If a unit owner has trouble making mortgage payments, can non-payment of condo fees be far behind? In what feels almost like a “tough love” scenario, experts are encouraging condo boards to be proactive about collecting late fees, even t…
In a city known for its culture, colleges and universities, and above all, its historic role in the formation of our country, Boston contains an unusually high number of landmarked buildings. Many of these buildings are residential, and whi…
Nestled within the fold of Boston but fiercely claiming its independence for over 300 years lies Brookline, Massachusetts. This small portion of Norfolk County is as steeped in history as its populous (and popular) metropolitan neighbor, bu…
Thirty-seven years ago when Mary Ann Parker moved to Heritage Village in Southbury, Connecticut, she bought her condominium from the builder. She was a new resident, but so was everyone else. It was, she describes, an entirely new situat…
Nobody knows who said it, but it speaks volumes: "If we don't take care of our customers, someone else will." Think about it this way—we just passed the holiday season. When you were in the store doing your holiday shopping and no one was a…
In a community association or HOA meeting without procedural rules and organization, it's amazing how quickly a room full of adults can devolve into a room full of toddlers—everyone talking over one another and no one listening, insuring…
It's not uncommon for condo associations in the New England area to have outside management companies handling the day-to-day business of running their buildings. Managers do everything from collecting maintenance checks to responding to…
After 15 tumultuous years of delays and construction costs that soared from $2.6 to $14.8 billion, Boston's "Big Dig" highway project officially came to an end at the stroke of midnight on December 31. With the ubiquitous constructi…
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…
A hallmark of community associations is their ability to enforce nonpayment of assessments by resorting to the remedy of foreclosure - long recognized in the law as a forfeiture of property. Over time, courts and legislatures have strugg…