The job of a co-op or condo board member seems pretty straightforward: have meetings, take votes on this or that item of business, approve checks, keep an eye on the budget, and so forth. That’s the administrative part of the …
Board members find themselves acting as referees so often, some may feel like they're wearing black-and-white striped shirts. Maybe they're mired in the middle of a conflict between homeowners because one group of gardening enthusiasts…
That being said, there are times when information can and should be more tightly controlled, and when non-board shareholders actually don't have the legal right to certain information. Knowing when to include and when to exclud…
The sitting president of a Connecticut condo board recently approached the property manager with a proposition: If he saw to it that her contractor boyfriend was awarded certain jobs in the building, the property manager would receive …
It would be tough to understate the havoc caused by subterranean termites—each year, the destructive feeders cause some $5 billion to structures in the U.S. That's more damage to homes than storms, fires, and earthquakes combined. Fifty…
On May 20, Richard H. Steen became the 112th president of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA), continuing the tradition that began in June of 1899, when the NJSBA was launched in Atlantic City by 74 attorneys from around the s…
This summer, even with the lingering recession squashing some folks’ plans for elaborate, far-flung vacations, plenty of HOA residents will still pack up for a few days to hit the shore, or perhaps go visit relatives in nearby states. …
Lawsuits are an unfortunate, expensive fact of life these days—chances are that at some point in your lifetime you’ll be involved in one to at least some degree. In you live in a condo or HOA, legal issues arise all the time. Sometimes i…
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has proposed a Fiscal Year 2011 budget plan of $29.3 billion that has many in the Garden State seeing red. Tens of thousands of New Jerseyans rallied at the Statehouse in Trenton recently to protest s…
Whether large or small, a community association’s list of essential professionals includes its property manager, an accountant, and a lawyer. While it’s generally understood how to employ the first two—call the accountant when …