Few things can be as upsetting as discovering that the funds that fuel a building or association have been mishandled—or worse yet, stolen. For residents, fraud undermines their sense of trust in the men and women who oversee and manage…

As the leaders of their community and guardians of their residents' investment and quality of life, HOA board members have a lot of responsibility, and access to a great deal of personal—sometimes sensitive—information about their neighbo…

 For board members, the time spent serving their association and fellow residents  can be among the most strenuous yet rewarding periods in their lives. For  years, they make decisions that affect their community in the present and may  co…

 For most people, “foaming at the mouth” is just a figure of speech. Attorney Ellen Hirsch de Haan, a managing partner  in the Tampa Bay, Florida office of Becker & Poliakoff PA, has encountered the real thing—and not at an animal shelter,…

Q A residential tenant needs to have a chair rail installed so she can access her second floor apartment in our condo building, built in the 1950's. Who pays for the chair rail and the installation, the tenant or the condo associatio…

Q What is an appropriate fine schedule? Although we have had fine schedules, someone (new board members, residents, new managers) always seems to begin a debate on this topic which leaves the board in a quandary and not knowing exact…

 In early 2009 at the urging of President Barack Obama, Congress passed the  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) with a view toward easing the  blow dealt to the economy by what some are calling the Great Recession. The  ARRA had…

 From 2002 to 2007 and beyond, condo construction in New Jersey reached heights  never seen before. Much of it was in the “Gold Coast,” in towns like Hoboken and Jersey City and up into Bergen County. Indeed, a New  York Times article by A…

 When realtor Sean Carroll went out looking at homes with a prospective buyer not  so many months ago, it didn't take long to find a property that fit exactly  what the buyer was looking for. When Carroll put his client's offer in however,…

 While the majority of condo and HOA communities in New Jersey hire professional  management firms to handle their day-to-day operations, many others choose to  go the self-managed route, which can include hiring on-site staff or having  r…