2017 September
Focus on... Energy & the Environment

Most folks know that turning off lights in unoccupied rooms, taking shorter showers, and turning down the thermostat a couple of degrees can help save energy – and by extension, money. However, helping an entire building or association cut …

Ideally, cleaning products have one primary function: to make things less dirty. But once one delves deeper into the overall goal, things get more complicated. What makes something really clean? Does it just look shinier? Smell better? Or i…

Many residential properties obtain their power from a local energy supplier. But in recent years, boards and managing agents have investigated, and in some cases, installed “cogeneration” systems that allow properties to produce a portion o…

Q. I purchased a unit in a cooperative building in 2014. The board of directors claimed they no longer used stock certificates, even though our stockholders’ agreement calls for a simultaneous transfer of the certificate and the lease ass…

Q. Can an association change the owner’s right to rent out his condo?                                   —Just Wondering   A. “The general answer is yes, the association can change an owner’s right to rent out his or her condominium,” …

Q. Who can we contact to file a complaint, other than the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBRP), against the management company for knowingly submitting forged proxies at our annual meeting? We are a POA.  We already f…

Q. We own a townhouse style condo (one unit on each side, no unit above or below ours ). We have a wooden deck in the back our unit. Deck maintenance (i.e., painting, wood repair) is our responsibility. However there is a big tree 15 feet…

Q. What do you do when the president of the board, property manager, and super are all from the same family? I tried waking up our shareholders with memos and flyers about the conflict of interest to no avail. Our beautiful Garden of Eden…