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Shopping is the hallmark of the holiday season, but the influx of packages can make any condominium association struggle to stay organized. Discover ways to handle holiday packages with ease by asking four simple questions.

Everything is bigger in Texas & sometimes even hurricanes. And during hurricane season, being a board member for a residential community in the Houston area can bring some big challenges, too. To help get you and your community ready and reduce the effects if a hurricane does strike, we've put together six important tips.

Whether you live in a high-rise condominium in Austin, a gated community in San Antonio or an active adult community near Dallas, emergencies happen. As seen in the media over the past few years, such emergencies all may involve active shooters. Do you or your management team know what to do to protect residents in an active shooter situation?

A leak in a high-rise condominium can quickly result in expensive water damage. How can you reduce your risk and be better prepared if your building springs a leak?

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.

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.

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.

It's easy to get enthusiastic about holiday decorating. How do you keep your residents from going overboard without being a scrooge? Read on for simple tips to keep holidays in your community merry!

Every condominium corporation needs rules and policies. But if your condo board doesn’t carefully think them through or doesn’t implement them properly, they can backfire. Rules that go too far or enforcement that is inconsistent or lax can lead to animosity among residents and can chip away at your condo’s sense of community. How can your board implement rules and policies that won’t cause these types of problems?

As a board member of a condominium corporation you have an important role that should not be taken lightly. Remember, in addition to the responsibility you have to the members of your community from a business point of view, these people are also your neighbours and friends.

When people live in close quarters, it is inevitable that they will hear sounds from neighbouring condos from time to time. Noise between units can be minimized in many ways. One of the most effective tools for a condominium board to implement is a flooring policy that guides owners when they want to replace their floor coverings. Choosing the right products makes a big difference when it comes to the transfer of noise between condominium units.

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.

We all know that “organizing paperwork” is not at the top of most people’s list of things-to-do. Most likely we also know that it suddenly achieves high importance when we have to ask ourselves “now where did I see/put that?” When speaking of the documents of a condominium corporation, it is imperative that these be accessible and up-to-date when they are needed. These six guidelines will help you get it organized.

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.

Lights, candles and wreaths, oh my! The most decorated season of the year is arriving, with celebrations from many cultures and faiths coinciding in the next few months. For condo communities, the desire to deck the halls can clash with the rules of the corporation. Follow these tips to maintain a festive community without décor running amok.

Are residents in your condominium corporation always aware of upcoming events, construction projects and board meetings? Do they understand their responsibilities and the policies they need to comply with?

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.

Community committees allow residents to become involved in the activities of their condominium. They can also help reduce the work load for the volunteer board. In order to function properly though, committees do need structure and board guidance. These eight tips will help to ensure your committees make positive contributions to the community and are aligned with board goals.

The term “conflict of interest” is often used when discussing board member activities, but it is one that is not always understood. Having a clear definition of what is and what is not a conflict of interest is critical to a board as it carries out its duties on behalf of the rest of the owners.

There are so many things to enjoy about living in a condominium community. Among them are the sense of community, the great amenities and the high standards. However, if your condo corporation’s finances aren’t stable, none of it is possible.

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.