It’s well known that Massachusetts legalized the medical use of marijuana several years ago, but what exactly the move means for landlords and condominium associations remains largely an open question. In this column, I provide a brief sum…
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Q. For the annual meeting, there are seven people running for five positions. The management company sent a proxy to all owners and requested that it either be mailed to them or dropped in the mailbox in the building lobby. This mailbox i…
Q. I own a unit and live in a medium-sized condominium in the Beacon Hill area. Recently, a few strangers have been found lurking the hallways of the building. One of my neighbors who lives across the hall from me is very nervous about th…
The condominium structure has been built, the infrastructure and amenities are in order, and unit owners are starting to buy – it’s transition time. And while it may seem inevitable that control of a condominium will somehow shift from a d…
Instances of home-sharing have skyrocketed recently due to the rise of websites such as Airbnb.com. For a small fee, these websites connect homeowners with people who want to find a place to stay for one night at a time. Homeowners rent th…
I own a unit and live in a medium-sized condominium in the Boston area. Recently, a few strangers have been found lurking the hallways of the building. One of my neighbors who lives across the hall from me is very nervous about the possibil…
A new generation of young professionals is looking for a means to enter the housing market. Condominiums are an attractive price point and form of ownership for such new generation. To meet this demand, owners of rental housing are, in inc…
Exteriors of buildings aren’t always smooth brick walls. There are all sorts of indentations and protrusions, from terraces to stonework to cornices. There are also items that are not part of the building, but are affixed to it, like scaffo…
One of the unique aspects of life in a co-op or condo is that a building or HOA is in many ways a microcosm of the larger world outside. It can suffer from the same factionalism and partisan bickering as any political entity, only on a much…
Despite a long history and presence in cities and towns around the globe, condominiums are, too often, misunderstood by prospective buyers—which can translate to a source of conflict after buyers become owners. Regardless of its location a…
Living in a condominium community means working together. Cooperation and a spirit of volunteerism are visible every day in community gatherings, board meetings, even in the scheduling of time on the tennis courts. The men and women wh…
When buyers purchase condominium units, they also purchase access to the condo’s shared amenities. Depending on the scale and financial demographics of a building, those amenities can be substantial; during the real estate boom of the earl…
The great majority of co-op and condo residents pay their monthly maintenance fees on time and in full with no problem. People do fall behind on payments sometimes, of course — a temporary cash flow issue or other short-term financial h…
Being on the board of a co-op or condo is a big responsibility— one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. While some people may run for a board seat just to have the title, they need to be prepared to govern fairly and make decisions that are i…
Laws, and the legal decisions that support and enforce them, are constantly evolving and can affect every facet of community life in HOAs, condominiums and co-ops. While law and legal cases can emanate from any of our three levels of govern…
There are many different factors that potential condominium owners contemplate when looking to buy a unit. Aesthetics, price, and location are important, for sure. But perhaps the most critical factor of all is the safety of the building a…
Once again this spring, the New England Condo Expo drew thousands of trustees, board members, managers and service providers from all over the New England region to the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston for a full day of networking, edu…
Despite living in association, sometimes disputes erupt. Some residents just can’t be reasoned with. They’ll bother the board or other residents in various ways: noise at all hours, smells, maybe even just being a pest. No matter what it is…
Secure. The word has many meanings. According to Google definitions it can mean “to fix or attach something to something else. It can mean to protect against threats or make safe. Or it can mean to feel free from fear or anxiety.” Perh…
No matter how well-constructed and carefully maintained, no mechanical system lasts forever – and that goes for elevator cabs and equipment just as much as it applies to roofs or boilers. At some point, your building’s vertical transportat…