2011 June
2011 June Vol. 9, No.6
Focus on...Law & Legislation
The Paper Trail
Remember that thick stack of documents you received when you bought your condo
or co-op? If you're like most people, they're probably sitting in a drawer or
in the back of your filing cabinet, communing with the dust bunnies, largely
forgotten.
Read More
Governance in the Garden State
Voting is an important right that hopefully all Americans exercise, but once
your elected officials hit office, that doesn’t mean that you should just sit back and wait until the next Election Day to
care Read More
No Time Like the Precedent
Condo, HOA, and co-op boards are generally made up of volunteers—and they're frequently a pretty diverse group. There’s the stay-at-home mom who’s looking to get involved with something beyond homework and housework. There’s also the young doctor who just moved into the building and immediately took an
interest. Or perhaps there's the retired school bus driver who's got a green
thumb and delights in chairing the landscaping committee each spring. No matter
what their background, most board members share a genuine desire to serve their
building community and have a hand in the way it’s governed. What they may not have in common is a firm grasp of the law and the
legal implications of their decisions as board members.
Read More
Can We Go Green?
As gasoline prices rise with increasing summer demand, American thoughts focus
sharply on the cost of energy and ways to trim fat from their overall energy
budgets. Yet for the nation’s nearly sixty million condo dwellers, considering newer energy-saving options
can be a tricky proposition at best. While some condos or co-ops move rapidly
to adopt the latest green technologies, many associations, still governed by
documents drafted decades in the past, may be burdened with legal language that
expressly prohibits their communities from making a variety of
environmentally-friendly updates. However, recent changes in the law are now
eliminating many of the prohibitions that condos and HOAs had on the books.
Read More
Little Falls, New Jersey
The township of Little Falls, named for the beautiful Passaic River waterfall that spills downstream from a dam in front of the former
Beattie Carpet Mill, traces its heritage to 1711. The nearly three-square-mile
town is bordered by the communities of Montclair, Wayne, Totowa, Woodland Park,
North Caldwell, Fairfield and Clifton.
Read More
Watch Your Mouth
In the course of human events, it's almost inevitable that somewhere, at some
point, tempers will flare and someone will say something awful about someone
else. It can happen after the PTA meeting, in the gym, at the office...even in
one's own condo building or co-op. Heated exchanges and personal vendettas are
unpleasant and can make for an acrimonious building environment, which is bad
enough—but what happens when the words do more than just sting or insult? What happens
when it's more than just an offhandedly rude remark, or when it's ongoing?
Read More
Selecting an Appropriate Vendor
Choosing a competent contractor to complete a planned or unplanned project is more difficult now than ever before. Read More
Collecting Unpaid Debts
Consider the following all-too-common scenario: your condominium association has one delinquent unit owner who owes three months of common charges totaling $915.00 before late fees. Statements have been sent without response, and telephone calls are not being answered. If you're like most buildings, your operating expenses hinge on reliable cash inflow from owners' fees every month—and that $915.00 is being sorely missed. What steps can your building take to collect this debt? Read More
Q&A: Confidentiality and the Bylaws
Our condo board is made up of seven owners. Do you think that it is legal to require board members to sign a confidentiality agreement form even though it is not stipulated in the bylaws? Read More
Q&A: No One to Run?
Our condo association's board consists of five members. Three seats are up for election in the fall. What are our options if we have no other condo owners willing to put their names on the ballot? Read More
