Highlighted Projects
Management Search for
176-unit condo association for full-time,
on-site management
Developer Turnover Training
for 6-unit association
Board Training & Budget Review for
18-unit townhome association
Management Coaching Retainers
for a management company and a 6-unit and
19-unit association
New Service...
Shirley Feldmann is now available to provide
short-term, on-site property
manager assistance for Associations
transitioning between managers or whose
manager may be going on vacation, medical
leave, or just plain overworked and needing
an extra hand on a temporary basis. Be sure
to plan ahead as availability is limited!
Coming Soon...
Currently in development is our
?Do-It-Yourself
Forms and How To?s? including
step-by-step
instructions on how
to self-manage every aspect of your Association.
We are compiling over 50 forms, checklists and
sample letters that will be available on CD and
easily customizable for your
Association.
SEMINAR FOR REALTORS�
Our final seminar of our series on
"New Construction
& Conversions... Eliminate Liability &
Increase Your Sales!" through the
Chicago Association of REALTORS� Member
Profitability Programs will be held on
Thursday, April 12th at the CAR Central
location. Have no fear, we'll be back in
the Fall with Part 2 of our well-received
Condominium
series!
For more information,
you may click on the below link to be
directed to our Events & Seminars page of our
website.
www.AssociationAdvocatesInc.com
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Greetings!
Spring is a great time to get all of your
Association projects started to ensure they
are completed before winter is here again.
And, if you're in the City of Chicago, don't
forget to apply for your Rubbish Rebate and
be aware that the City of Chicago Sign
Ordinance will be strictly enforced.
Association Advocates
Inc. is dedicated to helping
homeowners protect their investment. So,
if you know of someone that will benefit from
this information and you would like to share
this newsletter with them, please use the
"Forward Email" link at the bottom of
this email, as that will save the formatting
and graphics.
We hope you find this
information useful. We've helped over 50
Associations in 4 1/2 years, so please let us
know how
we can be of service to you.--Shirley
Feldmann & Angela Falzone
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Rubbish Rebates for 2006 |
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If you haven't applied annually for the Condo
Refuse Rebate, then you may be
missing out on money the City of Chicago may
rightfully owe your condo or townhome
association. Why? Because your property
taxes include garbage pick-up; however,
Associations with more than four units must
have their own
scavenger services in place, so
are eligible for partial reimbursement (up to
a maximum of $75/per residential unit) from
the City of Chicago. And, if you are
professionally managed, be
sure to confirm with your manager that they
are submitting the completed forms in time.
We have heard sad tales from Boards who
assumed their manager had filed, but were
instead out
many, many thousands of dollars because their
manager in fact had not filed for years!
There appears to be some confusion, however,
as to whether April 15th is the deadline for
the previous year. Urban legend or true
deadline? Per the Chicago City Council
Committee On Finance
office, which oversees these rebates, "All
buildings eligible for this rebate have one
year to file an application. For example,
your 2006 application would have to be
introduced to City Council by December of
2007." So, why then do some Wards have
an April 15th deadline on their forms when
every Ward must accept completed packages
submitted by December? Some have told us
that it is designed to help Associations get
their
refunds sooner because the City pays when
funds are available and they felt that
putting the same deadline as Tax Day would
help Boards to remember every year, when the
funds may be more available.
Since the City is usually a few
years behind on sending out rebate checks, we
agree with this logic so be
sure to put this deadline (or the deadline of
your choosing) on your Annual
Calendar, so you don't miss out. And,
don't wait until the last
minute as only completed packages will be
accepted by your Alderman's office and some
research may be involved
including, but not limited to: 1) Recycling
Certification Form must be on file; 2) Copies
of all refuse bills pertaining to the period
you are applying; 3) Copy of current
scavenger service agreement; 4) Resolution
adopted by governing board; and,
5) Completed application must be
notarized.
Please contact your Alderman's office
to verify their specific process and to the
below website for
more information about eligibility,
documentation needed, Aldermanic lists, and
applicable forms.
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http://committeeonfinance.org/condo/ |
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Chicago Sign Ordinance Enforcement |
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The Chicago Association of REALTORS� has sent
a warning alert to their membership that the
Chicago Sign Ordinance, especially in the
Lincoln Park Zip
Codes, will be strictly enforced. The
ordinances
specifically referenced in this warning are:
#10-28-064/Advertising Signs and
#7-28-085/Signs and signboards unlawful on
private walkways, etc. In brief, unless
the proper
permits are obtained, signs are strictly
prohibited on the public way in the City of
Chicago and may be subject to a fine of
$200-$500/per offense. You may review
an explanation of
the ordinance on the CAR
website, by clicking on the CAR Logo above.
