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Summer time – the perfect season to hit the road, relax, spend time with family and friends, or embark on a new adventure. While you hope your residents have fun on their summer vacations, you also want to make sure that their homes stay safe and they fulfill their responsibilities to the association while away. Whether you live in a condominium, master-planned or single-family community, you want to make sure that your residents prepare their homes in a way that helps protect themselves and the community.

Summertime: It’s the perfect season to hit the road, relax, spend time with family and friends or embark on a new adventure. Although you hope that residents in your community have fun on their summer vacations, you also want to make sure that their homes stay safe and that they continue to fulfill their responsibilities to the association. Whether yours is a condominium, master-planned or single-family community, follow these tips to help your residents prepare their homes in a way that protects it and the community while they are away.

It’s often said that you should never judge a book by its cover. However, the front-line curb appeal of a community can make a difference in the value of every property in a neighborhood. This is one reason current and potential homeowners consider landscaping and common-area maintenance so important.

John Friedrichsen, Senior Vice President & CFO of FirstService Residential parent company FirstService Corporation, is quoted in USA Today about how HOAs benefit from the value-added services provided by leading professional management companies.

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.

At one time or another, every condominium corporation has to spend money on replacing equipment or making major repairs. Whether that means replacing a roof, installing a new ventilation system or any other big-ticket project, they are a necessity. But how should your condo corporation pay for them?

It seems innocent, but a surprising number of balcony and backyard fires are unintentionally started by disposal of smoking material in a potted plant or planter box. In a condominium environment this can have, and has had, disastrous consequences. And it's not just a summertime problem.

We can all agree there are many important elements to a housing structure, but your roof is probably the most important. Changing temperatures, snow accumulation, large amounts of rain, ice dams and high winds can all cause major damage to condominiums, townhomes and single-family homes. These harsh weather conditions can create all sorts of problems, from minor leaks to major cave-ins that can cost a condominium corporation thousands to repair.

Recent research has revealed seven service standards that are important to condominium and HOA Board members when they evaluate property managers. How does your manager stack up?

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.

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.

Is your building prepared for Local Law 152 gas piping inspections? FirstService Residential recommends getting ahead of schedule to avoid unforeseen deficiencies and costly fines.

FirstService Residential has invested substantial resources to facilitate each of our managed properties with facade inspections and is here to help you navigate the many intricacies of FISP.

There are valid reasons to raise assessments, but in some cases, you may be able to go a different route. Here are four strategies to save your HOA money and keep assessments stable.

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:

Robust automation software can help boards and building owners in New York City satisfy local law compliance deadlines and inspection cycles.

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.

Local Law 97 impacts roughly 50,000 buildings across the city, a majority of which are multifamily residential properties.

As of November 2021, the New York City Council has extended Local Law 152 gas pipeline inspection deadlines for boards and building owners through June 30, 2022.

On January 11, state lawmakers will assemble for the annual 60-day legislative session. This session will cover a list of key issues and promises to be an active one for community associations for two particular reasons: the impact of the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside and the skyrocketing cost of property insurance.

As of December 27, 2021, New York City’s Department of Health requires building workers who perform in-person work to show proof of vaccination to their employer.

Beginning July 1, 2022, condominium and cooperative buildings in New York City must begin to pay building workers a prevailing wage or forfeit their eligibility for the Cooperative and Condominium Property Tax Abatement.