Nov. 15, 2021—Falls Church, VA—In the aftermath of the tragic partial collapse of Champlain Towers
South condominium in Surfside, Fla., in late June, Community Associations Institute (CAI) released its much anticipated Condominium Safety Public Policy Report. This report shows the outcome of the task forces CAI convened shortly after the June 24 condominium collapse to recommend changes to laws and best practices for the community association housing model that may help both communities and legislators better address building safety.
As the leading international organization for education, governance, and management of condominiums, housing cooperatives, and homeowners associations, CAI brought together the expertise, experience, and perspective of a wide range of stakeholders—condominium and co-op board members, homeowners, community managers, attorneys, bankers, developers, insurance professionals, engineers, reserve study providers, and more. Over a three-month period, more than 600 people participated in CAI's process of identifying clear recommendations through conversations, surveys, research, and interviews.
CAI also conducted outreach to organizations to help inform the policy recommendations, including the National League of Cities, National Society of Professional Engineers, National Association of Counties, Building Owners and Managers Association, International Code Council, Building Inspectors Association, American Property and Casualty Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, and National Association of Housing Cooperatives. This ongoing collaboration with key partners will continue to make buildings safer.
“Following the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse, board members and community managers have been concerned about building safety," says Mitch Frumkin, a CAI-designated Reserve Specialist and a licensed professional engineer. “In the news they are hearing terms like structural evaluations, maintenance, and reserve study and are searching for answers and ways to protect their communities. As we continue to create education and best practices, CAI's new Condo Safety Public Policy Report is a valuable resource filled with policy recommendations for condo residents, community association stakeholders, and legislators."
The Condominium Safety Public Policy Report provides extensive policy positions and recommendations in the following areas:
Reserve studies and funding: Among the recommendations are mandates on responsible timing and transparency of reserve studies, as well as fiscally prudent mandates on reserves funding and assessments.
Building maintenance and structural integrity: Recommendations include mandated timing of periodic building inspections based on the building's age, with full disclosure to appropriate parties, and association budget recommendations.
Federal solutions and priority recommendations. This includes various grants, loans, and tax reductions designed to minimize the financial burden of local communities and individual owners regarding structural inspections and corrective measures.
“After the Champlain Towers South collapse, we knew that CAI had a responsibility to lead the conversation to address condominium safety," says Thomas M. Skiba, CAE, CAI's chief executive officer. “We are incredibly grateful for the contributions of hundreds of our U.S. and international members— representing critical housing-related industries who came together and offered their knowledge and expertise. CAI has made a commitment to honor the lives lost in this terrible tragedy by working to respond in a way that strengthens condominium safety. This is the first of many steps to come."
>>Download the full Condominium Safety Public Policy Report.
About Community Associations Institute
Since 1973, Community Associations Institute (CAI) has been the leading provider of resources and information for homeowners, volunteer board leaders, professional managers, and business professionals in the more than 355,000 homeowners associations, condominiums, and housing cooperatives in the United States and millions of communities worldwide. With more than 42,000 members, CAI works in partnership with 36 legislative action committees and 63 affiliated chapters within the U.S., Canada, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as with housing leaders in several other countries, including Australia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. A global nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization, CAI is the foremost authority in community association management, governance, education, and advocacy. Our mission is to inspire professionalism, effective leadership, and responsible citizenship—ideals reflected in community associations that are preferred places to call home. Visit us at www.caionline.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook @CAISocial.
Media Contacts:
Amy Hawkes Repke, Vice President, CAI Communications and Marketing
arepke@caionline.org, 703-624-2179
Dawn M. Bauman, Senior Vice President, CAI Government and Public Affairs
Executive Director, Foundation for Community Association Research
dbauman@caionline.org | (703) 867-5588