Last year the co-owners of a Chicago realty company that managed dozens of  condominium properties were charged with fraud for stealing more than $2  million in assessment payments between 2005 and 2008. They trio covered up  their fraud …

 The Chicagoland Cooperator's Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo last fall was by all accounts a huge success; the November 16, 2011  event attracted thousands of attendees from all across the region for a full  day of education and networking. …

Q What options are available for amending our condominium documents? Our  condominium association often has recommended and even voted in favor of making  amendments to the declaration but there has been no follow-up based on such  action…

Q For the annual meeting, there are 7 people running for 5 positions. The management company sent a proxy to all owners and requested that it either be mailed to them or dropped in the mailbox in the building lobby. This mailbox is acc…

 For nearly 20 years, the Community Associations Institute (CAI) has recognized  excellence in the practice of community law through the Falls Church,  Virginia-based College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL). Of the tens of  thousan…

 With the possible exception of fire, nothing is more damaging to residential  buildings and the property of their occupants as leaks. Whether it’s a torrential deluge from the upstairs neighbor’s overflowing bathtub or a slow, seeping lea…

 Once a Rogers Parker, always a Rogers Parker, it seems. Whether a current or  long-removed resident, folks seem to take pride in their links to the community  bordered by the lake, Western Avenue, Evanston and Devon Avenue.    It m…

 Chicago is known for having some of the very best urban opportunities in the  world—among the best colleges and schools, museums and libraries, as well as some of  the finest parks, the most interesting architecture, the most intriguing m…

 Stores and other commercial businesses on the ground floor of a condo building  used to be a rarity but now they are becoming a hot new amenity, even a  standard for newer buildings. Restaurants, food markets, drugstores, clothing  stores…

 For a crystal-clear picture of how an association is doing, there are few better  lenses than the community's budgets and financial reports. From an investment  perspective, they show the shareholders, managers, tenants, owners, and board…