Q. Certain owners in our building keep some of their personal belongings (i.e., bikes and tricycles, baby strollers, skates, tennis racquets, etc.) in the hallways next to their condo units. Sometimes we have to squeeze by all of their ha…

Q. We live in a small condominium association, and like everyone these days, we’re concerned about rising costs, including our condo assessments. We believe that a couple of owners are delinquent, and that those non-payments will result i…

Did you know that March 23 is World Elevator Day? Now you do. (You’re welcome.) On that date way back in 1857, the first passenger elevator was installed in the E.V. Haughwout Building—an upscale, five-story department store in Manhattan’s …

Talk to anyone familiar with common-interest community governance anywhere in the country, and they will tell you the same thing: apathy is rampant among residents of co-ops, condos, and HOAs. Not only is it difficult to get owners and shar…

With severe weather events becoming ever more common—and more intense—waterproofing your building’s envelope against rain, wind, snow, and ice is a growing concern. To counter the effects of climate change on buildings both old and new, our…

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Q. I live in a gated community and the manager seems to be controlling the board rather than vice versa. She has filled vacant board seats without an election—some new residents don’t even know that we’re supposed to hold elections. The b…

In multifamily residential communities, where neighbors share common space, amenities, and maintenance—if not actual walls—establishing and maintaining boundaries can be a bit tricky.  Physical boundaries are often breached by things like …

Cooperative corporations and condo associations are collectives of shareholders and owners, respectively. Both are governed by a board, the members of which are typically elected by those same shareholders and owners.  Immediately followin…

At the heart of every shared interest community is the person who makes it run.  That person is known by many names: superintendent (or just ‘super’), building engineer, resident manager, community manager. Their duties and responsibilities…