2010 November
2010 November Vol. 8 No. 11
Focus on...Maintenance
Keeping Chimney and Fireplace Safety Upfront
Even cavemen knew that fire was dangerous. But, ironically, we have 21st-century
people blithely building fires right in the middle of their furnished,
wood-filled, carpeted, upholstered and bookcase-jammed condominiums. And they want someone to tell them it’s safe. The observation comes from Ashley Eldridge, director of education for
the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA).
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Looking for Leaks
Edgar Dworsky is the treasurer of a small Somerville, Massachusetts condo
complex that was built back in 1987. He loves where he lives except for one,
quite large, problem. Water leaks have plagued the complex since it was built.
During driving rains, water comes in from around the windows and near the
chimney. The association has tried numerous solutions to fix the problem, but
nothing has worked very well.
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On the Level
Years ago, the only remedy for uneven sidewalks or foundations was what pros in
the business call “rip out and replace,” which means tearing out the old pavement slab and pouring a new one – and spending a lot of time and money doing it.
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On-Site or Outsourced?
As buildings age, small and large maintenance issues arise, and condo boards are
called upon to address these situations. The questions frequently revolve
around whether to use in-house staff (if the condo employs them) or to hire an
outside company to fix the problem. If the complex retains a management
company, especially one that has its own maintenance division, the situation
can become a bit more complicated.
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Beware of Shortcuts
For many condominiums, roofing systems, siding and pavement represent their largest overall replacement burdens. Because these types of projects often require an association to either exhaust a large chunk
of its existing reserves, or require an assessment for funding, there is sometimes an attemptto “value engineer” such projects to keep the cost as low as possible. Unfortunately, compromising
the scope of a project in order to accomplish one’s budget rarely proves successful.
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Legal Issues
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has drastically changed premises
liability law in the Commonwealth with the issuance of its July 26, 2010
decision in the case of Papadopoulos v. Target Corporation.
Read More
Q&A: Helpless in New Hampshire?
I am a volunteer association board member in New Hampshire and we don’t have a management company. We have a problem with a unit owner who owes us at least $2,000 at this point. Because she is still paying her mortgage or owns her home outright (we don’t know which one), there is nothing we can do to collect that money. Right? We went to court, and have a lien, but if she never tries to sell, or isn’t foreclosed upon, are we are helpless to get that money back? Read More
