Common-interest communities — such as residential neighborhoods that rely on a homeowners’ association (HOA) structure or cooperative apartments governed by condominium associations — have many benefits. But they also can lead to a wide variety of legal disputes. The rapid growth of these communities, coupled with the fact that many are managed by untrained volunteers, unfortunately creates a recipe for litigation and other legal headaches.
At Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig, our goal is to help HOAs, condominium associations, community associations, and association members through all stages of disputes. Our lawyers use our extensive litigation experience to offer clients practical, customized solutions.
Our experience representing HOAs, condominium associations, and community associations
Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig has a team of lawyers who have deep experience and specialized knowledge with respect to issues affecting HOAs and condominium associations. We are well-versed in novel community association matters and broader, overlapping areas such as real estate, construction, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution.
We are proud of our contributions to cases that have resulted in groundbreaking judicial decisions and new legal precedents that positively impact families living in HOA communities. For example, our team was responsible for a Virginia Supreme Court decision that supports the right of homeowners to recover their legal fees in disputes with community associations.
Our law firm has the depth of experience to tackle complex disputes that go to trial as well as small disputes that have big impacts on everyday people and neighborhoods. We bring a practical, customized approach to each client.
What we do
- Protect the rights and interests of HOAs, condominium associations, and other community associations in state courts and at hearings before boards of directors
- Litigate challenges to HOAs
- Handle disputes regarding fines, fees, penalties, and assessments
- Advise clients on enforcement and compliance issues involving HOA, condo association, and community association rules and regulations
- Establish and counsel boards of directors
- Counsel clients on construction disputes, compliance matters, conflicts of interest, ultra vires actions, and fiduciary duty issues
- Help clients avoid the risks and costs of litigation through proactive approaches, settlement efforts, and alternative forms of dispute resolution
