Page 3 - New England Condominium January 2019

February Board Relationships March Exterior Maintenance April Landscaping & Lawn Care May Recreational Amenities June Law & Legislation July Community Budget & Finance COMING UP Publisher Yale Robbins yale@yrinc.com Executive Vice President Henry Robbins henry@yrinc.com Associate Publisher Joanna DiPaola joanna@yrinc.com Advertising Director Alyce M. Hill alyce@yrinc.com Senior Editor Hannah Fons hannah@cooperator.com Associate Editors David Chiu david@cooperator.com Pat Gale patgale@yrinc.com Staff Writers Michael Odenthal michael@yrinc.com Alan J. Sidransky alan@yrinc.com Art Director Shirly Korchak shirly@yrinc.com Production Manager Aetna Dowst aetna@yrinc.com Traffic Coordinator Victor Marcos victor@yrinc.com Copyright 2019 by New England Condominium Magazine LLC, dba Community Association Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. New England Condominium is published monthly in New York, New York by New England Condominium Magazine LLC, dba Community Association Publishing, 205 Lexington Ave., 12th Floor, New York, NY 10016. 508-753-4630. ISSN 1550-946X. Periodical postage paid at New York, New York and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions are available free by request to condominium and homeowner associations. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to New England Condominium Magazine, 205 Lexington Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10016. FREE Subscriptions for Board Members, Trustees, Property Managers and Real Estate Decision Makers. To Subscribe, please visit us at: newenglandcondo.com/subscribe TABLE OF CONTENTS THIS MONTH’S FOCUS: MANAGEMENT THE CONDO, HOA & CO-OP RESOURCE CONDOMINIUM NEW ENGLAND NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM - JANUARY 2019 3 4 Pulse/Calendar/Legal Q&A 14 Marketplace DEPARTMENTS: Addressing Management Problems By Mike Odenthal Most of the time, when a problem arises in a multifamily building or community association, the go-to solution is to get management on the phone (or text, or email). The refrain usually goes something like: “Management will take care of it!” “They’ve seen this a million times!” “What can’t they handle?!” This isn’t a bad thing, of course; the vast majority of association managers are thoroughly-experienced professionals with the know-how to solve just about any problem. But what happens when management is the problem? 8 Running Small Associations By A J Sidransky Condominium associations come in all sizes and shapes. They can contain hundreds of units, or as few as two. While many of the issues faced by associations are universal regardless of size, small condominium associations do face some unique challenges that set them apart from their larger cousins. Those challenges touch all aspects of life in these communities, from legal to management to social issues. Welcome Aboard By Mike Odenthal Little in life is more nerve-wracking than that first day on a new job: ‘Are you prepared to do this?’ ‘Are you even qualified to do this?’ ‘Is your shirt buttoned correctly?’ ‘It is, right?’ ‘Why does it look wrong?’ ‘Should you change your shirt?’ All of these questions and more – along with all the actual job-related stuff –are likely running through the brand-new employee’s mind, and can make for a whole lot of anxiety. 10 Board Operations: Amending Rules By Mike Odenthal Co-op, condo and HOA boards are tasked with a great many responsibilities – including determining and promoting both the day-to-day and longer-term interests of their residents. That’s a tall order, and it’s largely achieved through the implementation of rules and regulations designed to serve those interests while prohibiting activity that could be detrimental to the community. But what may be deemed ‘detrimental’ doesn’t always stay the same from year to year, or from one board administration to another. 12 6