In condominium communities, sometimes the most heinous crime a manager can recall is a pair of drunken football fans upending pots of mums and “watering” the foliage. Serious crimes are indeed rare within residential communities but it …
It’s not surprising that residents are more willing to invest in security for their home sweet home than they might be for other expenditures. Even in today’s difficult economy, providers say there’s little disagreement about choosing th…
It takes more than a watch dog and a dead bolt lock to feel secure these days. In a multi-housing setting, countless opportunities exist for hopeful crooks to infiltrate and commit crimes. Often, properties are cased for days, weeks or …
Community association staff members are part of residents’ lives. Not only are they vibrant members of the community, they also often have access to units, mail, and personal information of people who live in the building. It’s crucial, …
Turn on the evening news, and you’ll get a good idea of the main topic on the minds of community association professionals as calendars flip to a new year: It’s all about the money. Like it or not, financial considerations affe…
The Roman god Janus had two faces that allowed him to look backward into the past and forward into the future. When thinking about end-of-the-year association finances, boards would do well to take a lesson from Janus and look back at …
For many condo properties—even those of recent vintage—existing telecommunications infrastructure may fall woefully short of that found in the average private home. But with the unique complications that arise when updating a condominiu…
It’s the birthplace of basketball, Breck shampoo and Webster’s dictionary. But when folks who live in Springfield, Massachusetts consider its biggest claim to fame, it all comes down to Dr. Seuss. Yes, Dr. Seuss—the pen name of…
Q Is a condominium required to produce an annual financial report? If they don't, what is the recourse? What parts of a financial report do the owners have access to? If the management doesn't allow me to see the report, what action ca…
Q The board of our condo issued a ruling that any unit owner who is behind in payment of common charges cannot vote at the annual meeting. Our bylaws only say that each owner is entitled to one vote. No mention is made about denying th…