What if your building’s boiler breaks down, or a hailstorm necessitates major emergency roof repairs  for your association? Of course the first question that arises in these  situations is whether your HOA’s reserve fund is adequate to co…

 In this day and age of rising costs and uncertain economic climate, co-op and  condo administrators have their work cut out for them when it comes to finding  new ways to raise funds without drastically reducing services, raising  mainten…

Like a chain, a building envelope is only as strong as its weakest link. Boards and managers often spend a lot of time and effort maintaining exterior elements like drainage, flashing, and so forth, only to neglect one of the most impo…

It sounds like an urban legend—something that supposedly happened to your cousin’s friend’s cousin. A little girl was at a barbecue party at a friend’s house, frolicking in the pool with friends. She swam to the drain at the bottom of th…

Years ago, when I babysat for a young boy, I watched him create a multi-story building out of empty cardboard boxes. The lad then ran around his proud creation, flexing his muscles and crowing, “My house is indy-structible!” (He then pr…

New Jersey’s condo communities and homeowner associations might vary in their architectural styles, but over time every exterior—from suburban vinyl siding to turn-of-the-century urban brick—experiences exterior wear due to the elements …

When condo-dwellers think “catastrophe,” it’s usually something dramatic, like a fire or huge storm laying waste to their HOA. There’s another, far more insidious enemy of urban and suburban condo buildings, however: H2O. Water damage m…

Q I reside and own shares in a co-op in Edison, New Jersey, which is experiencing many problems, including serious maintenance issues, due in part to poor service on the behalf of the current management company. A group of res…

 It’s a time-worn pattern that plays out in workplaces, classrooms, and residential  buildings everywhere: rules are set, and enforced strictly for awhile. Over time however, enforcement wanes a little—the rules are bent, then broken. Even…

Even in the most well-run, harmonious building or association, problems occasionally arise. Sometimes it’s a truculent resident who seems determined to alienate and annoy everybody within a half-mile radius, sometimes it’s a managing ag…