For Home Owners in Jefferson County, West Virginia 

Road maintenance & construction
Police, Fire, Ambulance
Dispose of Unused Prescription Drugs:
   All including Narcotics, Not Illegals (anonymous, M'burg)
   All except Narcotics (Rivers Coalition)
   Why Not to Flush or Trash

Covenants & Bylaws of Local Associations
Other Links for Jefferson County, WV

WV Law on home owner associations
Exemption from property tax: Court appeal (2009) and State opinion
State certifies home inspectors (87CSR5)
County requires house numbers on houses & long driveways

Most attorneys will give an hour or so free initial consultation. The yellow pages show which lawyers deal with real estate law. Ask some lawyers' offices if they'll give a free initial consultation, & ask if they've represented other HOAs on covenant enforcement. 

An individual can represent her/himself, but an organization (like an HOA) needs an attorney in court.

Lack of enforcement is a real problem, and lawsuits can cost a lot of money. Some associations have used fines instead of lawsuits, and then posted liens at the courthouse to enforce the fines. That's something to ask a lawyer how to set up.

Ask your insurance agent to be sure your association has insurance against errors & omissions by directors & officers.

Collect Fees when Houses Sell
When a house is sold in your subdivision, closing attorneys can send your Association any overdue fees on that property. They can only do this if they can call your Treasurer to see what fees are overdue. When your officers change, send an email to local real estate lawyers with the name and phone number(s) of the Treasurer, so lawyers can contact him or her. This is a normal real estate process, at no cost to Associations. (Local lawyers: if you're not listed, tell us.)

Newsletters
July 1999, Forming coalition, Insurance, Zoning
September 1999, Mediation of disputes
November 1999, Meeting of coalition, Contacts for county boards
January 2000, Getting info to new residents, Neighborhood emergency coordinators, National association
March 2000, Candidates' forum, Coordination with planning & county government
June 2000, Road maintenance
August 2000, School bond, Road maintenance, 911 street addresses
January 2001, Comments on county plan & subdivision ordinance
The newsletter ended in 2001, replaced by this website and the Listener email list

Websites & Rules of Local Associations
HomeOwning.Homestead.com
listener-owner@Yahoogroups.com


For Home Owners Nationwide 


Prepare your paperwork & home for Disasters
Response times of 20,000 fire departments 1986-2002 average
Map of flood risk
Map of fossil fuel power plants
Find recyclers for anything
Map of existing wind farms near you
Proposed towers (new wind farms show up on list as many towers in one area)
Broken fluorescent bulbs
Speedboats damage shores: BoatWakes.org
Helping wild animals which have been hurt
Animal shelters
Privacy & cutting down junk mail & calls
Free credit monitoring (ad-supported Karma, Sesame)
Cleaning & polishing furniture, by National Parks

Sites supporting  HOAs: Community Associations Inst.   "Association Times"
Site opposing HOAs: Citizens against Private Government HOAs

RATINGS OF: 
   Businesses (several sources)

HEALTH
Doctors who give long appointments when you need them, and see you both in and out of a hospital
Specialists with a lot of experience with the procedure you need
Donate blood (Red Cross)
Report sickness after swimming
Check your pills for drug interactions and more
Medical research ($45/month)
Medicare problems
Accountable care organizations
Patient strategies

HEALTH RATINGS OF: 
   Hospitals - Medicare summary (free)
      detailed & Doctors ($22-$34, worth it!)
      other sources (most free)
      Emergency Room wait times (free)
   Dialysis Centers (free) 
   Home Care (free)
   Nursing Homes (free)
      COVID cases+vax in each Nursing Home (free)

COSTS OF HOSPITALS
Estimate your need for long term care
Whether your doctor may be biased by drug company fees
Diseases carried by Ticks

Funeral price surveys

Protect Trees from Construction Damage
Mark, then fence, circles around each tree. The edge of the circle is 6 feet out from a 4-inch tree,12 feet out from an 8-inch tree, etc. Circle radius in feet=1.5 times tree diameter in inches.

Don't drive, dig, fill, drive, or store material in this circle. Use retaining walls if needed to keep level. Compacting soil is as big a problem as cutting roots

Don't rinse concrete trucks near trees (alkalinity).

No creosote timbers near trees (poison).

Root damage may take years to show up. Water tree regularly.