Articles
Mandatory Board Education
The MLCA Board opposes state or federally mandated HOA/POA board member education requirements. Any association wanting to restrict itself can already do that by adopting its own regulations, but requiring all owner associations to do the same doesn't sit well with us. Nonetheless, we decided to poll our members to determine your opinions on the issue. Wow! Wait until you read your responses. Your statements are so impactful that we decided to use them, all of them, in a letter to CAI (Community Associations Institute) in which MLCA has formally announced it opposes efforts to mandate universal rules on the subject.
CAI is the watchdog for owner associations across America and it is a terrific organization. MLCA is a proud member of CAI, and we wish more small HOAs/POAs were. CAI is powerful, but it also has ears and compassion, and it listens to its members. CAI is considering revising its current position that supports voluntary owner association board member education requirements to a position of mandating said requirements. If CAI does adopt the new policy, it will work with each state's legislative action committee to generate a new law. In South Carolina, this effort would be made through the South Carolina Legislative Action Committee (SC-LAC). One of MLCA's board members sits on that committee and CAI recently requested committee member opinions on the voluntary vs. mandatory requirement issue.
Click here for his message, and yours, to the SC-LAC.
March, 2024
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Public Service Announcement
Real Estate Scam Alert
This scam alert was sent out in April, 2023. We've heard about some more activity of this kind recently, so we thought we'd re-issue it. Click here for details
March, 2024
Public Service Announcement
Complaints Against HOAs/POAs
In 2018, South Carolina passed the Homeowners Association Act. We've covered the impact of this legislation several times at MLCA workshops. One of the features of the act was the creation of a process whereby homeowners could lodge complaints about their POA/HOA with the SC Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). DCA received a total of 517 complaints in 2023 but rejected 152 for various reasons leaving a total of 365 verified complaints. A quick review of the complaints found one in Anderson County and two in both Pickens and Oconee Counties. Full details of the report can be found by clicking this link: https://consumer.sc.gov/HOA-reports.
February, 2024
Annual Meeting
MLCA held its 2023 annual meeting on October 24th at Waterside Crossing’s clubhouse. There were 44 attendees representing 30 of our member communities.
After conducting the business portion of the meeting, where president Glen McPheeters highlighted MLCA's accomplishments of the past year, and reviewed the planned budget and activities for 2024, the group broke out into several small discussion groups. The topics for the breakout sessions included:
- Home owners wanting to break away from the HOA
- Reserves and appropriate accounting
- Covenant enforcement and modifications
Those in attendance indicated that they gained great insight from being able to review issues and concerns with fellow members in an unstructured environment. Based on the feedback received, this is a format that we plan to utilize again in the future.
Annual Meeting Presentation
(Members only; password protected. Email
for credentials.)
November, 2023
Public Service Announcement
Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) Call-to-Action
The CTA will require HOAs/POAs to collect, verify, and maintain the personal identification information of their board members and then file it with the government.
The Corporate Transparency Act is a federal law passed in 2021 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Because it was never intended to apply to Homeowners and Property Owners Associations (HOAs/POAs), it bypassed the normal HOA/POA checking systems and thus became law unnoticed by any owner association or the Community Associations Institute (CAI), our national owner associations' watchdog.
Briefly, the CTA will require HOAs/POAs to collect, verify, and maintain the personal identification information of their board members and then file it with the government. MLCA and many of its CAI affiliated peers are concerned about the potential exposure that this requirement may represent, and are initiating a campaign to modify or eliminate its implementation. Non-compliance comes with a hefty fine as well as the potential of prison time. This could very well discourage many from serving on their association boards. Please follow the link below to send an automated message to your elected Federal representatives voicing your concern with this legislation.
We need to voice our collective concern to address this poorly conceived legislation. None of us is as smart as ALL of us.
Please click the link below to participate in this Call-to-Action. You'll probably have to click on "Elected Officials" to fill in your address and be taken to the list of legislators. Our federal legislators are Lindsey Graham, Jeff Duncan, and Tim Scott.
Please click the link below to participate in this Call-to-Action: https://www.votervoice.net/CAI/Campaigns/108066/Respond
October, 2023
Public Service Announcement
Security Cameras
As many of you evaluate the numerous options available to enhance the security of your developments, the Oconee County Sheriff's Office (OCSO), through Helen Westmoreland, their Community Outreach Coordinator, has provided details regarding an option that the OCSO supports. Click here for details.
