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National Night Out is an annual event that promotes partnerships between communities, residents and local law enforcement. Celebrations can range from individual block parties to a large community festival. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to create connections between neighbors and focus on working together to make your community a safer, better place to live. This national celebration has become an annual tradition in many communities far and wide and we want to help you put together the best National Night Out event your association has seen yet.

Handling day-to-day maintenance and making necessary improvements are critical responsibilities for any homeowners association (HOA). And when your serve on your association’s board of directors, they can quickly become overwhelming if you don’t have a good system in place to manage them. So how do you make sure that your maintenance staff is able to handle that long list of tasks that need to get done so that your community runs smoothly and retains its appeal?

Before you book that vacation or buy the perfect gift, here are a few holiday home security tips to keep you and your community safe.

Security risks increase exponentially during the holiday seasons for high-rise buildings. Many residents travel for the holidays, move to warmer weather during the winter months, or have an influx of guests and family members in and out. These factors make it easy for intruders to make it into the building, especially if there are no procedures in place to track the many people and deliveries in and out of the building.

Like it or not, we have become very dependent on our technology. Whether it’s a cell phone, tablet or computer, our devices enable us to stay connected, conduct business and access information anywhere, anytime. Yet as convenient as these devices may be, cyber security is simply not a priority for the majority of tech users—despite the increased prevalence of cyber attacks. One recent attack even occurred in our own backyard at the University of Alberta. In part one of our two-part series, we look at why cyber security is so important to condo associations. We also provide important steps that residents in your condo community can take to protect their technology so that sensitive information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

In part one of this two-part series, we discussed the importance of cyber security to your condo association and the steps that residents can take to protect themselves and their association. In this article, we look at your board’s responsibility in preventing cyber attacks.

Don’t make it easy for criminals to get into your home. These 11 common sense tips will help homeowners improve the security of their property and make it safer for their families.

For most people selling a condominium, it is important to stand out from the competition in the real estate market, have a quick sale and obtain the best possible price. But how do you do that? The way your property is presented to potential buyers makes a big difference. Consider these tips to help you achieve real estate sales success.

When it comes to cyberattacks, you may be under the assumption that your condo corporation is flying under the radar. But you’d be dead wrong. In fact, as a small business, your corporation may be at greater risk of being targeted than ever before.

When renting your condominium, both owner and tenant have responsibilities under the Condominium Property Act of Alberta (CPA). These are in addition to rights and responsibilities for landlords and tenants covered in the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA).

Proper condominium management depends upon the annual budget for both short- and long-term financial planning. It’s important to follow some guidelines to ensure the success of the community and protect the investment of the owners.

What are your property manager's responsibilities? Find out if they have what it takes. Upcoming Condominium Management Licenses and more.

The Canadian Senate passed Bill C-45 , known as the ‘Cannabis Act’, in June 2018 which legalized the recreational use of cannabis across Canada. The first G-7 country to do so! When Bill C-45 goes into effect on October 17 th , Canadians will be able to purchase, consume and grow up to four cannabis plants, as well as make cannabis-containing products at home.

Learn more about which Florida HOA laws passed in 2020, and how these new bills will affect your community.

Get the latest Florida phase 3 property management guidelines to ensure your association is compliant.

HOA rental restrictions can bring several benefits to a community association if done properly. Here are five steps to follow when adopting HOA rental restrictions successfully.

Enforcing HOA policies is nobody’s cup of tea, but having good policy enforcement in place helps improve the resident experience and elevates your reputation. Follow these 4 principles for healthy policy enforcement:

An effective Utah homeowners association will not only recruit great volunteers and committee members, but will empower them to help improve the community. The question is – how do you get there?

FirstService Residential has helped boards and building owners save millions of dollars in energy costs, in part, through our Energy Aggregation Purchasing Program.

Around the world, the property and casualty insurance industry experienced record losses from 2016 to 2019, and consumers are now feeling the effects on both a macro and micro scale.

A capable management company will enforce procedures and invest in technologies that help limit legal liability for the condo or co-op, and also mitigate board member personal exposure.

Policy exclusions introduce increased risk to the board and often render a contractor’s policy meaningless. Properly vetting a contractor’s insurance is critical.

Insurance premiums are on the rise. Find out why the markets are hardening and find the right coverage for your Arizona association.

FirstService Residential helps condo and co-op boards navigate CMA compliance, avoid costly fines and identify incentive programs that reduce the cost of building upgrades.