Category: Maintenance

It was January 1977 when the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) first identified and isolated a previously unknown strain of bacteria found breeding in the cooling tower of a hotel air conditioning system. The bacteria, subsequently named L…

People aren’t the only life on your association's property; there are plants, trees, and other living landscaping elements, as well. More than just decoration, these features provide the community a vitality and serene pleasure only nature…

Keeping lawns, trees, bushes and flowers healthy is an association goal for nearly all condos and co-ops; notwithstanding, effective landscaping management is essential. Aside from the sun and soil rich in nutrients, the key to remaining “…

It’s not easy being a co-op or condo building in New Jersey in winter. Freezing rain and wind beat relentlessly at the façade. Snow accumulates on the roof, turns to ice, and when it thaws, seeps into units below. Systems in the building w…

Few sounds are as bone-chilling as an ominous and unexpected series of drips in the twilight hours, the eerily melodic tone of water trickling in through a window, the ceiling or any other part of one’s condominium that was designed to rem…

The pavement you walk and drive upon daily is easy to take for granted—but it's a major part of your condo or HOA's infrastructure. Understanding the materials and methods involved in installing and maintaining a multifamily community's pa…

Windows can transform any space. They can turn a tiny kitchen into a front row seat to a glorious sunset; or make an upstairs bedroom a perfect perch for an ocean view. Windows bring both life and light to a home, meaning a great deal of t…

When it comes to keeping the exterior surfaces of a co-op, condo or HOA well-maintained and free of any potentially dangerous structural issues, it’s up to the management company and board to take steps to insure the safety of residents an…

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…

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…