Q. We need help with this dilemma. Our co-op’s public areas are all non-smoking – but what about the shareholders who share a terrace? Out of 82 terraces, 12 share their terraces with neighbors, some of whom smoke. It is a big problem for…
Big purchases come with big reams of paperwork...it’s frustrating, but a fact of life. For co-op shareholders and condo owners, that concept can equate to hundreds of pages of documents outlining everything from the financial status of the…
Few things can raise one's blood pressure like signing a big contract. That can be especially true for board members or managers signing sometimes mammoth contracts on behalf of a co-op or condo association, obligating their neighbors, fri…
Working together is something we all must do in one or many ways pretty much every day. But it’s a rule of thumb that’s easy to forget, given the varying pressures of a 21st century economy and the needs of businesses to profit, and of res…
An old time-worn saying ‘that you’re only as good as your first impression’ is paramount in how your co-op or condo building is perceived at street level. The curb appeal factor cannot be discounted when people pass by your building and se…
Mention “problem residents” in the context of a co-op or condo building, and chances are most people will think about the noisy kids upstairs, the perpetually grumpy /litigious guy on the third floor, or the lady down the hall with 12 c…
Can’t we all just get along? It's a million-dollar question. When someone moves into a community, they often look for the friendliness and camaraderie that living in a co-op or condo association brings. But with many personalities often…
No matter if they're overseeing a towering high-rise or a sprawling suburban association, co-op and condo boards usually have their fair share of problems to be solved and emergencies to be defused. Talk to enough people who have dealt…
Lawsuits are an unfortunate, expensive fact of life these days—chances are that at some point in your lifetime you’ll be involved in one to at least some degree. In you live in a co-op or condo community, legal issues arise between board…
People like to think that they can do anything they darn well please within their own walls so long as no laws are being broken. Want to paint your walls purple and your ceilings green? Who’s gonna stop you? In the mood for loud music an…