b>Q We have a serious problem in our HDFC co-op, a limited equity cooperative. Number one, there have been no annual meetings for years. There have been no elections and the same people are entrenched on the board of directors. Thirdly, …
In multifamily housing associations and cooperatives, the annual meeting of owners or shareholders is a legally mandated opportunity for a community to convene, learn, share, and exercise their essential duty—to vote. The lead-up to the ele…
Social distancing, lockdowns, quarantine, remote work, distance learning—these once unfamiliar terms have changed the way we live our everyday lives in the time of a global pandemic. In a society where a handshake is the social gesture that…
Like just about every other occupation on the planet, property management has been profoundly altered by the coronavirus pandemic and the changes it’s brought to society at large, with many of the challenges and stressors we’ve all had to f…
Q. At our annual meeting, four of five board officers' terms were expiring. Nominations for reelection of these same four officers came from presiding officers. I researched Robert’s Rules, as well as our bylaws, and I did not see anythin…
Q. At a regular monthly meeting of a seven-member HOA board where four members present constitute a quorum, can one of the absent members give her proxy to one of the four attending members to vote on specific issues on the board’s agenda…
Imagine that your building's sponsor has planted a friend or business partner in one of the units he owns in the building. This shareholder then decides to run for a seat on the board and with the help of the sponsor, wins. In addition t…
When it comes to running board elections in a condo or co-op community, the biggest concern among those involved is making sure the elections are fair and balanced and nobody has a reason to cry foul. Elections can be heated as it is, …
The candidates. The issues. The campaigns. Excitement and suspense are built into just about every election, including those of co-op and condo board members. In fact, those elections can stir even more emotion given the impact they may ha…
Election season typically starts around Labor Day, when we start to be bombarded with reminders to cast our ballots to choose who we want to be in charge of our city, town, state and country. It ends on Election Day in November, when th…
When it comes to decision-making in your building, attending meetings in person is always best. But should the need arise, shareholders and unit owners are permitted to vote in board elections and other matters of corporate governance by pr…
Living in a co-op or condo might not seem like an exercise in democracy, but when election time rolls around for your building's board, being a shareholder/owner means being a voter as well. One person's vote might very well mean t…
Q. I am a shareholder and current member of the board of directors running for reelection. At the elections, we did not have a quorum, and the other members decided to keep the elections open for a month. So the ballots were given to mana…
The vast majority of condo, co-op and HOA boards are made up of volunteers who may - or may not - have any experience with multifamily administration. The learning curve for new board members can be steep, and the stakes are high. Get inval…
Q. “A majority of unit owners want our entire corrupt condo board replaced, and five of us are prepared to run and serve on the new board. Problem: The current board refuses to schedule an election, which our management company is respons…
Q. My co-op has not had an election of new board members in over 20 years. The president sends a notice of the annual meeting--’come for coffee and donuts’-- but never mentions there is an election due. Now she is holding the annual meeti…
Boards, managers, and residents, take note - Tuesday, June 13 is International Community Association Managers Day! Established in 2022, the day recognizes the 55,000+ community association managers in the U.S. and the many thousands more wo…
Term limits are often a hot issue at all levels of government. Does capping the tenure of an elected official clear the way for new ideas and re-energize governance, or does it cut off expertise and knowledge that can really only be acquire…
Q. We recently had to vote to remove our board president from his position, because he was taking small amounts of funds on a regular basis. He said it was all ‘petty cash reimbursements,’ but he never told the board or treasurer about ma…
Q. I live in a small building/HOA, and our same board has been in place for over a decade. We hold annual elections as per our governing documents, but we can’t get anyone else in the building/association to serve, and none of us can step…