An owner forum is a period of time during an open board meeting that is set aside for the sole purpose of providing unit owners and homeowners with the opportunity to ask questions and make comments about how the community is being run.  

Community association boards that are governed by the Common Interest Community Association Act (CICAA) have a legal obligation to reserve a portion of their open board meeting for comments by members. Condominiums associations organized under the IL Condominium Act are not required to provide an owner forum, but they may want to do so.

Owner forums are known to strike fear in the hearts of board members. Owners can—and often do—say whatever they want when given the opportunity, and their comments are not always positive. 

Learn how to best prepare for an owner forum, here. 

In 2017, the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 100-0200 to update the Illinois Smoke Detector Act.

Public Act 100-0200 requires Illinois homes to have a smoke alarm with a sealed 10-year battery by January 1, 2023.

However, the legislator provided several exceptions to this law. Learn more about them here.

Interpersonal conflict is an inevitable issue that every condo board and manager will eventually need to deal with. 

Whether the conflict is the result of legitimate grievances or not, disputes between residents, residents and the board, or residents and management must be addressed promptly and intentionally in order to maintain a functioning, livable community for everyone.

Learn how to best handle conflict, here. 

HOA board meetings are often viewed as boring, long winded, and divisive at times. This can mean that little gets accomplished despite the best efforts of the board and management.  

When a meeting is managed effectively, however, success — in the form of a focused, purposeful gathering that yields concrete results in a reasonable amount of time — is absolutely possible. 

Learn how to run more effective meetings, here. 

During the winter months, the risk of residential fires increases, and your condo/HOA is not immune.

The increase is often attributed to additional electricity used for things like holiday décor, Christmas trees, or electric space heaters. Residents and owners must be cautious when they are lighting a fire or their favorite holiday-scented candle in order to prevent fires.

Learn more here.