Check out our revised page of Frequently Asked Questions!

The newly expanded FAQs take a step back to answer things that we may have skipped over but could use some clarity—like what is the Davis-Stirling Act, anyway, and why do we talk about it so much?

On the financial side, the new FAQs dig into regular assessments (or dues, as they are often called) and special assessments. What are they for? Who approves them and how?

Doing that research led me to an interesting discovery.

I knew from being president of a condominium in LA that we needed a vote of a majority of a quorum of all our unit owners to pass most special assessments, including ones for necessary, even urgent, repairs. And I knew from having been an attorney in Florida, where I wrote plenty of condo documents, that boards in that state can impose special assessments for repairs without a membership vote.

Different states have different laws. Of course.

What really surprised me, though, when I dug into it, is how much California law differs from almost every other state.

And it does so in a way that puts an obstacle in the way of maintaining older buildings.

My research (AI-assisted/human-verified) shows that Hawaii is the only other state that requires an affirmative vote to raise money for building repairs. Their law, which appears to copy much of the California statute, requires a vote only when the assessment in question is more than 20% of the budget. California’s law starts at only 5%.

Sometimes we take laws for granted. This is just the way things are done.

But we can change laws.

This one should be changed. Fixing the law could make a real difference in helping boards maintain their buildings.

I’m looking for legislators, advocacy groups and individuals concerned about housing to help change this law. Let me know what you think.