Q I am the vice president of a small condo community and we are trying to find out if non-homeowners can serve on the board. Several of the homeowners would like renters to have a proxy vote. However, being a proxy and voting for an absen…

The condominium structure has been built, the infrastructure and amenities are in order, and unit owners are starting to buy – it’s transition time. And while it may seem inevitable that control of a condominium will somehow shift from a d…

It’s been said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. As the calendar turns to 2015, that message fits neatly into the condominium picture. There’s no doubt that new technologies, new laws and new philosophies on many as…

Property managers are known for wearing many hats, and are expected to be expert in some very diverse topics. Few of them, however, train for and begin their careers as property managers; most came into the industry from other fields. Mana…

Management companies that work with community associations typically begin their working relationship by negotiating a contract. The parties involved do their best to carefully craft an agreement and the terms of service that will cover ev…

From time to time, a co-op, condo or HOA community may have to hire a new management company. It may be that the current firm just isn’t working out or the community may have decided to transition from self-management to an outside firm. B…

Q What do you do to owners who are in arrears? This question highlights many of the issues facing associations when a delinquency continues for significant period of time. It is a particularly frustrating experience to have an owner in re…

Providing safety and security is important, but condominium security providers consider each location a unique challenge. Without caution, an attempt to provide security can backfire, producing anger and anxiety instead. Responsive managem…

One only needs to watch the news regularly to understand the devastation that a fire can have on a home or community whatever the time of year. The Lowell, Massachusetts, apartment fire last summer that killed four adults and three childre…

It’s often said that safety starts at home—and while many HOAs spend lots of money on sophisticated security and access control systems to protect residents and property, others opt for lower-tech solutions to neighborhood security and cri…