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  …

 Like any community, large or small, condominium associations can face a wide  array of emergency situations. They may be internal conditions such as fire,  water pipe breaks or stuck elevators, or external events such as floods and  hurri…

 In a condo or community association, socializing among owners sometimes is  limited to quick chitchat by the mail slots or saying hello over eggnog in the  lobby come December.    That’s why some residents who live there—whether in…

 Anyone who’s clocked lots of hours at association meetings has a story or two about high  passion and heated arguments—but a police detail at an annual meeting? “If someone’s just too disruptive,” reports Henry Goodman of the Dedham, Mass…