As we’ve reported in previous articles, special assessments are not the only tool condo associations and HOAs have to finance common area improvements and major repairs when needed; there are also loans available in the marketplace to help …
Despite recent incidents of civil unrest and an uptick in some crime stats during the COVID pandemic, crime - particularly violent crime - has been trending downwards for decades. That said, securing your building or association is always a…
While residents of condos, co-ops, and HOAs do their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by staying in their homes as much as they can, they rely on the supers, porters, valets, doorpeople, janitorial workers, handymen and -women, securi…
While the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic may have stopped much of our normal economic activity in its tracks, the gradual revival of business and commerce is inspiring some new thinking and new solutions for individual unit owners, …
Whether in a single-family home or an apartment building, every homeowner has experienced that moment: he or she turns on the kitchen light in the middle of the night to see a huge water bug scurry across the counter, or hear the sound of t…
Every municipality has its own schedule and criteria for exterior building inspections and upkeep - but in between official visits, boards, managers, and association staff can and should keep an eye out for some of the telltale signs of str…
Each year, boards are tasked with figuring out the costs associated with all aspects of their community’s operations, including any capital repairs or improvements they plan to undertake in the coming fiscal year, and then making sure the r…
By its very definition, insurance coverage is planned protection against both the expected and the unexpected. Life insurance clearly provides financial security in the event of death, which of course is an eventual certainty. But at the sa…
Whether you reside in, manage, or serve on the board of a co-op, condo, or HOA, examining your building’s energy efficiency from top to bottom, inside and out, will have enormous implications for individual and communal costs, energy conser…
Having an elevator to spare you from trudging up a dozen flights of steps is a valuable amenity - but what happens if you've only got one, and it needs a major repair, or even needs to be replaced entirely? How will upper-floor residents - …