For most of us, winter is dreary enough without worrying about the grit and grime that often accompanies it. From December through March, the snows that fall require almost non-stop attention, from making sure the sidewalks stay ice-fr…
The boiler squats at a building’s core, churning out heat like some hulking behemoth of the deep. We tend to take the boiler and its labyrinth of pipes entirely for granted, except when it fails to work properly. Ignored in spring and s…
Holiday decorations are a bit like art—you know what you like when you see it. And our own sense of neighborliness and desire to live in a friendly community, combined with our need to respect freedom of expression, mean we must recogni…
It’s a very special formula, says Ralph Noblin of the professional engineering firm Noblin & Associates. In New England, we literally went close to 20 years without that formula coming together. As a decades-long veteran of condo engine…
Every resident living in a building with more than two stories understands the convenience an elevator affords. While antiquated forms of the modern elevator date back to Ancient Rome, the first passenger hydraulic elevator was installe…
When you live in a multifamily building with possibly hundreds of people residing under one roof, cooking, cleaning, dusting, and breathing, it’s no surprise that the airways, chutes, and garbage rooms can get clogged and dirty over tim…
Winter is coming, and they’re looking for a cozy place to hunker down, stay warm and dry, and maybe raise a family. And like relatives stopping in for a vacation, they’re cute at first, but more than likely will overstay their welcome. …
Q “Is it legal to require board members to sign a confidentiality form even though it is not stipulated in the bylaws?” —Legitimately Concerned A “Of course it is legal for the board to require board members to sign a…
Q I have a bit of a tricky issue. I am the trustee of a self-managed triple-decker condo in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. The owner of the second floor has become ill and as a result, has not been at home, and consequently has not paid …
Whether you are dipping your toe in the real-estate buying pool for the first time, or you’re soaking in it after purchasing numerous properties, the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) is an organization to take note of. …