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. …
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…
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…
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…
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…
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. …
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…
Q I have been a shareholder and board member in my building for the past 20 years. A year ago, a new shareholder with two small children moved in above me, and since then noise has been a constant, serious problem as the kids’ room i…
Q “I am all for security in residential buildings, but it raises the issue of privacy. Our condo has about 40 apartments—half of which are condos, while the other half are rent-controlled apartments. The board just recently put camer…