Community living – the very basis of co-op, condo and HOA life –is based on the idea of trust. In a community of potentially hundreds or thousands of residents, every resident can’t be involved in the making of every decision. Too many cook…
A condominium, cooperative, or homeowners’ association elects a board for a specific purpose: to navigate the ins and outs of association management on a day-to-day basis. In fact, the board has an inflexible fiduciary duty to act in the be…
Q. I am a condo board member and often hear my fellow members say at our meetings that "What goes on in here stays in here.” How can that be fair to our unit owners? Shouldn't everything go in the minutes except for names and amounts owed…
Many residential properties obtain their power from a local energy supplier. But in recent years, boards and managing agents have investigated, and in some cases, installed “cogeneration” systems that allow properties to produce a portion o…
In multifamily buildings that hundreds – maybe even thousands – of people call home, it comes as no surprise that unpleasant smells can become an absolute nuisance. The airways that run through the building, the chutes and areas that house …
Most folks know that turning off lights in unoccupied rooms, taking shorter showers, and turning down the thermostat a couple of degrees can help save energy – and by extension, money. However, helping an entire building or association cut …
Q. We had some gutter and minor roof repairs scheduled. The budget is tight for some other reasons and the president stated that her husband was qualified and would do the work for free. He is not licensed or insured and will be working o…
Q. Several of us unit owners in the building formed a committee in response to rules made by the board. We’re concerned that we could get involved in a lawsuit with the board, so we were wondering if the association’s insurance would cove…
Q. My husband and I own a co-op. The rule book specifically states that the second-floor apartment must have 80 percent of each room carpeted and padded. Now we just got new tenants moving in above us. When they walk around up there, they…
Q. My condo has three units. We have three owners and we recently sold one unit to a new owner. He is the president and I am the treasurer. One day, he asked me to give him the checkbooks that have been in my handling, and stated that he …