Distinguished Blog - Community Associations
Market insights and industry news.
Distinguished Programs and Berkley Program Specialists Partner for Community Associations D&O and Crime Coverage
New York – Distinguished Programs (“Distinguished”), a national insurance program manager, announced an expanded partnership with Berkley Program Specialists (“BPS”), a leading provider in the industry, to underwrite its Community Associations Crime and D&O products. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, Distinguished will begin to consolidate their Crime, D&O, and Package coverages under one carrier. “This expanded…
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Tips for Service Animals and Restaurants and Hotels
Welcoming a hotel guest with a service animal may be as simple and check-in and check-out. Instituting a refresher on the legal do’s and don’ts of service animals can help hospitality sectors manage these helpful companions with ease. Below, we cover some of the basics of service animal protocol.
Hurricane Harvey Preparation Guide
Hurricane Harvey is the first major hurricane to hit Texas since 2008 (Hurricane Ike, category 2). It’s scheduled to make landfall on Saturday and expected to bring enough rain to overwhelm bayous and flood large swathes of land. Texas, particularly Houston, is flood-prone and no stranger to the many scenarios which may occur this weekend,…
Discrimination: On “Adult Swim” and Playpens in the Pool Area
Pool rules and pet regulations may seem like no-brainers at first to community associations. But are you entirely aware of what posted rules can constitute discrimination?
Water Auditing to Assess Water Usage on Your Grounds
What if every time you filled a glass of water you threw half of it in your boss’s face? Well, that’d be bad! But that is kinda what happens with most landscaping water systems. Half the water that is being used to sustain the grounds around your building is being wasted. That’s straight from the…
When the Hoarding Hits the Fan
Hoarding. It can manifest in a few different ways, but the bottom line is clear: It’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed. The hoarder isn’t the only one at risk here, so are adjacent neighbors, property owners, and community associations. If a property owner or community association ignores a problem, they could be…
Playground Safety Checklist
It’s that time of year again when the sound of children running around in playgrounds across our neighborhoods fills the air. It’s also a time for heighted precautions because as fun as a playground can be, it’s also a place where kids can get seriously injured. More than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger are…
Get Ready for Hurricane Season
As the hurricane season – June 1 through November 30 – unfolds, safety preparations should already be underway by homeowners and coastal business owners, including hotels and restaurants. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say the Atlantic could see another above-normal hurricane season this year, predicting a 70% likelihood of 11 to…