CAI does NOT represent the homeowners of HOAs or COAs
CAI is an association of HOA/COA Attorneys and Property Managers. They claim to represent HOAs and HOA homeowners. They do not. They fight almost every law that would be beneficial to homeowners. The only real stakeholders in HOAs are the homeowners, and until they sell the homes, the developers. All others, including the attorneys and property managers are vendors to the HOA.
Have you ever heard of any other association that represents everyone?
Plumber associations represent the interests of plumbers, and lobby for laws that benefit plumbers, not for the people that sell to plumbers and not for laws that would be bad for plumbers, nurses associations represent the interests of nurses, and lobby for laws that benefit nurses, not for the people that sell to nurses and not for laws that would be bad for nurses, paragliding associations represent the interests of paragliders, and lobby for laws that benefit paragliders, not for the people that sell to paragliders and not for laws that would be bad for paragliders.
Attempting to represent the Member Homeowners of HOAs as well as all the vendors is a major conflict of interest. CAI claims to represent the Homeowners, both the HOA Attorneys and the HOA Homeowner Attorneys, the HOA Property Managers the HOA Developers and all the other Vendors to HOAs. It appears they represent everyone except the Homeowners.
Legislators should listen to all opinions of all actual stakeholders involved in any legislative decision, but should not give much weight to those that are not real stakeholders. Much more weight should be given to the testimonies of those that have actually lived in HOA/COAs as to what their needs are. Homeowners Associations should be for the benefit of the homeowners, not for the benefit of the HOA Attorneys and Property Managers. HOA Attorneys and Property Managers benefit from bad laws, because they create more need for attorneys and property managers and protects both the attorneys and the property managers, not the homeowners.
Patrick Johansen
Chairman of Housing Justice Committee
RiseUpWA LLC
HOA Reform Leaders National Group (HRLNG)
503-781-4492
We are not attorney’s. All communications are opinions and beliefs.
Nothing in our communications should be considered to be legal advice.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
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A closer look at CAI’s 2015 Annual Report revealed its true mission and top priority: controlling the Legislative landscape for its members.
In the words of 2015 CAI President, David I. Caplan:
“We’re now approaching 34,000 members. Our advocacy efforts have grown too, and they’re bearing more and more fruit. Our state legislative action committees (LACs) continue to increase their influence, while our Federal LAC has greatly expanded its reach in Washington, D.C.
We now have a seat at the table in all legislative and regulatory venues, with a voice that is increasingly respected and influential.
Indeed, according to the 2015 report, each LAC’s primary purpose is to mobilize when new legislative proposals are filed, “analyzing the legislation, meeting with legislators, drafting alternative legislation, developing corrective amendments or lobbying to kill a bill altogether.”
CAI has now has 36 Legislative Action Committees
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AN OPINION BY JAN BERGEMANN http://www.ccfj.net/CAI.html
Posted 2-9-2004
I think it’s about time again to explain what the Community Association Institute really is all about: A trade organization mostly representing the interest of attorneys specializing in issues of mandated properties. Please don’t believe the fairy tale that they are representing homeowners’ interests. The dwindling membership numbers of the CAI, according to their own web pages, show clearly that many homeowners and even other service providers realize that their interests definitely don’t agree with that of these lawyers…
…In a recent publication, attorney Curtis Ekmark, CAI-AZ, “urges associations to donate funds to fight proposed new legislation to weaken HOAs. We are asking that associations contribute as much as possible to this crucial effort.”
It would in my opinion definitely be more honest if he would just say: “We attorneys need homeowners’ money to fund a lobbyist to fight homeowner- friendly bills! The newly proposed legislation will cut into our income and will avoid many lawsuits, most important source of income of attorneys
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…even one of the CAI founders acknowledges homeowners have taken a back seat.
When the CAI was formed, homeowners were among several groups it sought to work with, said Lincoln Cummings, a co-founder of the organization and former president.
But the organization was restructured two decades ago, he said, when property managers and attorneys — the ones making their living on the homeowners associations — changed the bylaws.
“They wrestled control away from homeowners,” Cummings said.
HOA residents' interests often clash with trade group • (independentamericancommunities.com)
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Arizona Department of Real Estate
Removes CAI Link From Their Website
CAI is the Lobby Group For the Homeowner Association Lawsuit Industry
October 09, 2002
By George Staropoli
Phoenix, AZ – In early May of this year the Arizona Real Estate Department recommended Citizens Against Private Government HOAs (CAPGH) web site as a source for “negative information” on HOAs. This was on its newly issued Buyer Advisory form that contained other “checkoff” issues for the buyer. CAI was mentioned here and also on its web site.
Three weeks later the CAPGH link was removed, but not CAI’s. A dialog followed and the final answer for my removal was a pitiful, “the department is not responsible for HOAs”. I continued the exposure of the department’s attitude and reasoning on my site, in press releases and in other emails over the following months.
Checking their site the other day I was pleased to see that CAI was removed from its web page and from the Buyer Advisory, too. A pleasant surprise, indeed.
Of course the issue of a full disclosure notice to HOA buyers has still not been addressed by the department, but I’m still working on it.
