It’s Murphy’s Law that when a homeowner is on vacation or away for the day, the unexpected happens. A pipe bursts and water starts dripping through the ceiling of the unit below. It’s essential that the management firm gets into the uni…
Everybody sometimes disagrees with the decisions of the condo or HOA board. Maybe the choice to rearrange the garbage receptacles out front seems ridiculous, or the ongoing clattering of machinery on the roof is driving the top-floor r…
As the economy continues its slow recovery from the struggles of the recession, companies are faced with the all-important task of reexamining services and respective best practices. One reason for this exercise is the fierce competiti…
How can you tell whether the on-site property manager at a condominium or homeowners association community is doing a good job? And what is “a good job”? Whether a manager is well-liked and whether he or she manages well may not be the …
For most people, there simply are not enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done. We rush to pick the kids up from school, make it to that impromptu work meeting that just got called or even find the time to grab som…
Small and medium size community associations have many choices when they consider how to manage the day-to-day operations of their properties. Do they keep fees as low as possible and save money by being self-managed? Or find a way to …
Q Our condo community is considering converting a large community room into a gym and kids play space, separated from each other by a child fence. Are there any Massachusetts codes surrounding establishing gyms in residential buildings …
Q We have had an ant problem since the spring. A problem that began in the unit upstairs has now spread to several units including ours. Who is responsible for the removal and extermination? Is it the original unit or the associatio…
Water, Water Everywhere? Q We moved into a condo that was a gut rehab and have had leaks from the roof and exterior walls hit multiple rooms in our apartment for the last decade. We are the first owners. The various boards ha…
Q I am the president of an association in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. We have been under the impression that if an owner is delinquent in paying a monthly fee that an automatic lien is created on the property, thus preventing such owner …