Building amenities such as elevator systems are often taken for granted. But elevators are for more than just avoiding a workout and creating awkward silences between neighbors; they accommodate residents unable to climb stairs and are crit…
If you think about it, a multifamily building isn’t that much different than the human body. Both house important complex operating systems and organ-like pieces of vital equipment; both take in fuel and produce waste; and both require reg…
Ice dam occurrence, during this past winter, set new records in both the cost of attempts to remove these frozen structures from roof surfaces, and the extent of the damage caused by water entering the structures. Insurance claims were in …
The experience of condo and co-op board members and trustees can often feel like a juggling act. There are varied interests in the community that want different things. There's legal counsel, financial advisers, and managers who try to off…
Whether we rent, own a single family home, or have purchased a condominium, the nagging question is always, “Who’s going to take care of this mess, problem or situation?” For condominium unit owners, the answer to that question varies. …
Articles in this publication, seminars like those offered at the New England Condo Expo, and, of course, television news broadcasts, often focus on problems that face condo associations—legal issues, maintenance concerns, special assessmen…
One person’s music can be a neighbor’s menace. When people live in close proximity (think of your college roommate) there’s the possibility of noise as an issue. The closer the living quarters, the greater the potential for problems. Homes…
Today more ways to communicate exist than ever before: Cell phones, email, social networking sites such as Facebook, blogs, video call systems like Skype, online chat forums, microblogging services such as Twitter, websites, and virtual in…
Being on the board of a co-op or condo is a big responsibility— one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. While some people may run for a board seat just to have the title, they need to be prepared to govern fairly and make decisions that are i…
Q I am the vice president of a condominium. In our documents, written in the early 1980s, there is a requirement that rental agreements can only have one lessee. One of our owners, who rents out her unit, is an out-of-state attorney an…