Many New Jersey HOAs were originally built with grading and drainage that for the most part pitched away from buildings, toward a roadway, rear lawn area swale, or sheet flow drainage area, ultimately collecting in a storm water retent…
One of the most important things to understand as a member of a condo or HOA is how responsibility for maintaining and repairing various building systems is divided between individual unit owners and the association at large. …
They eat a lot and cause a mess. They overstay their welcome and can become aggressive when challenged. No, they’re not your no-account relatives—they’re resident Canada geese. These 12- to 15-pound birds were once migratory an…
There may be a distinct charm to weathered clapboard and rustic-looking wooden siding, but from a practical perspective, that pleasing patina is really the sign of decay and deterioration. For an HOA board, it’s also the sign of major e…
Ever since Romeo and Juliet made them famous, balconies have been popular additions to our homes and living spaces. For condominium and HOA communities, balconies can add visual zest, as well as a few more feet of living space that all…
A building is, in many ways, like a body. If its residents are the soul, then certainly the mechanical systems that keep it running are at its heart. And just as one cares for one’s body by eating right and exercising, management must c…
If something’s broken, you fix it. If it’s worn out, you replace it. It sounds like a simple equation, but when it comes to capital improvements or renovation projects in cash-strapped times, it can be a case of easier said than done. …
Q “I own a condo in Southern New Jersey. An owner in our association is in arrears of $1,300 on their monthly maintenance and has now filed for bankruptcy. Can we still put a lien on the owner’s unit? If not, what can we do to recoup…
Asbury Park, one of the old showplaces of the Jersey Shore and a town that in its heyday rivaled Atlantic City, has seen its fortunes rise and fall (and rise again). Once viewed as a city in decline, Asbury Park benefited greatly from …
It’s an unfortunate truth that even the most harmonious condo community or HOA will experience occasional friction between staff members, or between staff and management. Sometimes it’s a personality conflict, or a case of an employee b…