2015 December
Focus on... Safety & Security/EXPO

The most important aspect of managing a building is keeping it, its residents, and their property safe. In days past, 'safety technology' consisted mostly of well-lit exits, the installation of panic bars and glow-in-the-dark stripping on e…

One of the benefits of transitioning from renter to homeowner is the knowledge that your space is sacred and belongs only to you. When it comes to association living however, sometimes unit owners have to give building staff or managers acc…

On the roof of a high-rise condominium building, a wall of concrete panels surrounded a large cooling tower, supported by structural-steel I-beams. After decades in south Florida’s corrosive climate, the steel beams had rusted and were almo…

Florida, the retirement capital of the world, is home to more than 4.8 million seniors age 60 and older. Approximately one in four suffers some type of physical impairment. When you factor in a climate prone to tropical storms, hurricanes, …

Co-ops and condos are called communities for a reason—families and individuals live side by side with one another, sometimes for years or even decades. Although residents may not exchange much more than a “hello” or “nice day” with their ne…

*Editor's note:  In anticipation of Hurricane Irma's possible landfall in Florida later this week, The South Florida Cooperator is featuring a selection of past articles on storm preparation, emergency planning, and post-storm clean-up. Fl…

*Editor's note: In anticipation of Hurricane Irma's possible landfall in Florida later this week, The South Florida Cooperator is featuring a selection of past articles on storm preparation, emergency planning, and post-storm clean-up. Fl…

Individuals, associations and other entities carry insurance coverage to protect them from liability, loss, and other financial and legal threats—that's pretty basic. What isn't always so basic is deciding when to file a claim versus paying…

Every condo, HOA and co-op community in the state of Florida has to elect a board of directors to make sure, in conjunction with the building’s manager, that the community’s finances, physical maintenance and other day-to-day items of busin…

There are a great many wonderful things about living in the Sunshine State: the superlative sunshine being a big one of course. Then there's the natural beauty of both the coastline and semitropical interior; the beaches, the lush vegetatio…

As the condo market continues to heal after the setback it experienced during the financial crisis of the mid-aughts, many management firms and independent property managers in South Florida are looking for ways to distinguish themselves fr…

Condos and homeowner associations have made headlines over the years for passing all kinds of overreaching and downright silly rules and regulations—everything from forbidding the flying of the American flag to having prohibitions about han…

Condo board membership can be a grind. Board members are faced with tough decisions regarding the betterment of their communities, decisions that often result in criticism and disdain without so much as a complimentary pat on the back. They…

Property insurance, by definition, is a guarantee of compensation for a specific loss or damage to physical property or equipment. Within that broad and simplified explanation there is room for multiple interpretations—and more than enough …

Q. There are 16 units on our property, each with an assigned parking space. Permanent parking permits are given to unit owners, along with one guest permit for visitors that are invited into our private community. Guest parking is limited…