Minnesota bill would create ombudsman and registry for homeowner associations

The Minnesota Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee on March 27 recommended passage of Senate File 1063, as amended, creating an ombudsman office for common‑interest communities and a registry of homeowner associations (HOAs) to be housed at the Department of Commerce.

The bill would establish an ombudsperson ‘‘to assist unit owners in enforcing their rights and to facilitate resolution of disputes between unit owners and associations,’’ and would require registration of common‑interest communities so basic information about associations is available to the state and, in part, to the public.

Senator Marty, an author of the bill, told the committee the measure is designed to ‘‘assist unit owners in enforcing their rights and to facilitate resolution of disputes between unit owners and associations.’’ Marty said the proposal is intended as a partner to a larger package (Senate File 1750) produced by an HOA task force and to fill gaps that the companion bill does not address.

Senator Pa, the committee’s designated chief author for the registration portion, described the scale the bill aims to cover: she said Minnesota has ‘‘approximately 7,950 common interest community associations, impacting over 1,500,000 homeowners.’’ Pa and other supporters told the committee that many homeowners lack clear, accessible…