Q I have a question about two family members being on the board of trustees. Is that OK or against some rule or law? —Curious Stakeholder A “There is no law which prohibits two family members from serving on…

Q We have trouble finding people to serve on our condo board. We have a five member board, although only two or three of us actually do much work. We are a small complex. We have tried several things to entice owners to serve on the…

Q Our board of directors has approved more than $1,000 for the cost of our monthly community barbecues. It is my understanding that using the monthly maintenance fees in this manner is inappropriate. The board, however, insists on g…

Q I am the board president for a condominium development. At one point the board allocated space for storage cages and bike spaces at no cost. The board would now like to consider charging for these spaces (to existing owners as wel…

All for one and one for all. We always knew that buying a unit in a condominium project meant that the value of our property depended in good part on the likeminded conscientiousness of our neighbors. Where owners live, vote and fund th…

 In addition to depressing home prices, the current housing crisis has put a  tremendous strain on the sixty million Americans who live in shared ownership  communities (SOC) such as condominiums, co-ops and HOAs. While these shared  owner…

 Two decades ago, a couple of East Coast landscape designers thought it would be  a great idea to share ideas and to network with others in the profession. Today, the organization they launched—the Association of Professional Landscape Des…

 For community associations facing a world of economic uncertainty, the old  notion of “strength in numbers” has perhaps never felt more relevant. Because when it comes to tough problems,  the associations that are able to work together an…

 Being on a committee is not always an easy task. In fact, sometimes it can be  downright frustrating. A three-month commitment can stretch into six months;  meetings can go on forever; committee members may drift off topic; and  precious,…

 Tennis courts, event spaces and private swimming pools are practically standard  issue when it comes to suburban homeowners associations and condominium  communities. While the residents who enjoy these amenities as part of their  ownersh…