If you live in a condominium, cooperative or HOA, guess what? You’re part of a participatory mini-democracy run by an elected group of volunteers. As such, it’s to your benefit to get involved in how your community is governed in order to p…
Q. Can a current board member advertise his re-election, or go around knocking on each door and telling owners who to vote for? Is this legal? —Feeling Pressured A. “The short answer to this question is: yes, it is leg…
The annual meeting of owners or shareholders in multifamily housing associations and cooperatives is a legally mandated opportunity for a community to convene, learn, share, and exercise their essential duty—to vote. The lead-up to the elec…
Once upon a time, you usually greeted your neighbor in the hallway of your building as you were coming or going. But you haven’t seen or heard a peep from her in almost two months. You wonder if she is okay. So you ask the super one morn…
If you live in a condominium, cooperative or HOA, you’re effectively acting as part of a participatory democracy run by an elected group of volunteers. And as with any democracy, those affected by the board’s decisions are encouraged to get…
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 am the vice president of a small condo community and we are trying to find out if non-homeowners can serve on the board. Several of the homeowners would like renters to have a proxy vote. However, being a proxy and voting for an absen…
I am the vice president of a small condo community and we are trying to find out if non-homeowners can serve on the board. Several of the homeowners would like renters to have a proxy vote. However, being a proxy and voting for an absent ow…
Freelance photographer Jocelyn A. lives in a charming, post-war brick townhouse community of over 1,600 units and a $3 million annual budget. She receives a monthly newsletter with over 20 pages of everything to keep residents i…
Election season typically starts around Labor Day, when we start to be bombarded with reminders to cast our ballots to choose who we want to be in charge of our city, town, state and country. It ends on Election Day in November, when th…