Instances of out-and-out fraud are rare in the world of condos and homeowners associations, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't look out for them and know how to spot signs of trouble. Consider this—most board members are volunteers…
We've all heard stories—harrowing tales of crazy lawsuits, mishandled misunderstandings, shady dealings, outright fraud. From loony shareholders or unit owners, corrupt staffers or belligerent neighbors, the legal imbroglios residential …
Governor Jon Corzine has finished his first year as governor of New Jersey—he won 54 percent of the vote over Republican nominee Doug Forrester in 2004—and has now begun his second year. It's been an extremely eventful year for the gover…
For the past two decades, The Cooperator's annual Co-op & Condo Expo has been a destination event for anyone and everyone associated with the tri-state area's co-op and condo building communities. Vendors, service providers, board member…
Q Is there any legislation in New Jersey concerning “delegate voting” in common interest communities? If so, why was the legislation enacted? What is the distinction between “delegate voting” and “voting by proxy?” —Cur…
Q I live in a co-op in Bergen County, and have a question regarding the separation of co-op administration and outside business concerns. Recently, several shareholders (including myself) noticed that one of our board members, a realto…
Q In order to raise our reserve fund and provide further amenities to our co-op, the board is exploring the possibilities of converting our roof-top into both private and common decked areas. The plan is two-fold: a) sell a portion of t…
As a member of board, you've volunteered your time to serve your building or homeowner's association with the best interest of your community in mind. But as every board member knows, even with the best of intentions, your board may…
What would it be like if today's society was governed by laws set forth centuries ago and never updated? While some fundamental rules about not stealing things or hurting people might not change much, others would be in dire need of a facel…
The incident started out ordinarily enough—a property manager had to tow an improperly parked vehicle from his association's grounds. The tow truck driver pulled up to the car and began to chain it up, but before he could complete the job, …