Over the past 20 years, most of our country’s larger cities have become safer places than they were in previous decades. But despite these positive changes, most Americans—both urban and suburban—are acutely aware of security: how much t…
Falling bricks. Rickety scaffolding. An errant nail and an unsuspecting foot. Things can go wrong in renovation and restoration projects no matter what the size and scale of the work at hand. Whether the job is tackling a new façade on …
A fire can be one of the most devastating and destructive occurrences in any multi-family building, whether it affects a small portion of one unit or the entire association. Luckily, new technology and current regulations have made fires…
Some building hazards—things like cracked sidewalks, broken windows or crumbling masonry—are obvious to even an untrained eye, making it easy to conduct repairs and prevent further deterioration and potential injury. Other buildi…
Q I am a condo board member and we are dealing with a shareholder who is consistently behind in his arrears. We are considering filing a lien against the delinquent owner and foreclosing. Is this our best course of action? —Concerned …
Q I purchased a home that was incorporated per the public offering statement as an age-55-restricted and gated adult community. It currently is neither an age-restricted community (as stipulated in the federal law), nor a gated community,…
Q I live in an adult community that is putting in a new card access system. Our community allows 19-year-olds and above to live here also. The board is going to be allowing two access cards per home, then the homeowner must purchase cards…
Budget time has come and gone, the area has had rain and snow, your maintenance budget has already been exhausted due to roof leaks. What do you do? You scramble to get quotes for roof replacements, have an association meeting to try to …
Building a successful enterprise from the ground up requires dedication and commitment from dozens, if not hundreds, of people. That’s certainly the case with the creation of a new co-op or condo community, entities that are just as much…
The co-op we owned was a huge brick pre-war building. Three of its sides were either attached to other buildings or sealed off by high barbed-wire fencing. The only way into the building was the front door, and that meant going through …