2013 November
Focus on... Building Maintenance

Earn board certification and receive CEU credits when you attend The South Florida Cooperator’s Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo on Wednesday, December 4th at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. The expo will run from 10:0…

How often should a multifamily apartment building in South Florida have its garbage chutes cleaned? That question depends on who lives in the building and how big it is, says Chet Ribner, president of Southern Chutes, Inc. in Hollywo…

Nothing lasts forever, and though you can’t predict the moment a piece of building equipment will break down, you can prepare for it. Even the toughest boiler, HVAC unit, or elevator will eventually tucker out and need major repairs, or ju…

As readers of this publication surely know, well-run condo buildings and HOAs need to have adequate amounts of money in both their operating funds and their reserve funds. The operating fund covers most of the day-to-day costs of run…

This country was founded over two hundred years ago with a heavy dose of independence and a strong “Do-It-Yourself” attitude. The DIY mindset, with roots in Europe and European culture, crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the earliest immigran…

Whether you live in a suburb or in the heart of the city, life is expensive. Sometimes it can feel as though everybody from the barista at your favorite coffee shop to the kid who sacks your groceries is trying to nickel-and-dime you half t…

When corporate engineer Michael O’Hare of AKAM On-Site in Boca Raton arrives at work each morning, he first checks in with security for any possible situations that have come up during the night. He then reviews any outstanding work orders…

Holiday decorations are an easy way for an association to spread some seasonal cheer and add a cozy, communal vibe to the neighborhood. And they’re a big part of Florida communities: 80 percent of associations choose to decorate, per a rec…

In the ongoing effort to limit the nonsmoking public's exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke, municipal governments across the country are coming up with increasingly strict bans on smoking in public places—even on public streets and in …

When it comes to multifamily buildings, who is in charge of the property and how well those people are trained are critically important factors in the successful operation of the community. The best property managers stay current in their …

Ask any realtor what their customers are looking for in a condo or HOA and they will quickly point out the importance of the latest and greatest 21st Century technology as one of the top requests. With the ever-expanding array of consumer …

Q One of our unit owners has silverfish in her unit. Our units are on the water, and an owner says that the silverfish in her closet has caused hundreds of dollars in clothes to be thrown out. She cannot put clothes into the closet for th…

At a recent board meeting, it was announced that the association of which I am a unit owner, would like to start collecting rent from tenants living in a unit where the owner is delinquent on their mortgage. I looked at the documents, and …