Page 3 - New England Condominium August 2019

COMING UP Publisher Yale Robbins yale@yrinc.com Executive Vice President Henry Robbins henry@yrinc.com Associate Publisher Joanna DiPaola joanna@yrinc.com Advertising Directors Alyce M. Hill alyce@yrinc.com Michele Mulvena michele@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 Anne Anastasi anne@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: INSURANCE/BOARD TRAINING THE CONDO, HOA & CO-OP RESOURCE CONDOMINIUM NEW ENGLAND NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM -AUGUST 2019 3 4 Pulse/Calendar 5 Legal Q&A 14 Marketplace DEPARTMENTS: Board Transition By Mike Odenthal Community associations are microcosms of democracy, run by an elected board of volunteers trusted to make good decisions on behalf of the community as a whole. Boards make the call on every large and small issue for their constituency. So it’s not only imperative that these members are carefully vetted and selected, but that during transitions of power from one board to the next, members with more experience help ease in the newcomers to shorten the learning curve and smooth the transition. 8 Why Managers Quit By Mike Odenthal Co-op, condo and HOA communities are a property manager’s bread and butter. Ensuring that their client buildings and associations run smoothly everyday provides managers with both purpose and pay. Therefore, it stands to reason that a dedicated manager might bend over backwards in order to satisfy his or her client – even if that client’s requests border on the outlandish. Combatting Kickbacks By Mike Odenthal Running a community association can be – and often is – stressful enough without the added issue of people in a position of power in the community using that position for personal gain in the form of kickbacks. Whether the offender is a superintendent, manager or board member, skirting the rules around bidding out projects, hiring vendors and service providers, or purchasing supplies in order to receive money or favors is rarely, if ever, worth the risk for the perpetrator. In the end, it can cause serious harm to a community and those who live there. Understanding what kickbacks are and knowing what to look for can help ethical board members and managers recognize and prevent them from infecting their building or HOA. 10 6 September Energy & the Environment October Board Operations November Building Maintenance December Safety & Security January Management February Board Relationships March Exterior Maintenance