Everyone knows the old phrase about April showers bringing May flowers, but what the saying doesn’t tell you is that the rain in April can also bring a lot of damage to your gutter system. Hard rain and blustery wind are always around o…
When a condo’s fencing, decking or siding wear out and need replacement, smart condos are looking well beyond “apple-for-apple” replacement materials. Wood siding, a favorite for decades, is frequently being replaced by vinyl …
When the days finally lengthen and the mornings lose that bitter chill, it’s time to assess the damage wrought by another New England winter. For the board members and the property manager of a community association, that wintertime dam…
Virtually unheard of for decades, bedbugs are now making a fierce comeback around the country, including New England. “The problem is astronomical. Every phone call is about bedbugs,” says Galvin Murphy, president of Yankee Pest Control …
Good information and clear communication are crucial for anyone involved with the administration of a condominium or homeowners association—crucial not just to thriving, but surviving in today’s challenging economic times. Finding that i…
Q I ran into financial difficulty a while ago and I failed to pay my regular monthly condominium fees for two months. I subsequently paid these two months of regularmonthly condominium fees, but our association board levied late payment …
Condominium associations and their property managers have shown that, like owners of other types of buildings, they are eager to do their part to be good stewards of the health of the planet, as well as the health of the occupants of t…
As recently as five years ago, traditional phone logs and Rolodexes were a common part of a property manager’s daily communications arsenal. Yet, with recent advances in condo management software, such anachronistic methods are rapidly d…
Most community associations have emergency preparedness plans in case of fires, floods, or hurricanes. But there’s one form of disaster that very few have an organized response for: the public relations disaster. “It’s the lac…
Drawing up a contract for management services looks at first glance like a simple task. Such contracts usually follow a particular format and outline similar services. But what about contract areas where there’s room for negotiation? Ho…