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CAI
HOA residents’ interests often clash with trade group
A reminder that the trade group does not represent the interests of 70 million homeowners and residents in association-governed communities.
By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities
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An Opinion By Jan Bergemann http://www.ccfj.net/HOAFLleadersCAI.html
As usual, the Community Associations Institute is looking to improve its image by using so-called civic leaders to come to the rescue of a battered reputation. As we could read in Monday’s article in the Sun Sentinel headlined “Homeowner leaders fight consumer group on home, condo owner laws”, they are now asking their faithful board members to carry the flag and try to influence the legislators, who finally realize what the CAI really is — A trade organization claiming to represent homeowners’ interest!
This has happened all over the nation and is nothing new. From California to Florida the Community Associations Institute is trying to create organizations claiming to represent the interests of the owners, which is actually far from the truth. The owners normally don’t even know these people who claim to represent them.
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April 17, 2002
By AHRC News Services
The producers of 20/20 informed AHRC that they expect to air a story on foreclosures in homeowner associations on April 19, 2002.
20/20 airs on Fridays at 10p.m. Eastern and Pacific time.
The Texas homeowner coalition led the movement to bring the theforeclosure racket to the attention of the national media after an 82 year old widow, Mrs. Blevins, was evicted from her home by Community Associations Institute (CAI ) lawyers for alleged nonpayment of $800 in assessment dues. Her home was fully paid for.
The story caused a national outrage and attorney Marian Rosen took on the case. Ms. Rosen eventually prevailed, but Mrs. Blevins had to live with friends for a year.
CHUBB Insurance , the Directors & Officers(D&O) insurance carrier for the association, paid to repurchase the home and settled for $300,000 with Mrs. Blevins.
There has been a class action suit filed against the same association for collecting high dues in violation of the CCRs. Homeowners at the association report that the annual insurance premiums for D&O for the association has since gone up from $2000 to $17,000.
CHUBB, who had a monopoly in the D&O homeowner insurance marketplace, was selling the policies through CAI, the lawsuit industry lobby group, – the same group of lawyers that collects the legal fees for defending an association when a homeowner sues it. CHUBB has now stopped writing and marketing the D&O policies through CAI.
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Group shifts its mission — and homeowners get left behind
BY JUDY L. THOMAS
If you’re looking for help because your homeowners association is pushing you around, there’s one place you may not want to go:
The Community Associations Institute.
Although the organization says it works to promote harmony in HOAs, it actually sides almost exclusively with HOA boards, critics say.
And the group’s efforts now stymie attempts to regulate HOAs, said Carson Horton, co-founder of Capital Reserve Consultants, an Oregon-based company that conducts reserve studies for community associations.
“I don’t care where you go, if you have legislation that even hints of any sort of regulatory oversight,” Horton said, “they’re there with their war chest and all their attorneys, and they’ll fight it to the death.”
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https://independentamericancommunities.com/2022/06/14/new-colorado-law-restricts-hoa-foreclosures-and-fines/
Please see the new Colorado laws to protect homeowners. CAI opposed.
New Colorado law restricts HOA foreclosures and fines
June 14, 2022 deborahgoonan HOA consumer protection efforts, HOA foreclosures, HOA legislation
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Raelene Schifano, HOA Fight Club, Washington State
"CAI doesn’t advocate to help owners keep their homes at all. Instead of paying attorneys the association should want to help keep homeowners in their homes, but instead they pay thousands to foreclose over the mortgage.
At least be fair and give the balance of the proceeds to the owners they foreclose on, but no, homeowners lose everything and still have to pay the mortgage or be foreclosed on again.
Now they can’t get a rental and their credit is ruined. Where do these people go? Does CAI offer housing help for these families. Nope!"
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Donna Simpson AmericanCoalition of HOA Homeowners
Admin
Group expert
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Great for Colorado HOA Homeowners, it’s a start and the part where there is a cap is most defiantly a winner. As for CAI and it trade groups especially for any HOA Management, HOA attorneys or even HOA collection agencies no wonder these trade groups do not like the cap, its how these trade groups make a living and the more they can get the healthier their bank accounts are while far too many homeowners sometimes are left without their home plus not having the abilities to even afford an attorney to fight HOA’s.
Please understand, most of these trade groups hide behind HOA laws seem they are untouchable while it is the HOA that pays their legal fees but not yours but it’s your money your community money that each property owners pays into these HOA that have not loss one dime during the COVID-19 pandemic but yet they have used that excuse but you’re not allowed to use the same excuse or any other hardship.
Each State truly needs to take a hard look at their current laws and it is high time those laws where change for the benefit of homeowners and not to the detriment of homeowners, it’s any wonder that HOA are now being avoided not buying into or those first-time homebuyers who have no clue as to the affect any HOA governed community could very well affect them for life.
Article by Independent American Communities – Deborah Goonan
NEW COLORADO LAW RESTRICTS HOA FORECLOSURES AND FINES
https://independentamericancommunities.com/…/new…/
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HOA & COA Homeowner’s Rights
September 13, 2020
CAI is adding an ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolutions) program. Is government allowing a private corporation to take over the public’s right to a fair and impartial tribunal. CAI is a tradesgroup who does what’s best for IT’S MEMBERS, a majority of which is attorneys & property managers.