Last year, a condo unit owner in Andover, Massachusetts, called the town’s Department of Public Works to complain that he had to drag trash containers to the end of the street and was wondering why the trucks couldn’t come by his drivewa…
Board members and property managers have all experienced finger pointing, in which the accusation, “You let them do it, so I can too!” is front and center. Lawyers and property managers all too frequently see the trouble that results wh…
Many of the issues contained within legislation in the 2011 session concern governance and membership rights during a time of economic stringency. They range from Maine’s regulation updates, and measures to alleviate foreclosure impacts…
After the excitement of buying a condo, homeowners may stuff the official documents in a shoebox and forget about them. Even the owners who serve on association boards may not be familiar with the documents, which include things like t…
First dubbed “Eden” by settlers at the end of the eighteenth century, Bar Harbor, Maine has always sounded like the quintessential place to vacation. Even the original inhabitants, the Wabanaki Indians, called the area Ah-bays'auk or the…
Even while faced with massive deficits, the governors of each of the New England states have pledged not to raise taxes in their proposed fiscal year 2011 budgets. While this is good news for taxpayers in the short run, no new taxes in…
While it’s generally understood how to employ the first two people – to call the accountant when bills are due and at tax time and the property manager pretty much all the time – rules for engaging the condo’s lawyer remain somewhat vagu…
With New England condominiums still grappling with the recent economic downturn, it’s no accident that most new state condo legislation deals with money matters. From a proposed superlien law in New Hampshire that would put condos first…
The late 1990s saw a surge of nationwide smoking restrictions put into effect. State by state, smoking ban legislation was proposed, put to a vote and passed into law. No public dwelling seemed untouched, including the workplace, shops,…
They came to learn, to network, and to discover new solutions for managing their community associations. And they went home with stacks of information and minds brimming with ideas. Over a thousand board members, homeowners an…