Category: On The Board

 If you’re looking for a parable for the indomitable spirit of America, the story of Red  Bank fits the bill. This now thriving New Jersey borough has a rich—but not always rosy—past.    Before the Red Bank International Film Festiv…

 The state of New Jersey licenses or certifies practitioners of a wide range of  professions, from doctors and plumbers to beauticians and irrigation  contractors. Is the management of community associations a profession that  requires lic…

 Those who handle the management of any kind of residential building deal with  contractors and contracts regularly—but they aren’t the only ones who should know about the process. It’s not necessarily an arcane topic—whether the project i…

 When you live in a community association, you must abide by the rules that have  been set. After all, condominiums are like little municipal governments; they  collect fees, maintain the commonly-owned properties and set and enforce rules…

 Consider the (fictional) couple, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. They love their co-op  apartment in a comfortable, convenient neighborhood in Hoboken, and have lived  there for the last seven years, moving in when Mr. Smith took an editing job  with…

 Nearly every day, pieces of legislation are introduced, debated, or voted on—both in Trenton and in Washington—that impact the administration of New Jersey’s HOAs. Keeping track of what passes into law (and then must be complied with)  is…

 Most of the time, condo and HOA residents live in harmony with (or in relative  ignorance of) their association’s rules and regulations. It’s not until conflict arises that people begin to examine and familiarize  themselves with the laws…

 It’s a time-worn pattern that plays out in workplaces, classrooms, and residential  buildings everywhere: rules are set, and enforced strictly for awhile. Over time however, enforcement wanes a little—the rules are bent, then broken. Even…

Even in the most well-run, harmonious building or association, problems occasionally arise. Sometimes it’s a truculent resident who seems determined to alienate and annoy everybody within a half-mile radius, sometimes it’s a managing ag…

When it comes to running a building or community association, all board members are not created equal—at least not when it comes to administrative ability and skill. Some bring experience in construction or backgrounds in law, finance, …