Q Last year I became disabled and applied to the board for approval for a companion dog. Upon approval, I signed an agreement that restricted the dog from certain areas and reiterated the dog could not be a nuisance to neighbors. I instal…
Hartford, Connecticut’s fourth largest city, behind Bridgeport, New Haven and Stamford, is perhaps best known for the number of insurance companies housed there, but it was also the home of Samuel L. Clemens, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and The…
Many people dream of a place to call their own, and thanks to a rebounding housing market and a birth of new developments under construction, shiny new condominiums await. However, despite the appeal of a new condo development—such as wire…
A decorous, welcoming lobby in a high- or mid-rise condominium entices interested buyers to purchase, and it encourages current residents to interact more socially. The entrance area has also customarily been the hub for the day-to-day lif…
Embezzling occurs so rarely among New England condominium associations, that when a well-respected manager, trustee or contractor is caught pocketing a community’s funds, everyone affected is likely to be ill-prepared for the consequences.…
As the 2012 federal legislative fiasco over the debt ceiling—as well as any number of other spending bills proposed since then—demonstrated, balancing a budget can be like pulling teeth. Balancing a condo or HOA community's budget can some…
Preparing the annual budget is by no means an easy task. Those charged with preparing condominium or HOA budgets will soon begin reviewing costs, gathering data and projecting expenses for the coming year. At some point, board of trustee m…
The New England Condo Expo, now in its sixth year at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, brought together thousands of trustees, board members, managers and service providers from all over the New England region on May 20th, for a fu…
Where There’s Smoke … There’s Fire? Q I live above a daily cigar smoker, and particularly in the warmer months I like to leave my windows and balcony door open. I’ve complained several times to the board and management that the smok…
It goes without saying that individuals and associations alike need to be properly covered by insurance; that’s just common sense. But the wide variety of choices can make obtaining that coverage a daunting process. To help boards and HOAs…