Community association board members are usually volunteers - and most are not financial experts or accounting professionals. Even with the best of intentions, this lack of experience can lead to some common - and costly - mistakes. This pan…

Like everyone else, condos and HOAs are struggling with high inflation. Costs for everything from regular maintenance, repairs, and supplies to interest rates and borrowing for capital projects are up, as are labor and management costs. Res…

The funding recommendations of reserve studies can be a daunting amount at times. While everyone seems to dread the need to increase reserve contributions, we’ll look at what options exist for Associations to cover these needs. Specifically…

With over 100 new EV models announced by auto manufacturers, there has never been a better time for car owners to start planning to go electric. Samantha Bingham, Clean Transportation Program Director and Coordinator of the Chicago Area Cle…

Adjust the focus of past (very popular) seminars on the topic to include defusing tension and hostility at meetings, the impact (for good and ill) of social media, including platforms like Nextdoor (for neighbors) and Yelp (for management),…

Q. If there is an election of a condo board and three people run for two open seats, when the election is over and the seats are filled, if now one of those board members resigns, does the third person who received some votes then fill th…

Mark your calendar and get ready - The Cooperator Expo Chicagoland returns to Navy Pier on Thursday, October 13th from 10am to 4:30pm! Register for free at  https://ilexpo.com/  If you’ve attended the show, you know what a rich resource i…

Q. We live in a 200-unit condo. The building changes the filters in the convectors twice a year, but decided not to change them due to COVID. It’s now been over a year since they were changed, and if we turn on the heat, dust and mold pou…

Q. I am a resident owner in a 54-unit condominium association building on the far northwest side of Chicago. I write on behalf of a unit owner friend in the same building, who has been the resident owner since 2005. Her unit is on the sec…

Q. We have a board member who has been locked out of meetings. According to that board member, the board has formed an executive committee that has, for all intents and purposes, shut them out. The board member is no longer able to view b…