So, can an Association be held responsible
for an Open House sign that a REALTOR� places
on the public way in front of or near the
property? According to our CAR
representative, it is the agent's
responsibility to place the signs in legal
spots and, typically, the brokerage will be
fined by the City and in turn the managing
broker will have the responsible agent pay
the fine. That said, the City works in
mysterious ways and has been known to make
mistakes! Unit sales and open houses are
inevitable, so we always recommend to our
client Boards that they establish appropriate
Rules & Regulations to proactively address such
issues.
Charles VanderVennet is a partner with
Fosco, VanderVennet & Fullett, P.C. and has
provided us with the below legal opinion on
what associations may do to protect
themselves on this issue.
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Sign Ordinance Issues Legal Opinion by Charles VanderVennet, Esq. |
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Spring Into Action! |
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It's time to stop the winter hibernation and
use your renewed energy to get those much
needed Association projects done. Besides
the obvious of turning off your heating
systems for the season, here are
a few Spring tips to get you
started...
? Property
Inspection?Spring is always a good
time to do a thorough walk-through to ensure
that the winter weather did not cause any
damage to the property. Look for tuck
pointing issues, have your roof inspected,
check concrete walks and steps, driveways,
siding,
etc. The earlier you get proposals, the more
opportunity that repairs can be
scheduled in a timely manner. Ignoring the
possibility of problems will only result in
more damage and higher repair
costs. Being proactive now will save you
time and money later!
?
Landscaping?Smaller associations that
cannot
afford a landscaping company might consider
an Owner
Planting Day, which may not only save the
Association money and beautify the property,
but can be a fun, social
event, too! Using a few budgeted dollars,
owners can pitch in by planting flowers,
installing mulch, painting fences, etc.,
giving the property a fresh spring look.
Pizza, beer and music can go a long way to
increase
community spirit and encourage participation!
Please remember that a Board cannot
make participation mandatory,
regardless of the size of the
Association?and no reductions to assessments
for those who do participate can be
offered.
?
Sprinklers?Make sure your
sprinklers are inspected and turned on. If
no sprinklers, consider either obtaining a
watering proposal from a landscaping company,
hiring a local teenager who wants to make
some extra money, asking your maintenance
person if they will add this to their list,
or create a watering committee with owners
willing to take turns.
? Window
Washing & Carpet Cleaning?If you can
only afford these services once or twice a
year, this is
a good time to get these items cleaned to
wipe away what the winter blew in!
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Helpful Services?For New & Past Clients |
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The above tips are just a few examples of how to
run your Association in the most efficient
manner. If your Association doesn't have an
Annual Calendar and/or Rules and Regulations
that include the above items, then perhaps
you'd benefit from our services! Below are
just a few....
Board Training & Developer
Turnovers Are you a new
Association
starting up after a Developer Turnover? Or
an existing
Association that may not be working as
efficiently
as it could? Do you have Rules & Regulations in
place to assist the Board in ensuring that all
owners are treated equally and the community
lives
harmoniously? Do you have an Annual Calendar
that includes all important administrative,
financial and operational deadlines to ensure
important items don't get forgotten? We can
customize a training
package
to meet the specific needs of your
Association, whether self or professionally
managed.
Refresher Courses are now being
offered to our past training clients. This is an
excellent way to bring new board members
up-to-speed
with how to efficiently and accurately
manage your
Association to ensure everyone is on the same
page
and to avoid board member burnout.
?Do-It-Yourself? and ?Management Coaching?
Retainers are designed to provide
on-going
assistance to our self-managed Boards to
encourage
annual compliance with the Illinois Condominium
Property Act, increasing efficiency and
decreasing Board
liability. Various service levels are
offered on a
monthly, quarterly or annual basis.
Management Searches Are you a
start-up Association after the Developer Turnover
looking to find new management? Or, perhaps your
current management company may not be
fulfilling the
expectations of the owners, and the Board has
exhausted its options trying to rectify the
issues?
We can assist by guiding the Board on the proper
due diligence needed to help them make the most
informed decision.
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Learn more... |
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