2008 Nov
2008 November Vol. 6, No. 11
Focus on...Building Maintenance
Making Life Easier, Less Costly
Technological applications to residential building life are becoming more prevalent, and in some cases, they’ve even become more affordable than in the past. An “intelligent” building is able to monitor its environmental, mechanical, and lighting (among other) systems, through a computerized network of electronic devices. Maintenance, communications, security, and other residential building functions are now being handled by these new systems, whose upgraded operations are helping building personnel do their jobs more effectively. Read More
A Flushing Concern
Few things illustrate the fragility of modern civilization more clearly than plumbing problems. A broken pipe, a backed-up toilet, a flooded bathroom—any one of these can quickly go from annoyance to emergency, and the longer a plumbing problem lingers, the more unsavory the situation gets. Without efficient, functional plumbing, a densely populated urban or suburban area can go from metropolitan to Medieval in very short order. Read More
Putting Your Best Face Foward
We’ve all heard the expression about the importance of “putting your best face forward.” It holds true for the building industry as well—though in that case, “putting your best façade forward” might be more accurate.
Read More
Walls, Carpets & Air Ducts
Common areas are among the most heavily trafficked places in your building or community, so it’s no surprise that these areas are prone to a great deal of damage and wear-and-tear over time. But regular upkeep, scheduled maintenance and proper cleaning will help ensure that common areas don’t become dingy, dirty or even possibly hazardous to people’s health. Read More
The Role of the Super
The co-op we owned was a huge brick pre-war building. Three of its sides were either attached to other buildings or sealed off by high barbed-wire fencing. The only way into the building was the front door, and that meant going through the lobby—right past the super’s apartment. Read More
Building From the Ground Up
Building a successful enterprise from the ground up requires dedication and
commitment from dozens, if not hundreds, of people. That’s certainly the case with the creation of a new co-op or condo community,
entities that are just as much about home as they are about business. The first
few months or years of a condo’s existence can be especially turbulent as it involves the establishment of a
board and the transition from being owner/resident-controlled. Sometimes that
transitional road can be bumpy—especially if those two parties fail to see eye to eye. With the right
combination of planning, communication and trust, however, the birth of a board
can be a lot less painful than expected, something sure to be a relief to
anyone and everyone involved.
Read More
A Word About Roof Repair?
Budget time has come and gone, the area has had rain and snow, your maintenance
budget has already been exhausted due to roof leaks. What do you do? You scramble to get quotes for roof replacements, have an
association meeting to try to explain to the community why you need to do a
special assessment or secure a loan for a capital improvement project. In the end, you hope that the project and financing are approved.
Read More
Q&A: Unfair Access Card Systems
I live in an adult community that is putting in a new card access system. Our community allows 19-year-olds and above to live here also. The board is going to be allowing two access cards per home, then the homeowner must purchase cards for their additional legal resident living in their home at $100 per person. Is this not discrimination? Does it come under the Fair Housing Act? Read More
Q&A: Community Not as Advertised
I purchased a home that was incorporated per the public offering statement as an age-55-restricted and gated adult community. It currently is neither an age-restricted community (as stipulated in the federal law), nor a gated community, as advertised in the public offering statement. This issue has already been brought to the attention of our board to no avail. What can I do? Read More
Q&A: Shareholders in Arrears
I am a condo board member and we are dealing with a shareholder who is consistently behind in his arrears. We are considering filing a lien against the delinquent owner and foreclosing. Is this our best course of action? Read More
