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…
The everyday problems in homeowners associations are usually pretty cut-and-dried. Most of the time, disputes between neighbors, or between residents and the board, can be filed under a few headings. Noise, whether issued from refrigerat…
Three years ago, a member of the New York Giants football team was looking to move into Manhattan and applied to buy a co-op at one of the more luxurious buildings in town. Although the player made millions each year, he was denied entra…
When a new unit owner moves into a condo development, he or she usually receives a welcome packet that contains all the governing documents, such as the declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions, the bylaws and the house rule…
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…
In most cases, New Jersey's community and homeowner associations largely govern themselves, with little oversight from the state and no standardized procedures or best practices. But recently there has been some movement from the powers …
Homeowners associations are governed by a private board, generally comprised of residents of the condominium. Just because board members are unpaid volunteers, however, does not exempt them from exposure to lawsuits. Indeed, HOA board me…
A New Jersey appellate court recently upheld a trial court's refusal to force condo unit owners to pay an assessment levied to cover the replacement of sliding glass doors in each of an HOA's units. In the case of Regent Beach Condominiu…
From time to time, legal cases pass through the courts that have important, far-reaching implications for those of us living in or serving on the boards of our homeowners associations. These are precedent-setting cases that dictate chang…
Throughout her career as a safety management consultant and certified safety professional, Deb Potter Ph.D. has heard her share of tragic stories about building staff members injured on the job. "I've seen building staff members who ha…