Q. I live in Chicago. We are having our annual meeting to elect board members. Ballots were sent to each unit to vote. Our management company wants our voted ballots to be signed and returned by mail before our annual meeting. I feel my v…

Q. My neighbor, who leases the condo from a married couple who live out of state, is not home a lot. Last summer it was quite hot, and being an athletic person, he went out for a long run. There are only two entrances to our condo buildin…

Q. How do you go about filing a complaint against the board and property management for financial mismanagement? We suspect the board has exhausted its operating expense budget on items that are deemed capital expense. The board is now as…

Q. Is there a definition of ‘owner-occupied’ in Illinois for co-ops? The issue is whether a mom and dad could purchase a unit in our co-op for their son or daughter who would be living in the unit alone. Or could a son/daughter purchase a…

As the old saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression—which is why the façade of your building should always look clean and in top shape, for both aesthetic and commercial reasons. Important as appearances are, however,…

Conflict comes hand-in-hand with living in close quarters—and condominium and cooperative living is a prime example. Most dust-ups between neighbors involve run-of-the-mill issues like noise or hallway clutter, and can be settled with a cor…

What sells a condo? Is it the feel of the space, the light, or the layout? Is it the price alone? Or something else entirely? Maybe a feeling of ‘hominess’ that calls out to the buyer: this is where you belong! Or perhaps it’s all three, or…

Among the keys to successful governance of residential communities is continuity.  The most basic of democratically elected units, co-op, condo, and HOA boards are the custodians of their community’s welfare, success, and continued operatio…

It’s been said that it takes a village to raise a child. It can take nearly that much to run a multifamily building as well, even a small one. Residential communities require the services of a wide array of employees and professionals, rang…

In many ways condo, co-op, and HOA living represents the most basic form of representative democracy. Like the ancient Athenians, we gather periodically to elect a small group from among us to represent our joint interests and to oversee th…