Requests that go unanswered, records that cannot be found, meetings that happen behind closed doors, an opaque veil of non-communication. Unresponsive boards are the bane of HOA members—they seem to operate behind an iron curtain of inacces…
Let's say the guy down the street is a sucker for all things medieval. On weekends, he dresses up in armor and whacks other armored men with clubs. Sometimes he even jousts. You get the idea. Now let's say this same fellow wants his…
For many New Jersey co-op shareholders and condo unit owners, the question of subletting their apartment can be one of simple convenience, or major necessity. Perhaps they've been given an extended out-of-town work assignment and need so…
Security and safety are among the most important concerns of condos, co-ops and HOAs today. Even though crime is down everywhere, 9/11 has heightened security concerns in general. But how do security concerns differ between a typical s…
The noise, the dust, the fumes, the mess, the constant influx of workers, unsightly equipment and vehicles, the service disruptions—everybody wants to live in a well-maintained building or development, but one thing many co-op and condo …
Most residents of a condo, co-op or HOA know at least a few of their board members—or at least know their names. Often, the same people serve on the board year after year. But what makes them want to serve? And why don't new people const…
One of the most confusing aspects of owning a condo or co-op is understanding the ins-and-outs of your community's insurance coverage. The fine print of an association's insurance policy is often complicated, but for association boards, …
While there are many similarities between co-ops and condos, are the two very different when it comes to things like insurance and liability? The answer is both yes and no. There are similarities, but some significant differences as…
Prices of most co-ops and condominiums in the New York metropolitan area—which nowadays extends as far west as eastern Pennsylvania and as far south as the lower Jersey shore—have reached stratospheric proportions. In once-blighted urban…
While a condominium owner owns his unit, and a shareholder in a cooperative owns shares of a corporation, there are a lot of aspects of their living situations that they can't control. If the elevator doesn't work, or the grass isn't bei…