AURORA | State lawmakers from Aurora are working to pass a package of homeowner association reform bills that seek to protect property owners from their own associations and management companies.
“This package of HOA bills will have a significant impact on homeowners in HOA’s in Aurora,” said state Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora.
The bills are sponsored mostly by Aurora state legislators, including state reps. Su Ryden, D-Aurora, Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora and state Sens. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora and David Balmer, R-Centennial.
One proposal would require condominium and homeowner association managers, known as “community association managers,” to be licensed under the Division of Real Estate within the Department of Regulatory Agencies and pass an exam to show they are knowledgeable about Colorado HOA law.
Another proposal would prohibit HOA’s from referring past-due assessments to collection agencies or attorneys until they offer the homeowner a one-time opportunity to enter into a six-month-payment plan. This measure would “give homeowners a realistic opportunity to pay any arrears before facing an HOA-initiated foreclosure,” Carroll said.
Jan Lucas, president of the HOA for Strawberry at Heather Ridge in Aurora, says she supports those proposals.
“I’ve heard Aurora referred to as ‘condo heaven,’” she said. “I think the Aurora population is going to feel the effect of these bills more than Littleton or Wheat Ridge or any of the other bedroom communities.”
In 2012, 38 complaints were lodged from residents of Aurora, Parker, Adams and East Arapahoe Counties to the state HOA Information and Resource Center. According to the resource center, many of the complaints were about accounting issues, maintenance and allegations of mismanagement and transparency.
Molly Foley-Healy, a Denver-based lawyer that specializes in homeowners association law, said this package of HOA bills is more comprehensive than she’s seen in previous years.
“They’re consumer protections bills but they’re also intended to balance reasonable consumer protections without interfering with the governance and operations of associations,” she said.
Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036 or sara@aurorasentinel.com.