“Individual commitment to a group effort; that's what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Legendary Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi left condo boards and managers off his short lis…

There is an old adage claiming that “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This is not a happy thought for a board or association looking to change property managers or firms. To go through the turmoil involved in replacing…

Our management posts the minutes of its last board meeting on a website that unit owners can access, but they're often released several months after the meeting took place, and sometimes after the subsequent meeting has already happened. I …

Q     In this day and age, must notices of rule violations be sent by certified mail? Can they be sent via priority/tracking mail? Via email? Must complaints by others to a rules committee always be placed on a standardized form, or can t…

One only needs to watch the news regularly to understand the devastation that a fire can have on a home or community whatever the time of year. Fires can happen any time but certain times of year are more dangerous. “The winter month…

It’s often said that safety starts at home—and while many HOAs spend lots of money on sophisticated security and access control systems to protect residents and property, others opt for lower-tech approaches to neighborhood security and cr…

While the Chicago area has seen its fair share of disasters, both natural and man-made (they didn't call it The Great Chicago Fire because it was a trifle), its resilient populace has always bounced back with renowned vim and vigor. But, p…

The Chicagoland Cooperator’s Condo, HOA, Co-op & Apartment Expo brought more than 2,000 people to the Navy Pier October 28th to meet with nearly 300 exhibitors, attend informative seminars and have their questions answered by professionals…

Who is legally responsible for A) coordinating the treating for and B) paying for the said treating, in regard to bed bugs in a condominium unit? If one of the condo units is rented out to a tenant by the unit owner, does that affect things…

Q We have a very small pool in our community—so small that it would be impossible for all the homeowners to utilize it simultaneously. I had asked if we could get a lifeguard instructor who could offer a class for adults in water aerobics…