2010 November
Focus on... Maintenance

Maintenance Keeping Chimney and Fireplace Safety Upfront
2010 November 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 s…

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Maintenance Looking for Leaks
2010 November 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. Durin…

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Maintenance On the Level
2010 November 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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Maintenance On-Site or Outsourced?
2010 November 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  o…

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Maintenance Beware of Shortcuts
2010 November 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 re…

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Maintenance Legal Issues
2010 November 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. The Papadopoulos de…

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Q&A: Helpless in New Hampshire?
2010 November Q&A: Helpless in New Hampshire?

Q 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 hom…

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