My association's documents say that the board must consist of five total members. This past election, only four people ran and got elected. Does the new board then have to appoint another member? If they choose not to for some reason, can a…

Q Who owns the handicapped parking spaces set aside in the parking facility of a newly constructed condominium? —Keeping it Accessible in Kings County A “Sponsors of newly constructed condominiums are responsible for creating th…

King Kong, aliens, asteroids, 9/11, Superstorm Sandy, fires, floods and whatever else the world throws at us, disaster and New Yorkers are no strangers, whether on screen or in real life. While the greatest tragedy is the loss of life, dis…

Protection against embezzlement, fraud, theft, computer crime, forgery and more are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to crimes at community associations across the United States. During challenging economic times, crime goes up an…

In terms of wear and tear on buildings, winter is the harshest season of the year. Snow accumulation and ice damming on roofs can be a major headache, pipes freezing and bursting could spell disaster, and just about any accumulation of wat…

The headline of a recent Walpole, Massachusetts newspaper article reads: “Fight between Walpole selectmen cuts meeting short.” The first sentence of the article stated, “Selectmen came to verbal blows on Tuesday night, prompting other boar…

Say you’re in bed and you hear what sounds like the shower going, but it's late, and you're tired, so you pay it no mind. You wake up at 4 a.m. to get a glass of water, and find half the rooms in your apartment flooded— you forgot to turn …

Individuals, associations and other entities carry insurance coverage to protect them from liability, loss, and other financial and legal threats—that's pretty basic. What isn't always so basic is deciding when to file a claim versus payin…

Sometimes insurance and the terms that accompany it can feel like a completely foreign language. It can be mystifying and overwhelming, whether for individual co-op or condo residents or the board members who oversee the community as a who…

You can’t underestimate the value of insurance. In a simple analogy, operating a business—or the day-to-day business of a co-op or condo—without adequate insurance coverage is a lot like skydiving without a parachute. Needless to say, it’s…