Q. Our 12-unit association is self-managed. An owner installed a dishwasher without any written request for approval from the board. The board told her that we believed this was a violation, since all 12 units share one water tank and one…

Along with competent, engaged leadership, good management is fundamental to the successful operation of any shared interest community—and the basis of good management is in large part spelled out in the contract between the community and it…

New England Condominium has been reporting on matters related to multifamily living, governance, and operations for the better part of four decades, covering communities large and small throughout this northeast corner of the country. Withi…

The data is in: striking a balance between our personal and professional lives is a key component of happiness and general wellbeing. But how does one do that when one’s job is potentially a 24/7 situation? Take multifamily residential man…

Q. As we all know, the cost of everything, including services and materials related to maintaining an association property, has risen dramatically over the last couple of years. Clearly, our association budget and monthly fees should be s…

Shared residential communities such as condos, co-ops, and HOAs are modern examples of classic Athenian democracy: citizens governing themselves through active participation in governance. The key to that governance is the regularity of ele…

All over the news, from coast to coast, reports of fires and explosions caused by lithium-ion batteries describe blazes that are out of control, difficult to extinguish, and excessively smokey. Tragically, many have resulted in fatalities a…

The acceleration of global warming and the accompanying climate crisis is affecting shared-interest residential communities all over the United States and around the world. This past September was the wettest ever recorded in the eastern Un…

Q.   We see how combative national, state, and even local elections can be, but they still feel tame compared to some of the elections we’ve had at our association. It seems every election is contentious, and sometimes they get downright n…

The elevator is one of those inventions—along with running hot and cold water and indoor plumbing—that have been around for so long we take it for granted. But elevators obviously weren’t always a part of the architectural landscape. Withou…