2011 June

The Third Annual New England Condo Expo

Launched just three years ago, New England Condominium’s annual Condo Expo has already become a fixture on the business calendar of  vendors, service providers, board members, building staff members and residents  throughout the region. Each year, they converge under one roof to learn about  new products and technologies, exchange information, network and improve how  their buildings and associations are run.  

No Time Like the Precedent

Board members and property managers have all experienced finger pointing, in which the accusation, “You let them do it, so I can too!” is front and center. Lawyers and property managers all too frequently see the trouble that results when a rule is bent for one owner and then other owners demand similar treatment. Read More

New England 2011 Legislative Roundup

Many of the issues contained within legislation in the 2011 session concern governance and membership rights during a time of economic stringency. They range from Maine’s regulation updates, and measures to alleviate foreclosure impacts, to efforts in Connecticut and Massachusetts to confine differences between residents and board associations to the condominium forum, rather than add government regulations.

“What Documents?”

After the excitement of buying a condo, homeowners may stuff the official documents in a shoebox and forget about them. Even the owners who serve on association boards may not be familiar with the documents, which include things like the Master Deed, the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs) or the Declaration of Trust, a.k.a, the bylaws. But when answers are needed, these documents become the go-to source for important information. Owners and board members ignore them at their peril. Read More

Getting A Fair Share

Last year, a condo unit owner in Andover, Massachusetts, called the town’s Department of Public Works to complain that he had to drag trash containers to the end of the street and was wondering why the trucks couldn’t come by his driveway.

Watch Your Mouth!

 Anyone can be a victim of “defamation of character,” whether it’s in the form of slander (a verbal attack) or libel (slander that’s written and distributed). In the rarefied arena of residential communities,  emotions can run high when people feel they are defending their turf, and they  tend to approach the most mundane issues on a personal level. And the  lightning-fast media now available through the Internet has only encouraged the  broadcast of everybody’s opinion. Fact-checking and accuracy may have a hard time keeping up.  

Boston's Fenway Neighborhood

 Fenway is the name synonymous with Red Sox baseball and the venerable ballpark  that the beloved team calls home.  

 But to Bostonians who live in the distinctive neighborhood near Fenway Park,  Fenway is their home, too—a friendly place with colleges, cultural attractions, and one of the most  historic outdoor parks in the country.  

"Do As I Say..."

There’s nothing worse than dealing with someone who has let their power go to their  head, and when you’re talking about a co-op or condo board member who starts to act above everyone  in the community, huge problems can arise.  

Q&A: Owner Delinquent on Association Dues

Our condo association, which is private, has a situation that seems to be going nowhere. One of the units in the association has been for sale for over two years and the owner has not paid their monthly dues in three-plus years. We as the board filed a lien on the unit, prior to the unit going on the market and one after the unit went up for sale (pre and post). Read More

Q&A: Noisy Neighbors

I live in a three-floor, four-room, 30-unit condo, mostly 50-plus, with the only family with children (ages two and three) living on the third floor above me. For the past year there has been an excessive amount of constant running; playing on tile floors with outside-type toys; screaming and crying from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.; and playing in the bathroom. The sound from jumping off the sofa and onto the floor has become almost unbearable. In addition, the mother has very little control over the children and prefers to keep them in the house than taking them outdoors. Read More