The more things change, the more they stay the same. This French adage, generally attributed to French novelist Alphonse Karr, could have been penned as a tagline for the community association world. There’s no doubt that advances in techn…
Q. In a situation wherein a person refuses to pay maintenance fees, what can be done? Every time we ask whether we can cut off snow removal from the person's driveway, we are told that it could be considered a "gray area." What if the per…
There is always work to be done on a building, whether it’s a simple lobby repair or a major capital improvement, but finding the right contractor for the job takes some work. If the vetting process is not done properly, the results could b…
Today more ways to communicate exist than ever before: Cell phones, email, social networking sites such as Facebook, blogs, video call systems like Skype, online chat forums, microblogging services such as Twitter, websites, and virtual in…
Q What if any are the limits to what the board of trustees are required to do under Massachusetts General Statutes 183A? What happens if they overstep their bounds? — Unauthorized in Auburn A “The mandatory provisions a…
It’s an annual rite, as predictable as winter storm warnings and spring apple blossom festivals. Legislators in state houses throughout New England begin slogging through piles of bills filed by politicians and requested by constituents th…
Once again this spring, the New England Condo Expo drew thousands of trustees, board members, managers and service providers from all over the New England region to the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston for a full day of networking, edu…
Q We are a 56-unit condominium. Our bylaws require that end-of-year excess funds be returned to unit owners, either in a lump sum or credited to monthly installments until exhausted. Bylaws define excess funds as net excess of income over…
Q In this day and age, must notices of rule violations be sent by certified mail? Can they be sent via priority/tracking mail? Via email? Must complaints by others to a rules committee always be placed on a standardized form, or can they …
The seventh annual New England Condo Expo is returning to the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston on April 30th, bringing with it more than 150 exhibitors and thousands of trustees, board members, managers and residents from all over the …