Page 22 - New England Condominium February 2019

22 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM - FEBRUARY 2019 NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM Located Throughout New England Servicing the Northeast, Free Estimates Fully Insured, Certified by NADCA 1-800-442-8368 customerservice@ductandvent.com www.ductandvent.com Duct & Vent Cleaning of America, Inc. CONDOMINIUM MARKETPLACE “ e Directory to Everything You Need” MARCUS ERRICO EMMER & BROOKS, P.C. Representing Over 4,000 Condominium Associations... One Association at a Time 45 Braintree Hill Park, Suite 107 Braintree, MA 02184 (781) 843-5000/Braintree (508) 791-2120/Worcester (401) 351-2221/Rhode Island www.meeb.com | law@meeb.com MEEB_NEC_June14.qxp:Layout 1 5/19/14 12 See Our Display Ad on Back Cover ACCOUNTANTS Goodman, Shapiro & Lombardi, LLC Concentrating in condominium and real estate law in MA & RI www.goshlaw.com (877)-241-1600 NECondoClassifiedAd7-7-17woNH.indd 1 7/7/2017 1:09:16 PM Flynn Law Group 185 Devonshire St., Suite 401 • Boston, MA 02110 617-988-0633 “Quality Representation at Reasonable Rates - $150/Hr.” Contact Attorney Frank Flynn Frank@fl ynnlaw-ne.com www.fl ynnlaw-ne.com ATTORNEYS ATTORNEYS Accounting • Auditing • Taxes • Consulting Worcester 67 Millbrook Street 508-797-5200 Grafton 80 Worcester Street 508-839-0020 Holden 795 Main Street 508-829-5544 M Love Associates, & LLC Certified Public Accountants Serving Condominium Associations mlove 2.25 x 2.5 condo association color 9.19.2017.indd 1 9/19/17 12:59 PM Merrill & McGeary 100 State Street, Suite 200 Boston, MA 02109 617-523-1760 • Fax 617-523-4893 Contact: Mike Merrill, Esq. mmerrill@merrillmcgeary.com DUCT/DRYER VENT CLEANING BANKING/LENDERS INDOOR AIR QUALITY • VENTILATION • DUCT CLEANING AIR DUCT & DRYER VENT CLEANING 800-893-1117 www.continentalcleanair.com Property Managers • Multi Units • Associations • Condos Continental clean:Layout 1 12/22/09 David A. Levy, CPA, P.C. Certified Public Accountants 20 Freeman Place Needham, MA 02492 Tel: (617) 566-3645 (866) 842-0108 Fax: (866) 681-2377 www.DALCPAPC.net DAL CPA See Our Display Ad on Page 20 BetterVent is a NEW kind of Indoor Dryer Vent. www.adr-products.com 1-888-609-5512 Condominium and Real Estate Law Phone: (781) 817-4900 Direct: (781) 817-4603 Fax: (781) 817-4910 We may be dressed up, but we aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty. www.lawmtm.com See Our Display Ad on Page 19 Solving your problems today & strengthening your association for tomorrow. 6 Lyberty Way, Suite 201 Westford, MA 01886 (978)496-2000 www.perkinslawpc.com See Our Display Ad on Page 20 See Our Display Ad on Page 20 dominium, homeowners’ association, coop- erative, or other community association may not prohibit or unreasonably restrict an owner from installing an electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) on or in areas subject to the owner’s separate interest, exclusive interest, or on a common element so long as it is within a reasonable distance from the owner’s dedi- cated parking space. In essence, condo owners now have the right to install an EVCS in their own parking spaces, or on the common areas (within a reasonable distance from their park- ing space). Attorney Matthew Gaines of Marcus, Errico, Emmer & Brooks, PC (MEEB) in Braintree, Massachusetts said the bill only per- tains to the city of Boston, and does not aff ect any other cities or towns in Massachusetts. Th e bill does permit the association’s board to impose reasonable restrictions on the installation and use of the EVCS, Gaines said in a news bulletin from MEEB. However, he noted: “Such restrictions shall not signifi cantly increase the cost of the station, signifi cantly decrease its effi ciency, or eff ectively prohibit the installation altogether.” In addition to any reasonable restrictions that may be imposed by the association’s board, the bill specifi cally includes the follow- ing rules and regulations regarding the instal- lation and use of the EVCS: • Installation shall be at the owner’s expense, all work must be done by a licensed contrac- tor and/or electrician, and the EVCS shall meet and be subject to all applicable per- mits, codes, requirements, etc. • Th e owner is responsible for the mainte- nance, repair and replacement of the EVCS. • Th e owner is responsible for any damage to the common areas caused by the EVCS. • Th e owner must connect the EVCS to his/ her own electricity utility account unless that is not possible, in which event the asso- ciation shall allow the owner to connect the EVCS to the common electricity account, but may require reimbursement by the owner to the association for the electricity costs. • Th e owner is responsible for removing the EVCS if necessary for the maintenance of the common areas. According to Gaines, the association may require the owner to submit an application to the board before installation; however, if the application is not denied in 60 days, the application is deemed approved. Th e associa- tion may not charge the owner any fees for the placement of the EVCS. Questions about this new Boston ordinance can be sent to Gaines at mgaines@meeb.com. n PULSE continued from page 6 Please submit Pulse items to Pat Gale at patgale@yrinc.com in arriving at a bipartisan solution to an is- sue on which certain board members are in disagreement. “In some circumstances,” Fleiss continues, “such ‘mediation’ may involve little more than other board members discussing an issue with two diametrically-opposed colleagues at a meeting of the board, using the available information – including expert recommen- dations – to try and bring the views of those disagreeing members closer together. “In other circumstances, the relevant pro- fessionals may try to bridge gaps between board members’ positions by answering questions and discussing options regarding the matter at issue. Where the other board members or the expert cannot or will not ‘mediate’ a resolution between two stridently opposed board members in this manner, it oft en falls to the managing agent to do so.” n Mike Odenthal is a staff writer/reporter for New England Condominium. MANAGING BOARD... continued from page 21 that the person signing the checks is not the same person that is reconciling the bank statements; and/or, “Th e board should request a copy of the reconciled bank statement each month. “Professional management may also aff ord a layer of oversight to assuage these concerns. “Th ese are just a few actions that may be taken. If you are still concerned aft er taking these steps, it may be prudent to reach out to an accountant or accounting fi rm, as they may be able provide you with additional safeguards.” n Q&A continued from page 7 Disclaimer: Th e answers provided in this Q&A column are of a general nature and cannot substitute for professional advice regarding your specifi c circumstances. Always seek the advice of competent legal counsel or other qualifi ed profes- sionals with any questions you may have regard- ing technical or legal issues. Write to New England Condominium and we’ll pub- lish your question, along with a response from one of our attor- ney advisors. Questions may be edited for taste, length and clar- ity. Send your questions to: patgale@yrinc.com. Q&A See Our Display Ad on Page 11