If they haven't left already, the remaining "snowbirds" will shortly depart for their warm and snug Sunbelt condominiums. Left behind will be scowling residents scraping ice off their windshields and shorthanded association boards — many…
Where there's smoke, there's fire, right? Not always. Smoke and soot damage are the obvious aftereffects of a fire, but they are also the by-products of many other domestic mishaps, including residue build-up in a furnace or chimney…
Insidious is not a word that usually comes to mind when think of community association living. But then again, we don't generally think of any insidious phenomena around us as being insidious. Need an example? While majority of Americans…
One of the most important elements in the operation of a community association is the meeting process. The success of an association is often reflected in the quality and tenor of its meetings. Surprisingly, the meeting process is often …
Maybe it starts with complaints about guest parking, or too much noise from next door, or neighbors smoking. Whatever the reason, the condominium rules and regulations— also known as the CR&Rs—in your community probably need updating. C…
In a condominium, trustees, owners, managers, and developers are confronted each and every day with myriad infrastructure issues, each of which significantly affects the financial considerations of the development. Although not often a t…
With warmer days arriving at last, thoughts turn to lazy summer days in a beachside house. But what's the best way to secure your spot on the beach if you don't want the hassles of full-time ownership? Condo-hotels and time-shares are tw…
As a rule, New England Condominium sticks to the straight and narrow as we contemplate the many players and problems in condominiums. But condo- miniums are, after all, populated with people, and people are human, fallible, and occas…
The management contract defines the relationship between the condominium and management company, but the document's provisions frequently receive only cursory review or discussion by the condominium board. If troubles crop up down th…
The New England landscape has changed considerably since the first condominiums opened here some four decades ago. And the attributes of the condominiums themselves have morphed over the years; there are now high-rises and mid-rises…