In cities like Miami and Palm Beach, where even the most profligate among us may shed a tear or two at hotel room prices, the homesharing trend has grown by leaps and bounds. With more condo and HOA residents than ever renting out their un…

From equipment failure and personal injuries to tornadoes and tropical storms, disasters happen, and any condominium association worth its salt knows that it needs to be prepared for a rainy day. Actually, even the most disreputable associ…

Q I live in a development that was built in 1983. The developers turned the property over in 1989 to become a homeowners association (HOA). Since then, the association has maintained the building exterior and fences. When the real estate …

Q Our association recently hired a new management company. An announcement was sent to the homeowners announcing the change. A new board initiated this action with no input from the homeowners and no discussion. I have specifically reques…

When it comes to the subject of meetings—specifically monthly board meetings or annual unit owner meetings in condos, co-ops, and HOAs—there seem to be no neutral opinions. A few folks actually like these exchanges, but most dread them. …

Sometimes the future seems like it’s an awfully long way away. If a roof is going to last 30 years, why should we worry about it today? Same with that shiny new air conditioner or that flat, crack-free pavement just poured two summers ago.…

Those of us without engineering degrees tend to take the buildings in which we live and work for granted. We simply assume that if we go indoors, the ceiling isn't going to suddenly collapse. Of course, buildings can remain upright and str…

Taking care of a co-op or condo building’s budget and finances is a big job. Handling such large sums of money is an important responsibility, and not every shareholder or unit owner has the expertise to do the job well. Sure, most people …

Imagine sitting down with your significant other to pay the monthly bills. You both put your checks into a joint account and know how much there is to take care of expenses, or so you think. Out of his wallet your husband pulls out receipt…

Returning Surplus Funds Q We are a 56-unit condominium. Our bylaws require that end-of-year excess funds be returned to unit owners either in a lump sum or credited to monthly installments until exhausted. Bylaws define excess funds…