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www.norrismclaughlin.com Dean M. Roberts Burt Allen Solomon Gerard Proefriedt Ezra N. Goodman Sharyn A. Tritto Michael T. Reilly Norris McLaughlin, P.A., (formerly Szold & Brandwen) offers full service representation of cooperatives and condominiums, based on over 90 years of experience, including: Construction, professional and service contracts Commercial, retail and professional leasing Litigation Landlord/Tenant proceedings and actions Corporate governance Shareholder disputes Special expertise drawn from other areas of practice in the firm The firm’s cooperative and condominium clients range from smaller buildings to large multi-building developments. All receive timely and responsive service from our team of experienced attorneys. Naureen S. Rashid 875 Third Avenue, 8th Floor New York, NY 10022 t: (212) 808-0700 | f: (212) 808-0844 e: info@norris-law.com 22 THE COOPERATOR —APRIL 2019 COOPERATOR.COM When everyday problems arise in a multifamily building or community asso- ciation, residents frequently turn to their friendly neighborhood jack-of-all-trades: the superintendent (Depending on where you live, you might call him or her your building engineer, maintenance manager, or building operations manager. But for the purposes of this article, we’ll stick with ‘super,’ for the sake of simplicity). Th e su- per is oft en asked to wear many hats in ad- dressing the needs of the association: they can be a handy person, property historian, tech wizard, security expert – you name it. Given the breadth and variety of re- sponsibility that comes with the position, it’s crucial for a board know what it needs from its super, and how to determine whether a particular applicant for the job can meet those needs. Th ere are some gen- eral attributes a super should have, and there are specifi c skills that may be neces- sary as well, depending on a given associa- tion’s demographics and resources. Skill Set “Th e super position requires an indi- vidual to have a wide range of skills and abilities that provide value to the associa- tion signifi cant enough to off set the cost of having them on the payroll,” says Tim Arel, Owner and Principal of North Point Prop- erty Management, which has locations in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. “Th is individual has to have the ability to provide a high level of customer service as a rep- resentative of the board; to provide proj- ect management and oversight of outside vendors; to have a trained eye to inspect the property proactively for maintenance needs; to have suffi cient skill to address a great number of issues and perform a ba- sic level of preventative maintenance; and understand fi nancials well enough to keep projects on-budget and the association op- erating effi ciently.” While it might seem common sense for a board to hire someone with general hands-on repair and maintenance skills, that’s not necessarily the case, according to Arel. “From the association’s perspective,” he says, “it’s better to have someone more skilled at identifying preventative mainte- nance needs, who has the ability to call in the correct people to perform the repairs. While you may spend more for that in the short term, the long-term benefi ts are a properly-run and maintained property, and extended lifespans of major building components. Th at will provide long-term budgetary savings.” Of course, at a fi rst meeting it can be diffi cult to ascertain how adept a super will be at identifying an association’s issues; this is something a board can best assess and evaluate over time. From a hiring perspec- Hiring a New Super Finding the Best Fit for Your Community BY MIKE ODENTHAL MANAGEMENT ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
