Category: Board Operations

I am often asked by the board members and property managers of my condominium and community association clients to attend open board meetings. I enjoy attending open board meetings because they provide an opportunity to observe how these as…

So you've decided to join your board. Good for you—after all, decisions are made by those who show up! Unless you already have a deep bench of administrative or governing experience, it’s more than reasonable to expect that there will be m…

Every year brings a new slate of legislation at both the local and state levels with implications for Chicagoland’s condo, HOA, and co-op communities. So far, the measures being proposed and enacted for 2026 are heavy on transparency, reser…

With many associations currently earning significant interest income on their reserve accounts, it may come as a surprise that associations have to pay federal income taxes on that income. Even more surprising is that the applicable tax rat…

In multifamily residential communities where neighbors share common space, amenities, and maintenance—if not actual walls—establishing and maintaining boundaries can be tricky, both in the physical and nonphysical sense. This goes double fo…

It’s a fact: however harmonious a building or association is in general, there is always that one person—or perhaps more than one—who throws a wrench in the works. It could be the guy who seems to take pleasure in disrespecting the door sta…

Over the past few years, nearly all property owners, including shared interest communities, have seen sharp increases in their insurance premiums. That costs have spiraled and coverage gotten harder to obtain is obvious; the questions are, …

Investing in real estate is one of the best ways to increase net worth. That's why it’s so important for board members to keep in mind the best ways to increase the resale value of the homes within their community. All too often, board memb…

Community living comes with lots of rules and regulations—many of which are codified in largely static, hard-to-amend governing documents like proprietary leases and condominium declarations. Others are laid out in the more flexible context…

Since long before the covid pandemic upended the practical and administrative lives of every condo, HOA and co-op board in the country, apathy has been rampant among the residents of the communities those boards govern. It’s always been dif…