Lobbies, corridors and common areas are the public face an HOA or condo  community shows to the world. Shabby, threadbare, or painfully dated common  areas can hurt overall property values and send the wrong message about how a  community…

 On Wednesday, May 5th, 2010, The New Jersey Cooperator and its parent company  Yale Robbins, Inc. hosted the third annual New Jersey Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus.    The New York version …

Q Can you please direct me to New Jersey regulations regarding voting procedures for HOA boards? Our bylaws state that board elections must be conducted by secret ballot. In a recent election, one candidate ran with a platform plank…

Q It has recently come to our attention, not through the board as yet, that our president and board of directors allowed a telecommunications company to come into the building and drill holes to install fiber optic TV service withou…

A few decades ago, the only talk of bed bugs was when moms were tucking in their kids and telling them to sleep tight.Entomologists had no reason to study them and bedbug complaints to pest control companies were unheard of. During the …

How many times has a property manager been asked “What is it that you do, exactly?” The answer is really simple—a property manager wears all the hats required to administer an account and keep a property in tip-top shape. As daunting as …

 According to a study released in January of this year by the Kaiser Family  Foundation, kids today are plugged in. Aside from the time they spend in class  at school and asleep in bed, children between the ages of eight and 18 spend  more…

 As today’s cash-strapped homeowners forego vacations in favor of sticking closer to home  (the so-called "staycation") the idea of creating a relaxing, secluded getaway  outside their back door is gaining popularity. Even in a spacious HO…

While the work of an association manager or superintendent is never truly done, there are certain times of the year when things get even busier, with various details that require specific attention (i.e., more work!) The arrival of spr…

Swimming facilities are one of the most desirable amenities an HOA can have. They're great for socializing, getting exercise, and surviving the summer heat, but there's a lot of maintenance, upkeep, and outright science to keeping even …