Since 2000, New Jersey has experienced five federally declared disasters due to flooding. Hurricane Ivan crashed ashore in July 2004 and quickly became a category five hurricane. New Jersey residents were hit with intense rains, causin…
Mold—it’s an ugly four-letter word in more ways than one. Nobody wants to think about the fact that this fungus can be found anywhere where water leaks or drainage problems are present. Mold can cause serious damage to a co-op or condom…
Mistakes happen. It’s a simple fact of life and a simple fact of doing business. That’s why issues of insurance are so important for condominium managers and boards to take seriously. While it is easy enough to keep up to date on one’s o…
For any condominium or community association, there are certain types of insurance that HOAs cannot live without. Generally those include: property, liability, umbrella, D&O (with employment practices liability (EPL) insurance embedded …
Co-op and condo board members are usually volunteers who give of their time and expertise to help make sure their building or HOA is well-run and their investment protected. In a perfect world, new board members are architecture graduat…
Sometimes, just getting two people to agree on what to have for dinner or what movie to see on a Saturday night can seem like an overwhelming task. Now imagine trying to get five, seven or nine people to make million-dollar decisions t…
Most people wouldn't buy a home without an attorney, or start a business without an accountant. In the same way those professionals assist with complex legal and financial processes, a civil engineer trained in the specific field of de…
Q Can a condo board legally prohibit any political activity by its residents? Most condo documents say that “the association shall not engage in any political activity.” The board usually interprets it to mean that there shall be no p…
Q Our co-op has a question about our various insurance policies. Our insurance agent has recommended to the board that we keep our D&O coverage separate from our general liability coverage. I understand that some commercial general l…
Q We have a security system at our clubhouse consisting of cameras and recording equipment. Recently we had some expensive television equipment stolen. Management informed us that the security system was not running/recording. The eq…
Q The board was advised by one of the owners that we must mail all the minutes of each directors' meeting to all the owners. Is this correct? —Law-Abiding Citizen A “The bylaws of the condominium associat…