Condominium unit owners, board members, and community association representatives from across the Commonwealth gathered at the Radisson Hotel in Chelmsford to hear six experts discuss issues facing our community association clients. The experts included a property management professional, two condominium attorneys, an insurance executive, an engineer and a certified public accountant. Questions spanned the realm of the practical and the unique, voicing concerns such as:
- Can we prohibit smoking in the common areas?
- What amounts can we collect in connection with unpaid assessments?
- What is the status of the “super” priority lien in Massachusetts?
- How should we enforce our documents?
- How do we best deal with unit owner disputes?
- Does an association need to have a certificate of election for the trustees recorded?
- Can fines be treated as condominium fees pursuant to the “super” lien statute?
- Can you prevent unit owners from utilizing the common areas if they have not paid their condo fees?
Board members appeared to benefit not only from the experts, but also from sharing their experiences with each other. An additional benefit for the P&A Staff was the opportunity to interact socially with a number of familiar faces as well as new participants – many of whom commented on the value of the program.
Of course, the real highlight of the event was when, first thing in the morning, Attorney Charlie Perkins led the P&A Team and the audience in a performance of his song “C.C.A.I.”, a parody of the Village People song “Y.M.C.A”. It set the tone for an upbeat and productive program.
P.S. For answers to the above questions or any other related issues, please do not hesitate to email Attorney Eriksen at [email protected]