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 …
In today’s economic climate, budget woes abound and pretty much dominate the legislative landscape in New Jersey and elsewhere. With Republican Governor Chris Christie trying to stem the tide of a monumental $10.7 billion budget deficit…
The late 1990s saw a surge of nationwide smoking restrictions put into effect. With varying amounts of resistance and controversy, workplaces, shops, theaters, restaurants and bars in a growing number of states—including New Jersey—all …
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…