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Christmas Gifts for Your Condo and Your Association We frequently spend a lot of time, effort and (far too much) money on gifts for friends, family, and loved ones. And that's a wonderful thing. But all too often, we forget about those right next to us in our community association. The littles...

Outside Responsibilities - Case Law Update Part II. In the last column I reviewed a case where an association was in trouble for not doing what it was supposed to be doing, i.e. properly funding the Reserve Fund. This works both ways, of course. Another recent case addressed a common mispercepti...

Condo Law Update - Reserves We like to think we're the center of the Universe in New Hampshire. Sadly, we're not. Rather, we are simply small municipalities in a small state in a small region of a large country. Among other things it also means we don't have a lot of case law in New Hampshire reg...

The Annual Meeting People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything Thomas Sowell It's that time of year again, leaves are changing, weather is changing, clothes are changing, all of which means its that time of year for one thing that doesn't change, the requirement for most condom...

Five Acres in the Woods “I get a choice every time I have to open my mouth: that it can be with civility and dignity and grace - or not.” Dana Perino This column is for all the boards, owners and management companies that have suffered abuse at the hands of silent keyboard strikers. It's a bit s...

The Parking Oasis “What's the deal with parking at the Special Olympics? Is it just the two spaces?” - Jerry Seinfeld You come home at the end of a long day, maybe even after a long commute. Tired of things like stop and go traffic and the person who almost hit you because s/he is looking at the...

Trash Versus Treasure Hoarding and Helping at the Condominium Association I was our jogging recently. (I used to call it running. I'm sure I don't go fast enough without a strong tailwind on a downhill slope to call it that anymore.) One such route passes by a home that has always been a bit of ...

Condo Law Changes - 2018 - Part II I'm fortunate to spend a fair amount of time meeting with owners reviewing updates to the Declaration and Bylaws, why changes should be made (old and out of date; illegal; not addressing changes in technology. Probably a good idea to strike from your documents...

Condo Law Changes - 2018 - Part II “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.”   Mark Twain The second change of significant importance to the New Hampshire Condominium Act had to do with transparency in voting at Association meetings. The Act has...

Condo Law Changes - 2018 - Part I When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.  PJ O'Rourke For the third year in a row, the Legislature has made changes to the Condominium Act. Rumor had it nothing was going to pass, but they snu...

Big Brother at the Condo For the most part, our community associations were established with a structure of one size fits all: mandatory association membership, legally binding governing documents, and common maintenance and funding obligations, all overseen by a volunteer board of directors wit...

Summer Thoughts A few random thoughts as the days get lazy, nights welcome us with spectacular sunsets, and the mornings greet us peacefully with a welcoming sun. Cyber Insurance. The more an association comes on line, with a website, emails and perhaps even tweets, the more it should consider a...

Ensure You Are Insured Generally, every condominium association has a Master Policy to cover the structures on the condominium property, not only the units, but for such things as pools, clubhouses, playgrounds, etc. But Owners should (and should be required to) have their own policy, commonly c...

Ensure You Are Ensured or Better Safe (and insured) Than Sorry As promised in the last column, what follows are some tips/suggestions on what to look for in an HO6 Policy. Home Based Business - If you run a business from your home, (either full time or part time), make sure the Agent/Company i...

Commit to Committees - Part II “If you live in a country run by committee, be on the committee.”  ~ Author Unknown Now that, hopefully, we understand why committees can play an important part in Condo World, and how they can extend the mental health of Board members, how does an association go a...

Commit to Committees “Com·mit·tee - kəˈmidē/noun - a group of people appointed for a specific function, typically consisting of members of a larger group.” and “A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours.” Milton Berle All too often, at least with regard to committees, Mr. Berle w...

Discrimination at the Condo - Part II Last column was a very legalistic and technical one that laid out the new possibility that condominium associations which normally do not fall under the guidelines of the Federal Housing Administration (the “FHA), now may be subject to discrimination claims ...

Discrimination at the Condo - Part I I am fortunate in many ways, and one way is that I know of no association which I am fortunate to represent that knowingly discriminates against owners. So the point of this article is to be proactive, rather than reactive with regard to discrimination issues...

An Emoji is Worth a Thousand Words “Being a Millennial is like inheriting a burning house only to be told it's our fault we can't handle the heat.” @just-shower-thoughts Let's ease up on Millennials a bit. Last Column I wrote about the impact of Millennials on life in condominium associations...

An Emoji is Worth a Thousand Words This column celebrates those who are most often underrepresented at condo associations, Millennials, i.e. those born between 1981 and 1997. For those who can't add quickly, or at all, like me, Millennials are those who will be between 21 and 37 years of age in ...

The Common Purpose I spend a fair amount of time reviewing and updating condominium documents, including declarations, bylaws and rules. Times change, frequently requiring updates to condo docs. But as often, if not more, changes are necessary because when condominiums were created in New Hampsh...

Emptying the Condo Closet Column space is limited, and sometimes not everything or particular interest or importance can fit into the word limits of a particular column. So what follows are a few supplements to earlier columns. A previous column has given guidance on how to look for a managemen...

Pay it with a Smile Perhaps the most common complaint heard in condominium association meetings is about the condominium fee. Even when it is very low, such as $200.00 or less, people get upset when it goes up. After all, no one wants to pay more for anything, a condo, a car, a divorce. Everyone...

Condominium Commitments Most of the columns to date have been about the duties of the Board of Directors, such as holding proper meetings, sending out notices, handling maintenance issues and the like. But often overlooked are the duties of the non-Board member Owners. Too often, especially in A...

Condo Shorts As we near the end of the year, it's time to clean up some things. So, what follows are a few short tidbits, too short for a full column, but too important to ignore. Hire an attorney once every year or two to come to a Board meeting, review your Declaration and Bylaws, and give yo...