A building’s roof serves as the first line of defense against whatever the skies throw at its inhabitants—wind, rain and blazing sun, even snow and ice in some climates—so it’s crucial for that roof to be sound and well maintained. All it t…
Q. I have a question concerning the confidentiality of a person in a condo or HOA filing a complaint. Number one, are all complaints confidential? Or when a management agent of a condominium receives a complaint from a homeowner about an…
Q. In our parking garage we have access to a bike storage room and an outside bike rack that is next to a resident's handicapped parking spot. Right now the only way to get to the bikes is to "trespass" over the parking spot. Our concern …
It’s cheaper for two families to pool resources and share a house than for the same two families to buy two houses. This underlying concept has been around since people starting building houses. As a report by the National Cooperative Law C…
A fire breaks out in an apartment building; A broken water pipe floods several floors; A resident collapses with a heart attack on the tennis court; An intruder roams the premises with criminal intent; and the chilly winds whipping in off L…
It's almost axiomatic that when numbers of people live in close quarters with each other, disagreements over noise, odors, shared spaces, and other day-to-day minutia are bound to crop up. This is true even in the most usually-harmonious co…
The Cooperator Spring Expo Chicagoland will make its second appearance at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Expo will offer more than 150 exhibit booth…
A condominium or homeowners association is the cornerstone of a building community. The condo or HOA maintains order and continuity by preserving architectural integrity, maintaining the common elements, protecting property values, and oft…
Q. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am about three months behind in my association payments. I’m worried in today’s economic climate that the condominium will foreclose on my unit. My mortgage payments are up to date, and I called my le…
Q. While ours is a pet-friendly community we do have rules and regulations that limit the number of pets that residents can keep. Our rules and regs state that owners may not have more than 2 pets, one of which may be a dog. One of the un…