As long as there have been residential buildings, there have been superintendents charged with the all-important task of ensuring that operations run smoothly. Whether it’s an underperforming HVAC system, a maintenance emergency, or simply …
Northeasterners are a tough breed, but even they have to deal with dark days and nights—and they need an action plan in case of a blackout. This was evidenced by the blackout of 2003. In August of that year, a series of power failures overl…
It only makes good business sense that if something goes wrong and needs fixing at a condo or co-op, the board or managing agent is going to do some due diligence to choose the correct contractor, and this is normally done by gathering bids…
What happens when people begin to notice that their next door neighbors are having difficulty with their mobility, are suddenly at risk of falling or have fallen, are confused about where they are and begin to exhibit this and other types o…
Donald Trump makes it look so easy. “You’re fired,” he declares firmly, terminating an aspiring apprentice from the popular reality TV series, who will never be seen from again. In reality (and reality TV is not reality), the issue of ter…
Generally, board directors in condos and HOAs are volunteers who live in the building and want to assist in protecting their investment. Often, however, new board members enter positions without knowing the full scope of expected responsibi…
While high-rise residential buildings put many people and families in very close proximity to one another, living side-by-side doesn’t automatically turn a group of people into a community—sometimes it even has the opposite effect. Lives …
Some lucky co-ops and condos offer the benefits of an indoor or outdoor swimming pool for their residents; it’s a splashy amenity that many people request when looking for a home…but there are many drawbacks, issues, and liabilities that c…
Having an apathetic, uncommunicative board is a big issue in many buildings and associations, but the opposite situation—a board that oversteps its authority—can be just as problematic. When a board does something it should not do, or fail…
Normally, a co-op, condo, or HOA management team is well-equipped to handle a wide variety of day-to-day matters, like leaky roofs and faulty garbage disposals. There are other bigger issues—such as embezzlement and fraud—that require outs…