Professional service providers or contractors are vital to the day-to-day operation and maintenance of any condo or co-op community. Since it's rare for a residential community to retain an on-site staff of landscapers and unheard-of to …

For a car to run, all the parts (most of them, anyway) need to be in working order. The engine has to be well oiled, the tires must be inflated properly, and sometimes the brakes need adjusting. The major components of the machine must be f…

Every co-op and condo association has a board— and by extension, a board president. Presidents and CEOs of major corporations are usually compensated handsomely for the time and effort they're expected to devote to their job, but a build…

Mary and Tom own a condominium in upstate New York, where they live with their three young children. The couple's otherwise idyllic suburban enclave has been shaken with recent allegations that their association's current board of directors…

Since the board of a building or community association is usually comprised of a collective group of unique individuals with their own perspective and opinions, no two boards are ever the same. However, there are certain overall, un…

To many, Elizabeth, New Jersey is a pleasant, quiet town of about 130,000 between the Passaic and Raritan Rivers, just across the Arthur Kill from Staten Island, home to hundreds of commuter families and the ever-popular IKEA home furnis…

When it comes to questions of home and hearth, even the best of friends may argue. So it should come as no shock when co-op and condo associations, boards and residents fall into disagreements. It's what's done to settle or hopefully pre…

Ask anyone to draw a picture of a light bulb, and odds are the sketches are all going to look quite similar—a circular incandescent bulb with the threaded end and tungsten filament that most lamps have always used. You know the ones: whe…

In our highly disposable society, how people and communities deal with their trash is of vital importance to both individuals and their communities as a whole. The tri-state area produces a staggering amount of garbage every day, and rec…

Jena Ball couldn't sleep—the noise was deafening and keeping her awake night after night. The racket wasn't coming from the next door neighbors, but instead was emanating from inside her condo wall. "It was bizarre," says Ball. But …