The sound of drip, drip, drip from a leaking faucet can drive most co-op or condo homeowners nuts. Especially if you hear dripping in the middle of the night and you just know it’s probably trickling through windows, ceilings, doors and fl…
After one cursory glance through the streets of Chicago, the reason becomes clear as to why The Windy City is well-recognized, architecturally, as a city of innovation. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 ravaged many downtown properties,…
The pavement you walk and drive upon daily is easy to take for granted—but it's a major part of your condo or HOA's infrastructure. Understanding the materials and methods involved in installing and maintaining a multifamily community's pa…
Windows can dramatically change any space, from transforming a tiny kitchen into a front row seat to a glorious skyline to morphing a standard upstairs bedroom into a perfect perch for an ocean view. Windows bring vast life and light to an…
There are potential dangers all around a condo or co-op that no resident wants to consider a realistic concern: a chunk of hanging concrete above a balcony can be life-threatening; a section of delaminated masonry, wood shingles or siding,…
I live in a condo, and the board is trying to establish a rental cap in the building's rules and regulations, instead of making the change in the condo's bylaws. Does the board have the power to do this, or is a bylaw update required? What…
Q Last month a minor flood occurred in the unit above me, due to a clogged pipe. The above unit that was affected wants the pipe replaced. The problem is that the only way to gain access to this broken pipe is through my unit. I objected …
The capital of the state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County, Springfield is perhaps best known as the place where President Abraham Lincoln lived, became a prairie lawyer and held political office. With a population o…
The best association boards in the Windy City—those that accomplish the business of their communities effectively—often seem to have members with similar habits. By the same token, poor boards frequently make similar mistakes. But even goo…
Dealing with service vendors is a daily necessity for any condo development or HOA community; there are always things that need to be repaired, replaced, replenished, serviced, cleaned or renovated. Among the laundry list of vendors that C…