2012 June
Focus on... Law & Legislation

Law & Legislation 2012 Legislative Update
2012 June 2012 Legislative Update

 At any given time, there are dozens of housing-related bills—both major and not-so-major—being debated by lawmakers in Chicago, Springfield, and Washington, DC. This legislation can have a huge impact condo residents, boards, and those wh…

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Law & Legislation Suit Happens
2012 June Suit Happens

 You may think it’ll never happen to you. You're the nicest person around. You love your  neighbors, and have never quarreled with the board of your condo community over  anything. This is all great—but unfortunately, it doesn't amount to …

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Law & Legislation Legal Legends
2012 June Legal Legends

 Along with property managers, attorneys may be keepers of some of the best  stories to come out of Chicagoland's condos and HOA communities. They hear and  see (and litigate) it all, from the crazy cat lady who diversifies into African  g…

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Management Hiring Good Help
2012 June Hiring Good Help

 Think about this: according to the United States Department of Labor, each year  nearly 2 million American workers report having been victims of workplace  violence. Fraud committed by employees cost American companies approximately  $20 …

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Real Estate Trends To Ban or Not to Ban?
2012 June To Ban or Not to Ban?

 Fans of the television show Mad Men, set in the mid-1960s, are often shocked by  the near-constant presence of smoldering cigarettes in nearly everyone's hands.  Indeed, if if you told any of the show's characters that in just a few decad…

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Maintenance HVAC Insider
2012 June HVAC Insider

 With harsh winters and blistering hot summers, those living in Chicagoland’s condominium and townhome communities understand the importance of properly  working heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.    That’s w…

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Neighborhoods Rich in History and Homes
2012 June Rich in History and Homes

 You don't have to walk far to find architectural gems in Oak Park. With its  patchwork of stucco, frame and brick homes punctuated by Victorian and Prairie  Style structures, the community is an architecture geek's dream. "Oak Park is  an…

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Q&A: Walls Without Boarders
2012 June Q&A: Walls Without Boarders

Q Our board is planning to sell a basement apartment that had been a rental apartment. On the recommendation of the management company, the board authorized the demolition of the internal and perimeter walls, ceiling and wood floors. A…

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Q&A: Assignment of Parking Spaces
2012 June Q&A: Assignment of Parking Spaces

Q I am the president/secretary of our condo association in Chicago. We have a unit  that was foreclosed by the bank last summer and the owner moved out. We only  have outdoor parking. The assigned space for this unit is right outside the …

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