July, 2022
Public Service Announcement
South Carolina Homeowner Rescue Program
Mr. James Slaughter Esq., a Partner in the Law Firm Carolinas, posted a notice on the Community Associations Institute's blog informing us that effective March 21, South Carolina will participate in the South Carolina Homeowner Rescue Program. According to the rescue program's website, "The SC Homeowner Rescue Program (SC HRP) is a federally funded program established to provide financial assistance to eligible homeowners experiencing pandemic-related financial hardship that began before January 21, 2020, and continued after that date. This program runs through September 30, 2026, or as long as funds remain available."
To read the Law Firm Carolina's article, use this link:
http://lawfirmcarolinas.com/blog/south-carolina-launches-new-sc-homeowner-rescue-program-sc-hrp/
To go to the SC Homeowner Rescue Program's website where you'll find the application process and income requirements, use this link:
https://www.schousing.com/Home/SC-Homeowner-Rescue
March 23, 2022
Your POA/HOA Not An MLCA Member Yet?
If your owner's association is not yet a member of MLCA, it should be! Click this link for our latest membership brochure for additional details regarding our recent activities and programs as well as a list of our current membership. As we like to say, "NONE of us is as smart as ALL of us!" Together, we can make a difference and improve the effectiveness of all of our owner organizations. Join us!
MLCA Works for You
To ensure that MLCA continues to focus on the right issues, and devotes our energy and resources to areas where you will gain the greatest benefit, we need on-going input of our members. We also have room on our board to add like-minded, pro-active neighbors who, like us, are interested in making the upstate's communities the most effective they can be. If you're a current or former board member of your owners association and would like to work more closely with us, we encourage you to reach out to us at
for more information about joining our board.
Of Interest
Surveys have been conducted to poll area communities asking HOAs questions on wide-ranging topics that could help you or your community tackle some difficult or complex issues. Click the SURVEYS Navigation Link from any page. If your community has an issue or problem with which it could use advice or perspectives from other associations that might have "been there, done that," send some questions to MLCA at
We will take a survey for you.
Recent Survey Results
Click here for full list
Survey: Unclaimed Assets in Storage Areas
Stoneledge HOA has requested information regarding unclaimed assets in its storage area. Click here for results.
Query: Entrance Gate Maintenance
Four Points North requested information on entrance gates. Specifically, information about installation/maintenance contractors was requested. Click here for results.
Query: Unkempt Property
Parkview East requested the query below regarding a vacated, unkempt lot. Click here for results.
Query: Late Assessments Interest Query
The Woods at Lake Keowee requested a query on whether it should charge simple or compound interest on late payment of assessments. Click here for results.
Survey: Professional Reserve Specialists
A member requested the names of professional reserve analysts who could be engaged to prepare a reserve study for its community. Click here for results.
Query: Speeding on Private Roads
Keowee Harbours has owner complaints about speeders on the community's roads, all of which are private. At Keowee Harbours' request, we sent a query to all members. Click here for results.
Survey: Automated External Defibrillators
At the request of Waterford Owners Association, we surveyed members on the risks, issues, and potential liabilities related to Automated External Defibrillators. Click here for results.
Query: Boat Insurance
Last year, Moonlight Bay on Hartwell asked us to conduct a brief query on community marina slips' insurance requirements. As another request has just been received for somewhat similar information, we are sharing the pertinent responses we received on Moonlight Bay's query. click here for results.
Query: Boat Length Restrictions
One of our members, Waterford Pointe Owners Association, requested information about other MLCA members' practices/regulations regarding boat length restrictions for its community marina docks. We found the answers to be varied and interesting; click here for results.
Survey: Certified Public Accountants
Because of several recent member requests related specifically to accounting assistance and asking for a reference list of potential CPAs in the area, we initiated a survey on the subject. Click here to access the results.
Survey: Electronic Voting
Beacon Shores Owners Association requested a survey on electronic voting. Currently, Beacon Shores' governing documents allow electronic communications but do not specifically permit electronic voting. Click here to access the results.
Query: Limiting Purchases by Leasing Corporations
An item of concern is the issue of the country-sweeping purchases of homes by leasing corporations. Waterford would like to learn from other HOAs that may have found a way to keep these corporations out of their communities. Click here for results.
Query: Reduced Assessments Multiple Lots
One of our members, Edgewater POA, requested information about other MLCA members' practices/regulations regarding charging owners of multiple lots reduced assessments. Click here for results.
