Community association staff members are part of residents’ lives. Not only are they vibrant members of the community, they also often have access to units, mail, and personal information of people who live in the building. It’s crucial, …
It takes more than a watch dog and a dead bolt lock to feel secure these days. In a multi-housing setting, countless opportunities exist for hopeful crooks to infiltrate and commit crimes. Often, properties are cased for days, weeks or …
It’s not surprising that residents are more willing to invest in security for their home sweet home than they might be for other expenditures. Even in today’s difficult economy, providers say there’s little disagreement about choosing th…
In condominium communities, sometimes the most heinous crime a manager can recall is a pair of drunken football fans upending pots of mums and “watering” the foliage. Serious crimes are indeed rare within residential communities but it …
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…
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. …