When making decisions, association boards are at risk of upsetting their residents; but, what happens if the court becomes involved? In this case, the business judgment rule may be your best tool as an association. So, what is the business judgment rule and how can it be used?
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Articles About Community Manager Education Online
Building Ventilation
By: Jessica Vail & William Payne, PE
Doors difficult to open. Strange smells in corridors and lobbies. Inconsistent temperature regulation. These are all very common issues in high-rise buildings which are usually due to poor ventilation and building pressurization. It is in the best interest of the building and its tenants to have a Professional Engineer conduct a property condition assessment to find the root of the problems and make professional recommendations to alleviate the ongoing issues.
CARING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY’S TREES: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Sherri Hall
Trees are an invaluable resource, not only to our planet as a whole, but also to our community associations. They produce oxygen, give us shade and provide beauty to our properties, and therefore, it’s important to care for them properly.
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Mind Your Minutes — Best Practices for Meeting Minutes and the Dissemination of Information on Meetings
By Sherri Hall
Among the responsibilities of condominium and community associations is the obligation to maintain accurate records. Accordingly, the taking and keeping of minutes of board meetings is extremely important to the proper operation of an association. But what is the proper way to do so and what information must be included? We spoke to Attorney Stefan Richter of Clemons Richter & Reiss in Doylestown, Pennsylvania for an expert opinion on the subject of meeting minutes.
When the Association Becomes Landlord — Understanding Rent Receiverships
By Michelle Tomko
In a perfect world, associations are not supposed to be landlords. But things happen. People lose their jobs, owners pass away leaving their units in limbo, and global events such as the Great Recession can even impact the financial well-being of owners. These types of events can all cause properties in an association to be abandoned. When this happens, what is an association to do? Often the right move is for the association to request a receivership.
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Ways to Control the Stress of Being on the Board – From a Manager’s Perspective
By Sherri Hall
Property managers are used to walking around their communities and having residents come up to them with questions, complaints, suggestions and more on a regular basis. However, managers get to go home at the end of the day. For board members, though, home is the community. Oftentimes, board members are faced with these interactions with residents during their “off” time.
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Found a Sinkhole in Your Community? Here’s What You Need to Know
By Sherri Hall
Imagine walking along the grounds of your community when you notice what appears to be a small rabbit hole. You look ahead and see a few more similar holes. Filling them with dirt doesn’t seem to help. In fact, they just keep coming back and getting larger and larger. That’s when you realize, you might just have a sinkhole issue on your hands. But how can you know for sure? And, what should you do about it?
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Pest Control in Wintertime
By Michelle Tomko
With summer well behind us and winter around the bend, people may start to feel like bugs and other pests are a thing of the past — a warm weather problem. Although, they’re not out in the open, doesn’t mean they’re not, well, snug as a bug in a rug in your home.
Best Practices for Rules About Holiday Decorations
By Alyssa Gautieri
This issue seems to come up every year. What can an association do about over-the-top holiday decorations, and the ones that seem to stay up all year?
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Tips for Creating an Association Budget
By Sherri Hall
Depending on whether your association runs on a calendar or fiscal year schedule, you may be in the midst of working on your budget, just about to start or several months away from beginning the process. Either way, it’s important to ensure that you’re taking the steps necessary to complete the task timely and effectively. We spoke to Michael Pesce, President of Associa Community Management Corp, to obtain some tips for creating an association budget. [Read more…] about Tips for Creating an Association Budget