Sima L. Kirsch, Esq.

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Home | Sima L. Kirsch

Sima L. Kirsch, Esq.

Law Office of Sima L. Kirsch
4831 N. Bell Ave., #2
Chicago, IL 60625
Tel. (773) 784-2883

Sima Kirsch has contributed her expert opinion and experience to the HOAleader.com articles below.

HOA Leadership Roles and Duties: A Guide to the Positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Board Member in Condo and Homeowners Associations
We're hearing from a growing number of association members who want more detail about their responsibilities--or who want an easy way to educate their newly elected fellow board members about what, exactly, board members do. What's the president supposed to do? How about the vice president, secretary, and treasurer? . . . keep reading

HOA Finances: Six Tips for Preventing Embezzlement of Association Money
November 2009
A Florida condo association recently had $167,000 stolen from its bank account. The condominium's experience reinforces two truths about this economy: You can't afford to lose a penny of your association's money, and desperate people do dumb (and sometimes illegal) things. Here are six money-handling tips to ensure your association doesn't end up the victim of embezzlement. . . . keep reading

HOA Budgeting Tips
March 27, 2009
As part of a new article on best practices for a smooth budgeting process, HOA attorney Sima L. Kirsch gave us her suggestions for HOA boards when budgeting. This week's tip is to follow these core ideas in your budget process. . . . keep reading

HOA Finances: Best Practices for a Smooth Budget Process
March 2009
Here, Sima L. Kirsch, a principal at the Law Office of Sima L. Kirsch P.C. in Chicago, provides tips for creating a budget process that works well for nearly all associations. . . . keep reading

HOA Facilities: Keyed Up About Holding Owners' Keys?
March 2009
Here's the 411 on whether your HOA can require owners to provide your board with keys to access their homes. You'll also find ground rules to follow to ensure you don't enter improperly and the keys are kept secure. . . . keep reading

HOA Meetings: When Your Homeowners Association Board Should Be Caught on Tape
March 2009
An owner wants to videotape your meeting. Can you stop her? Your board secretary wants to audiotape meetings to help him prepare the minutes. That's no problem, you think. Or is it? Here are the ins and outs of allowing taping of meetings. . . . keep reading

A Sex Offender Has Moved Into Your HOA ... What Now?
March 2009
If you're like most homeowners, your first thought when you learn that a sex offender has moved into your community is: What can we do to get the offender to leave? Here's what you must know about your association's--and the offender's--rights. . . . keep reading

Do-It-Yourself? When Free HOA Help Can Be Costly
March 2009
Here's what you need to know to protect your HOA from the downside of allowing members to take on community projects so that the homeowners association can save a buck. . . . keep reading

Publishing Delinquent Owners' Names: Shame on You?
March 2009
If your HOA board embarrasses deadbeats in your homeowners association by publicly disclosing their delinquencies, they'll come to you with their tail between their legs and a check to cover all their overdue amounts. At least, that's the thinking of some HOA board members. . . . keep reading

How to Get Your Homeowners to Step Up When You Don't Have Enough Board Members for a Quorum
January 23, 2009
Recently I read a blog post by a board president that described a problem. They didn't have enough members to meet the quorum necessary for the board's actions to be valid. This week's tip is about how to communicate with homeowners if you find yourself in this situation. . . . keep reading

HOA Boards: Keep Your Homeowner Association Board from Bailing
December 2008
It's every HOA board member's nightmare. The number of owners willing to serve on your board dwindles and dwindles. Before you know it, your association has too-few board members to meet a quorum and no volunteers willing to step up and take the vanishing board members' places. Here's how to keep this from happening at your homeowner or condo association. . . . keep reading

Living Up to Your Fiduciary Duty as an HOA Board Member
December 2008
"Fiduciary" is not just a big word. It carries legal consequences if you--even unknowingly--breach that duty. Here's what you need to know about fulfilling your fiduciary duty as a homeowners association board member. . . . keep reading

The Politics of Noise in HOAs
December 2008
Whether you live in a condo or a single-family home, your board is bound to run into complaints about Loud Lucys or Noisy Nates. They're the neighbors who have loud parties late into the night or who neighbors can hear arguing even though their homes are 10 feet apart. Here's what you need to know about reducing the volume on noise complaints. . . . keep reading

Clearing the Air on Second-hand Smoke
December 2008
Recently a homeowner association in California lost a court case in which non-smoking owners complained of second-hand smoke from neighboring units. Here's what you need to know about the case, along with tips on how your association can handle complaints of second-hand smoke. . . . keep reading

HOA Transition Tips: Moving from Developer to Owner Control
December 2008
The transition from a developer-controlled to a homeowner-controlled community is fraught with risks for homeowners. If your HOA board is about to take over from your developer or has recently done so, here are tips for making sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible. . . . keep reading

View past articles »

HOA Finances:
Best Practices for Getting Your Homeowners Association through Difficult Economic Times

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