platforms streamline this process by providing secure, efficient, and user-friendly tools that ensure votes are conducted fairly and transparently. Voting platforms generally fall … Continue reading

Who Was Robert and Why Do his Rules Rule?

Originally appeared as Who Was Robert and Why Do his Rules Rule? from the May 23, 2023 Presbyterian Outlook. As an attorney and professional parliamentarian, I’m sometimes asked, “Who was Robert and why do his rules rule?” It’s a timely question. Henry Martyn Robert, the original author of Robert’ Rule of Order, died 100 years ago on May 11, 1923. Since that time, versions of his parliamentary manual have come to dominate meetings. While other parliamentary manuals are available, Robert’s Rules of Order is the 800-pound gorilla of the parliamentary world. It is the most popular and easiest-to-locate book on meeting procedure. Most … Continue reading