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Neighborhood Watch programs can provide significant benefits to communities – after all, they boost community awareness, communication and involvement, while reducing opportunities for neighborhood crimes to occur. But if you’re interested in getting started, there are many important factors to consider. Here’s an overview.

Whether you’re on the board of a single-family homeowners association (HOA) or a high-rise condo association, your community depends on volunteers to operate successfully. However, finding residents who are willing to be on your board of directors, join a committee or help at an event can be challenging.

We’ve got the scoop on how to get a mortgage loan, so read on for our top six tips to increase your chances.

Chances are, you joined the board at your HOA or condo because you’re extremely passionate about the community and want to improve the experience of the other residents within it. Part of adding value to residents in your community is offering classes and programs for them to participate in to get to know their neighbors and offer opportunities for them to stay happy and healthy. Read on to find some suggestions for great virtual programs for communities like yours.

We all know that there's a lot of paperwork in the home buying process. If the home you want to buy is in a managed community of any kind, a resale package, including your resale certificate and governing documents, is part of that paperwork. Resale certificates and packages offer transparency about the community and whether or not the sellers are current in their financial obligations to the association.

Service dogs can help individuals with a variety of disabilities enjoy a greater quality of life and assist in performing daily tasks. What happens when your association’s policies and the need for a service animal conflict? The short answer is, if a service animal is needed and used as outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the community cannot prohibit it.

For many of us, the holiday season can feel like a continuous run on a treadmill of work/shop/repeat – with a few parties and social engagements sprinkled in just to spice things up – and complicate your schedule.

Your community or condominium association is there to protect the interests of all of its members. However, there may be situations when one or more residents don’t believe that the association is on their side. Hopefully, everyone involved can come to a reasonable solution, but if you can’t, it’s possible that your association – and even your board members – could become the target of a lawsuit.

You may be unaware that you are opening up all of your emails to scrutiny. When using a personal or work email address to conduct association business, there is a potential liability involved.

Nothing lasts forever…and when it comes time to replace your high-rise roof, community pool or to add new amenities, your association will need to determine how to pay for it. All of these things – significant repairs and replacements, as well as new construction – are considered capital improvements.

Part of your job as a board member is ensuring the safety of residents in your community association. To that end, it’s important to educate homeowners about possible fire risks and the steps they can take to prevent fire hazards in their homes. Chances are that fire safety isn’t top of mind for residents. However, home fires are more common than most people realize.

Insurance is one of the most important line items on your association's budget, but it is oftentimes the most expensive. Do you know how to select the right agent?

Your fiduciary responsibility is the most important commitment to fellow homeowners. Learn cost containment strategies that can save your association money.

Every community can expect to experience negligent or careless guests who will either cause a ruckus, or worse, damage association property. When that happens, deciding who should be held responsible for their actions can create a delicate – and potentially volatile – situation. Oftentimes, Boards may go after the owner, but they shouldn’t forge full-steam ahead without some sort of ammunition.

Does it sometimes sound like your upstairs neighbors are bowling in their living room? Noises from above can be disruptive, but they might not be entirely your neighbor's fault.

Estoppel certificates are a critical part of any real estate transaction and can be confusing. What's included, how are they created, what does it all mean? Learn more here.

How can you ensure that your association’s parking rules are fair and easy to understand and follow? Here are 6 essential questions to ask before you create or enforce parking policies.

When it comes to service dogs and assistance animals, people often confuse the Federal American with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the Federal Fair Housing Act (FHA). Learn more about FHA and ADA laws here!

Earlier in the summer, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) announced a proposed 19.6% workers' compensation rate increase, concerning community associations and its impact on labor costs.

The holidays are a time of joy, cheer, softly twinkling lights and tasteful wreaths, but holiday decorations mean different things to different people. Learn four ways to manage this!

Now that you've crafted a vision for what you want your community to be and created policies to support that vision, how do you enforce those policies?

Discover how your community’s vision ties into both creating and enforcing policies among your residents and homeowners.

Lifestyle communities are becoming one of the fastest growing sectors. Here are five of the most common considerations that go into choosing the right lifestyle community.

In June, the Miami Beach City Commission unanimously approved an ordinance to increase the city's minimum wage. First proposed by Mayor Philip Levine, it will take effect on January 1, 2018.