2016 December
Focus on... Safety & Security

Security When Alligators Invade
2016 December When Alligators Invade

Consider where you live and how your home and lifestyle interacts with the surrounding natural world. Now, think about what that world contains in terms of wildlife. Depending on where you live, this could mean ‘nuisance’ animals as commonp…

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Security Neighborhood Watch
2016 December Neighborhood Watch

Everyone is right to be concerned with the safety of their communities, whether they live in an area highly susceptible to crime or a sleepy Mayberry-esque hamlet. Condominiums, cooperatives, and homeowners’ associations are no exception; i…

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Emergency Preparedness Emergency Preparation
2016 December Emergency Preparation

Some days it rains, some days it pours – and some days, there’s a category 4 hurricane. And while the latter is relatively rare, it can be a true disaster, and any condominium, co-op or homeowner’s association worth its salt should be prepa…

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Security Surveillance and the Law
2016 December Surveillance and the Law

Secure.  The word has many meanings.  According to Google definitions it can mean “to fix or attach something to something else.  It can mean to protect against threats or make safe.  Or it can mean to feel free from fear or anxiety.”  Perh…

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Emergency Preparedness Vulnerable Residents
2016 December Vulnerable Residents

Multifamily residential buildings provide both privacy and community. Privacy, because a recluse in New York City can have almost anything delivered to his door and thus never have to leave the sanctuary of his apartment; and community, bec…

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Finance Reversing the Trend
2016 December Reversing the Trend

There has been a recent push by federal, state and local legislators to get reverse mortgages or Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) approved for residential cooperatives. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) h…

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Board Operations Lead Paint and Other Toxins
2016 December Lead Paint and Other Toxins

Whether you make your home in the heart of a city or in a sprawling suburb, there are certain dangers that have nothing to do with crime rates, economics, or the latest exotic imported disease (see our piece on the Zika epidemic elsewhere i…

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Board Operations Sprinklers & Life Safety Systems
2016 December Sprinklers & Life Safety Systems

While most often the exception and not the rule, fires in high-rise buildings do occur. Whether it’s a scary-but-manageable kitchen fire or a four-alarm blaze involving multiple units or even floors, smoke alarms, sprinkler systems and flam…

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Management Mosquitoes and Zika
2016 December Mosquitoes and Zika

Hardly a day goes by without hearing the latest news about the Zika virus.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Zika can be transmitted through bites from an infected Aedes species of mosquito (Ae. aegypti and…

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Management Service Animals vs. Pet Rules
2016 December Service Animals vs. Pet Rules

Rule enforcement can often be a point of tension in a condo, co-op or HOA—but when it comes to the potential for sheer acrimony, nothing beats a pet ban. Enacting one can be a heated affair, leading to fights and arguments across the commun…

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Board Operations Training New Board Members
2016 December Training New Board Members

A condo or homeowners association is the cornerstone of a building community. The condominium or HOA maintains order and continuity by preserving architectural integrity, maintaining the common elements, protecting property values, and ofte…

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Emergency Preparedness Post-Storm Cleanup
2016 December Post-Storm Cleanup

Despite being known as the Sunshine State, Florida residents know all too well the perils of heavy rains, hail, wind and hurricanes. Both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are vulnerable to hurricanes, and even with savvy, proactive storm prepar…

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Board Operations When Snowbirds Fly
2016 December When Snowbirds Fly

Every year the state of Florida experiences an ebb and flow of full-time and part time residents; as the seasons change, so does the population. Part-time residents from the northern United States and Canada live and work in Florida for an …

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Law & Legislation Legal vs. Illegal Tenants
2016 December Legal vs. Illegal Tenants

Though many—in fact, most—co-op buildings flatly forbid residents from subletting their apartments to rental tenants, many co-op (and many more condo) buildings have populations of subtenants residing in them. Sometimes a unit owner or shar…

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Q&A Q&A: Should My Board Hire an Unlicensed Contractor?
2016 December Q&A: Should My Board Hire an Unlicensed Contractor?

Q. We had some gutter and minor roof repairs scheduled. The budget is tight for some other reasons and the president stated that her husband was qualified and would do the work for free. He is not licensed or insured and will be working o…

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Q&A Q&A: Voting by Proxy
2016 December Q&A: Voting by Proxy

Q. At a regular monthly meeting of a seven-member HOA board, where four members present constitute a quorum, can one of the absent members give her proxy to one of the four attending members to vote on specific issues on the board’s agend…

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