Thieves in the Waste Basket

Most—but not all—identity theft now occurs electronically. But your identity can still be easily scored by thieves who make use of what you toss in your waste basket, too.

Trash facilities and recycling centers can be gold mines of personal information for enterprising dumpster divers. That is, unless you shred documents that contain identifying information—charge receipts, credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, canceled checks and bank statements and even expired charge cards.

Beware also of those bothersome credit offers you get in the mail and toss unopened into the trash—particularly the pre-approved variety. Clever scammers complete these blank applications, obtain a credit card in your name, charge it to the limit and close the account before you receive the first billing statement. To protect yourself, all you have to do is tear the unopened envelop in half once or twice before tossing it in the waste basket.

Better yet, you can eliminate these prescreened credit offers from your mailbox by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) to opt out. You’ll be asked to provide your Social Security number so the consumer reporting companies can match you with your file.

Also, deposit your outgoing mail containing personally identifying information in post office collection boxes or at your local post office, rather than in an unsecured mailbox. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail, contact the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 or online at www.usps.gov to request a vacation hold. The Postal Service will hold your mail at your local post office until you can pick it up or are home to receive it.

The Federal Trade Commission has more information on identity theft and prevention tips at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/.

How many board meetings do we need to have?

How many board meetings do we need to have?

Unless your documents require a certain number of meetings, the best answer is as few as you need to take care of business. Associations tend to fall into the habit of monthly meetings, but once the association is running smoothly, there might not be enough business to hold one. If things are dragging at your meetings, try holding them to every 45 days, or take July and December off. You might just to need to experiment a little to find out how many meetings you really need. (VA Community Answer Network)

Fair Housing And You

Both the Virginia Fair Housing Law (39-96.1 et seq.) and Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (42 U.S. C 3601 et seq.) prohibits discrimination, mandates accessibility, permits building modification at tenant's expense, and increases enforcement. It affects every one of us. Those who disregard FHA do so at their own peril.

• The Fair Housing Acts prohibit discrimination in housing because of:
• Race or color
• National origin
• Religion
• Age
• Sex
• Familial status (including children under 18 living with parents or legal custodians); pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18).
• Handicap (Disability)
• Elderliness is an additional protected class in Virginia, which applies to individuals over 55

All Residents Welcome at Annual Meeting

The association’s annual meeting is the best opportunity for you to learn about this year’s events and get caught up on everything happening in the community. Here are a few agenda items and meeting activities you won’t want to miss:

· Meet board and committee members and the manager.
· Learn about the association’s mission statement.
· Get an update on all current and future scheduled projects.
· Review the proposed budget, and hear the association treasurer explain how your assessments are being used and reserves are being invested.

Be an active community resident and attend the annual meeting. Come introduce yourself to the board, the manager and your neighbors and find a wealth of information about your community!

What The Accountant Does for the Condo

The accountant is a vital part of the association’s professional team. A staff member may take care of the bookkeeping for the association and a CPA is needed to conduct an audit at the end of the year. In addition, the accountant may:

• Reviews financial data, answers financial questions and provides financial advice
• Participates in reserve studies and advises on reserve funding strategies
• Assists with budget preparation and long-term financial planning
• Develops accounting policies and procedures and recommends internal controls
• Prepares monthly or quarterly financial statements
• Educates board or committee members on financial matters
• Makes presentations at meetings
• Prepares association tax returns
• Helps obtain financing
  

The association accountant is a valuable partner who works closely with the manager and the board to ensure your assessments are managed and invested wisely and legally.

New Maryland Elevator Safety Third Party Inspections Law: Effective July 1, 2009

Currently, state law requires that periodic annual inspections be performed on all elevator units and the owner of an elevator unit has the option of contracting with an authorized third party inspector or utilizing State resources to comply with the annual inspection requirement.

As of July 1, 2009, state inspectors will no longer perform periodic annual inspections on privately owned elevator units. The owner must hire an authorized third party elevator inspector to perform the required periodic annual inspection.