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Alyssa Gautieri

The Constant Call for Transparency — What is Proper Transparency?

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By Alyssa Gautieri

The unit owners’ constant echo of “more transparency” is prevalent in many associations. Some owners have the opinion that they should be presented with every contract before it’s decided upon and be involved in every decision. However, most unit owners don’t understand the amount of research and due diligence that has been devoted to these decisions during many hours by members of the board along with their management teams and professionals. Some unit owners want to be presented with these things in the matter of a few minutes at a board meeting and be given the same authority to decide as those who have done the work and also have the fiduciary responsibility in making these decisions. How can a board uphold the feeling of transparency while ensuring the association is protected, with confidential information remaining confidential?

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Understanding Construction Defects Related to 
Stucco, EIFS, and Brick

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By Alyssa Gautieri

As a property manager, you notice that the balconies in a few of your units are beginning to show signs of water damage. Meanwhile the stucco is beginning to crack along the exterior of a few different units. Neither problem seems to be widespread or urgent at this time, but you’re concerned that similar construction defects may cause future damage to other units. How can you control the issue before it gets out of hand? [Read more…] about Understanding Construction Defects Related to 
Stucco, EIFS, and Brick

Best Practices for Collecting 
Delinquencies from Unit Owners — 
and the Effect of the Unprecedented Times on the 
Payment of Common Charges and Assessments

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By Alyssa Gautieri

In a 200-unit association, several unit owners have failed to pay their assessment fees within the last few months. What are some actions that associations can take in order to collect the debts?

[Read more…] about Best Practices for Collecting 
Delinquencies from Unit Owners — 
and the Effect of the Unprecedented Times on the 
Payment of Common Charges and Assessments

How to Get a Pickleball Program Started in a Community

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By Alyssa Gautieri

Pickleball — a court sport which uses perforated plastic balls and composite or wooden paddles about twice the size of ping-pong paddles (ranging in price from $50-$150) — is now considered to be the fastest growing sport in America. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) 2018 Pickleball Participant Report, pickleball currently has 3.1 million players in the U.S. — an increase of 12 percent over the previous year. The sport has also had a 650 percent increase in numbers over the last six years. [Read more…] about How to Get a Pickleball Program Started in a Community

Why Do Dogs Bark? Helping Dogs Adjust to Condo Living

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By Alyssa Gautieri

You’ve recently moved to a condo and your dog is having difficulty adjusting to community association living. There are many more people around than when you lived in a regular single-family home. There are also many more dogs around. Your dog starts barking like crazy. Maybe you’ve received complaints about your dog barking while you were at work or out running errands. [Read more…] about Why Do Dogs Bark? Helping Dogs Adjust to Condo Living

What Do We Do With These Potholes?
 Handling Potholes within Community Associations

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By Alyssa Gautieri

Now that winter is behind us, many people may notice their roads have some extra bumps when driving or riding a bike through the roads in their communities. A pothole, which is a depression in road surface, in a parking lot or on side street can often lead to driving and biking accidents, and result in injuries within a community association. Potholes also tend to lower the curb appeal of a community association, so even the sight of a pothole is likely to cause angst and irritation among community members. [Read more…] about What Do We Do With These Potholes?
 Handling Potholes within Community Associations

Do Board Members Have a Fiduciary 
Responsibility to Express Their Opinion?

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Whether it is regarding finances discussed in a board meeting, an unethical board member or the specifics behind a majority vote, a board member does not have a legal or fiduciary responsibility to speak out or express their opinion on matters pertaining to the association, according to David Byrne, an attorney with Ansell, Grimm & Aaron, PC in Princeton, New Jersey, and Chairperson of the firm’s Community Association Law Group.

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Responsibility to Express Their Opinion?

Bats, Deer, Foxes, and More: Managing Wildlife Issues Within Communities

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With many community associations being built within wooded areas, or on the sites of former farms, it seems that the presence of wildlife is more common within these communities. Some residents and managers see deer as a nuisance when they gobble up expensive landscaping, and foxes may instill a level of fear in those who unexpectedly come in close proximity to them, such as when taking out the trash or going to their mailbox.

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