Category: Association Operations

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…

Job losses. Bankruptcies. Foreclosures. These are tough times for everyone, but when homeowners fall on hard times, they are often late paying condo fees. Some can’t even afford to pay them at all. Add i…

These are hardly the best of times for those who manage community associations, charged as they are with overseeing financial well-being, maintenance goals, legal issues and an almost unpredictable kaleidoscope of other daily concerns, …

Q We have a owner in one of our condos that always has excessive noise. Last night around 3 a.m., the police were finally called. The owner and his roommate have been told to keep the noise level down but to no avail. Fines have also be…

Q I am a board member of a Maine condominium. One of our unit owners has consistently broken our rules, and continues to do so. What can we do to stop him? — Mandated in Maine A If everything else fails, the boardcan fi…

Like all towns in Vermont, Bennington is small. Lesser known than its peers, Burlington and Brattleboro, Bennington is often called the “gateway” to Vermont – a position that appeals to some, but leaves others unconvinced. Benn…

 A proposal to ban federal lenders from purchasing mortgages in condos with  deed-based transfer fees has community association leaders worried the ruling  would lead to diminished operating budgets and severe disruption of the condo  mark…

When safety or security lapses occur in a community association setting, the assigning of blame will often cast managers and board members in a bad light, and can also result in major lawsuits. But many common lapses can be ea…