It takes a small army of professionals—everyone from on-site handymen to licensed professional tradespeople and engineers—to maintain multifamily buildings, both large and small. The question is, who does what, and when? Everyone likes to s…
In addition to their boards, common interest communities are governed by a set of foundational documents. In a condominium, those documents are the declaration and bylaws; co-ops also have bylaws, as well as a unique document called a propr…
Multifamily communities are governed by laws that range from local ordinances to federal housing statutes. Not only is there a long list of codes, deadlines, inspections, filings, and regulations to follow, but these important items and dat…
Living in close quarters can—and often does—lead to conflict. In condo, co-op, and HOA communities, conflict can occur between residents, or between a resident and the board. And to complicate matters, a seemingly isolated conflict between …
Q. There is an election of a condo board and three people run for two open seats. After the election is over and the seats are filled, one of those new board members resigns. Does the third person who received some votes then fill that p…
Q. Our condo association is over 20 years old, and I believe that at least one of the members has served on our five-person board for its entire existence! Two others have been around for a long time, too. The problem is, they don’t want …
Striking a healthy balance between the governance and the management of a condo or co-op community can be a challenge. While it’s the board that governs, it’s management that executes…at least that’s how it’s supposed to be in theory. That …
Nobel Prize-eschewing poet and folk-rock music legend Bob Dylan might have been the first person to be known as “going electric” (at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965), but as with much of his oeuvre, the world is now following in his foots…
In his 1971 book Future Shock, author Alvin Toffler describes a society undergoing enormous structural change as a result of technological advancements—and the social stress and disorientation that came with that change. A half-century late…
As the push to reduce our carbon emissions and maintain livable conditions intensifies, sustainability has become an increasingly important concern for multifamily buildings—including condos, co-ops, and HOAs. More and more legislation and …