For community associations, few issues require more careful balancing of the individual rights of owners and the collective community interests than accommodation requests for emotional support animals (“ESA”). Under the federal Fair Housing Act (“FHA”), state fair housing laws, and local fair housing ordinances, qualified disabled owners are entitled to reside with an ESA even in a condominium, cooperative, or homeowners association with restrictive covenants that limit or prohibit animals on the property. For other residents who intended to live in an animal-free or small animal community, ESA’s can create concerns about health and safety. For the board, ESA’s can give rise to issues such as property damage and noise complaints. Given the need to balance these sometimes competing interests while properly and timely addressing reasonable accommodation requests for ESAs, prudent boards should establish policies and procedures for handling such accommodation requests.
 

The goal of the U.S. Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is to strengthen reporting and transparency of business entity ownership and control in the United States for law enforcement purposes, such as to reduce instances of money laundering, tax fraud, and other evils, by requiring reporting of certain information to the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”). Unfortunately, the statute’s broad definition of companies includes any community association that is registered with its state corporation commission. Many community associations are formed as nonstock corporations and are therefore covered by the statute, unless a specifically enumerated exemption applies.

As of 2021, all Buildings in DC over 25,000 square feet are required to track their energy and water efficiency to determine if they meet the Building Energy and Performance Standards (“BEPS”).  Buildings must submit a report with these numbers by April 1 each year.  If the building does not meet BEPS, the building must select an alternative compliance pathway by April 1, 2023.  In 2024, all Buildings in DC over 10,000 square feet will be required to track their energy and water efficiency.