There is an old saying that claims, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” and that is not a happy thought for a board of directors or an association looking to change property management firms. The turmoil of replacing a m…
From time immemorial, the home has been synonymous with warmth, comfort and, most importantly, safety. The boards and managers who oversee condominium communities are aiming to preserve this image by ensuring that safety is their top prior…
One only needs to watch the news regularly to understand the devastation that a fire can have on a home or community whatever the time of year. A condo fire in October in Dunellen injured a firefighter and destroyed much of the complex, le…
All homeowners worry about adequate security, but many HOAs and condo associations overspend on guards, surveillance cameras, and electronic security systems. There are low-tech, more cost-effective solutions for suburban associations, tho…
New Jerseyans face crises that arise throughout the state every day, from fires to water main breaks to building collapses, doing so with their trademark resilience. And whereas residents have long been accustomed to lousy – aand sometimes…
Legal issues, maintenance challenges and state and local code compliance requirements are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the obstacles condo and co-op boards, along with their owners and building managers, struggle to navigat…
Big or small, disasters often strike out of the blue. They catch us unaware, flatfooted and feeling helpless at their impact. This is especially true when these events hit us at home or within our shared communities. When fire, flood, hurr…
Property managers know that whether they're running a small, contained walk-up building, a multi-unit high rise, or a sprawling condo development in the suburbs, materials, capital and personnel all fall under their administrative jurisdic…
Few things illustrate the fragility of modern civilization more clearly than plumbing problems. A broken pipe, a backed-up toilet, a flooded bathroom—any one of these can quickly go from annoyance to emergency, and the longer a plumbing pr…
The rarely stated—but all too well understood—Murphy’s Law for Boilers—asserts that if your boiler quits working, it will do so on Christmas or New Year’s Eve, or at 4:45 p.m. on the coldest day of the year. With some planning, though, tha…