Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill that he said would restrict condo owners' rights.
A law that took effect last year allows owners to override rules requiring the approval of 75% of owners. Some condo associations where developers hold unsold units, giving them seats on the board, have adopted a rule requiring 75% of unit owners in the building have to approve a lawsuit, according to a member of the Chicago Bar Association's condominium subcommittee.
For developments where the owner holds a significant percentage of units, the 75% threshold is rarely reached, preventing other owners from recouping the cost of repairs due to construction flaws. A recent change in the state's condo law made it easier for owners to sue if they wanted to hold their developer accountable. The governor’s veto preserves this change in the law.
According to Chicago Business, many of the thousands of condos built in the city during an early 2000’s building boom were poorly built. The faulty units reportedly had leaky windows or cracks in walls.
Related Stories
| Jul 26, 2012
Wisconsin may establish stormwater storage requirement for green roofs
Green roofs and other green infrastructure would be required to capture stormwater under a draft state wastewater discharge permit from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.
| Jul 26, 2012
SouthPark Mall in Charlotte reopens after heavy rains collapse part of its roof
Code enforcement officials in Charlotte, NC gave the okay for the SouthPark Mall to reopen after two parts of its roof collapsed following heavy rains last week.
| Jul 26, 2012
New NRCA photovoltaic roof systems guidelines released
The National Roofing Contractors Association’s update of its Guidelines for Roof Systems With Rooftop Photovoltaic Components is now available.
| Jul 26, 2012
DOE/ASHRAE design guide aims to cut energy use at hospitals, schools, retail stores
The Advanced Energy Design Guidelines from the Department of Energy and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers aims to provide ways for hospitals, schools, and large retail buildings to trim their energy consumption by 50%.
| Jul 19, 2012
Bayview Property Managers agrees to record $800,000 building code fine
A San Francisco property-management company has agreed to pay a record $800,000 civil fine for hundreds of building code violations at rental properties.
| Jul 19, 2012
Glass ‘biodome’ helps Parkview Green FangCaoDi project in Beijing achieve LEED Platinum
A glass envelope acting as a kind of biodome encapsulates four mixed-use towers at Parkview Green FangCaoDi, an 800,000 sf mixed-use development in Beijing. The glass structure helped the development to achieve LEED Platinum certification.
| Jul 19, 2012
UMass-Boston's Bevington: 'Financing alternatives crucial to energy-efficiency upgrades'
It’s conceivable that innovation in project finance can do for building efficiency in the coming century what 30-year mortgages did for home ownership in the last, this article asserts.
| Jul 19, 2012
NYC eases building code to create ‘micro apartments’ in Kips Bay
New York City has implemented a program to encourage construction of "micro-apartments" in the Big Apple, where rents are exorbitant and the number of singles is on the rise.
| Jul 19, 2012
NRCA: Roofing insulation performance, local climate keys to computing R-value
To minimize the loss of thermal resistance in design, the R-value of roof insulation should be computed based on the actual performance of the insulation material and the local climate, says the National Roofing Contractors Association.
| Jul 16, 2012
Business school goes for maximum vision, transparency, and safety with fire rated glass
Architects were able to create a 2-hour exit enclosure/stairwell that provided vision and maximum fire safety using fire rated glazing that seamlessly matched the look of other non-rated glazing systems.
