As the 2012 federal legislative fiasco over the debt ceiling—as well as any number of other spending bills proposed since then—demonstrated, balancing a budget can be like pulling teeth. Balancing a condo or HOA community's budget can some…
Preparing the annual budget is by no means an easy task. Those charged with preparing condominium or HOA budgets will soon begin reviewing costs, gathering data and projecting expenses for the coming year. Communities, businesses, individu…
I just bought a townhome in central Florida. I'm just waiting for all the paperwork to go through. In the meantime, I wonder what kind of homeowner's insurance I should consider to protect my new home. I've heard that part of the monthly as…
Q I recently walked into the lobby of my condo building greeted by a new décor theme. I was completely caught off guard as there had been no correspondence to the homeowners that this change would be taking place. I'm wondering if there's…
I Love Lucy is one of the most beloved sitcoms in all of television history. In one episode, after Little Ricky is born, the baby is screaming and screaming, keeping awake the next door tenant, Mrs. Trumbull. Mrs. Trumbull complains to lan…
Few things can raise one's blood pressure like signing a big contract. That can be especially true for board members or managers signing sometimes mammoth contracts on behalf of a co-op or condo association, obligating their neighbors, fri…
Much like corporations and charity organizations, condos, co-ops and HOAs across the nation are helmed by groups of residents who volunteer to serve their communities, and who are elected to their post by their neighbors. This is of course…
A quote often attributed to the Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck in the mid-1800s says something to the effect that laws are like sausages—it's better not to see either of them being made. It's a clever quip, and it's not entirely inac…
I live in an association in Central Florida that is rather small. The board recently got threatened with a suit from a unit owner, and while we'll be consulting an attorney soon, we're not sure how to interact with the unit owner should the…
Q My aunt owns a condo. The condo on top of hers had a plumbing problem that was leaking to her bathroom below. They opened a hole in her wall to see the condition of the pipes. They were rusty and were leaking. Is the building associatio…