Category: On The Board

Finding the right balance of involvement between homeowner associations, co-op boards, condo boards and residents can be like maintaining a healthy relationship with a significant other: you want to be compassionate, responsive and attenti…

There’s nothing worse than being a unit owner in a building and seeing someone breaking a rule and seemingly getting away with it. It's even worse if that person happens to be on the building's board. Some board members believe that …

According to some condominium and homeowners association managers, it’s getting hot out there. “People have become more litigious, more angry and more surly,” according to Angela Falzone, co-founder of Association Advocates, Inc. and…

Every year the cycle repeats itself in co-ops and condo communities in Chicago: as temperatures drop and snow begins to swirl, flocks of empty nesters and others fortunate enough to own a second home in a warmer climate pack up and head so…

The annual election is probably the biggest event in the administrative life of the condominium, homeowners or cooperative community. For board members and residents alike, it's their most important performance. The board member…

Rachel recently bought a condo in Chicago’s bustling Lakeview neighborhood—and from the outset, she didn’t take the process of purchasing a home lightly. “I’m a first time homebuyer,” says Rachel, “and I was pretty specific abou…

 Lawsuits are usually not an association’s go-to method for dispute resolution. Expensive and time-consuming, they can  quickly turn into a financial burden and may create strained relations in the  community. Unfortunately, in some cases …

 In the ongoing effort to limit the non-smoking public's exposure to second-hand  cigarette smoke, municipal governments across the country are coming up with  increasingly strict bans on smoking in public places—even on public streets and…

 You may be sitting at home on the couch scrolling through the TV listings—but rest assured that at that very moment, issues concerning your home are being  discussed in the legislative arena.    At any time, hundreds of thousands o…

 As the old saw goes, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. The same idea  often holds true for residents who choose to ignore bylaws or house rules, even  if they are well-intended and in place to serve the greater good of the  communi…