Like concierges or travel agents, professional residential managers provide a service to their customers—building managers operate in the service industry, after all. And as in all quadrants of the service industry, some companies perfor…

It's not always easy for an HOA resident to know if a troubling situation calls for contacting the association's management company, especially during non-business hours. But you'd think it would be pretty clear that a Christmas Day call…

Remember those old TV variety shows from the 1950s where someone spins a dozen plates while juggling and riding a unicycle? Sometimes being a property manager can be a bit like that, especially when handling multiple clients and dealing …

Q I just attended our yearly condo meeting. The minutes were not read and there was no election of officers. The board claimed that they don’t have to have elections—only every two or three years. Issues that we have had over the last ye…

Q What does New Jersey state law say about any requirements that a company that leases a garage from a condo play fair with a waiting list? And must such lists be published for unit owners to see? Our garage has a highly suspect …

Q Our condo has prohibited the use of doormats. They say they are a hazard. Is this legal? How can we fight this nit-picking rule? —Tracking Dirt in New Construction A “The New Jersey Condominium Act grants the govern…

Q We are having a few issues with our condo board and the management company. Since the new management company has been “in power” (about three years) the maintenance payments have been raised more than 20 percent in (two raises). The p…

With the colder months upon us, staying warm is certainly a top priority for New Jersey's co-op and condo boards and homeowner associations. Operating their properties efficiently will not only ensure that shareholders and owners stay wa…

If security and privacy are two seats on a seesaw, the balance, in the last fifty years or so, has shifted towards the former. Federal mandates intended to keep citizens safe—seat belt requirements, gun control laws, smoking prohibitions…

It's a four-letter word that no one ever wants to hear—fire! High-rise and apartment-building fires are, mercifully, a rare occurrence, but they do happen and they can be a real-life nightmare, similar to what's depicted in the 1970s-era…