Indoor plumbing is a minor miracle: clean water on demand, at the temperature one chooses, right out of the tap. What would have been the height of luxury just a couple of generations ago is now considered a bare necessity. Miraculous as it…

Achieving balance between board and management is vital in maintaining a healthy collective. For the resident of a condominium or cooperative, knowing which of the two pillars of the homeowning community to address for maintenance issues or…

If you live in a condominium, cooperative or HOA, you’re participating in a small-scale democracy run by an elected group of volunteers. As in any democracy, those affected by the board’s decisions are encouraged to get involved in the proc…

In our current environment of steeply rising costs, it’s more important than ever to safeguard your reserves to ensure that your association has sufficient funds available for immediate and future capital projects. Unfortunately, many assoc…

In early 2020, our firm was hired to prepare a reserve study for an unremarkable 136-unit, 12-story condominium in south Florida. It was the kind of association you could drive right by without noticing, not much different from all the othe…

Where there are people, there is detritus. It’s an age-old reality — so much so that even the remains of our ancient trash are often the basis upon which archeologists develop theories about vanished civilizations. While we can’t say what f…

We hear about them all the time. Whole movies are made about them. Those nosey, controlling, downright hostile neighbors who can make your life miserable. Having  one down the hall or next door is bad enough—imagine what happens when they e…

Buying into a residential community like a co-op, condominium, or HOA can be a bit like selecting the political system you’d like to live under. Governance styles can range from an Athenian democracy where every member of the community is i…

Mark your calendar and get ready - The Cooperator Expo New York returns to the Jacob Javits Convention Center on Manhattan’s West Side on Thursday, October 27th from 10am to 4:30pm! If you’ve ever attended the Cooperator Expo, you know wha…

Board responsiveness and transparency are critical components in the good governance of co-op, condo and HOA communities. It’s the responsibility of the board and its members to act on behalf of the community - a legal obligation known as f…