1. Make sure you’re prepared for snow and ice even if the Association takes care of your walks and/or driveway.  They can’t be there every minute to treat the ice, so to protect yourself from liability, supplement the ice melt treatments.  If you are responsible as a homeowner for your driveways and walks, take care to keep them free from snow and ice as best you can.
2. Schedule your chimney and flue inspections to keep fireplaces safe.  Many associations have rules requiring periodic inspections.  They are important to avoid fires so take this precaution whether required by your association or not.  Add dryer vents as well because they are a real hazard during every season.
3. Make sure your carbon monoxide detectors work.  This is required by code, but is especially important during the cold weather when heating systems and fireplaces are used.
4. If your association allows generators, make sure they are set up and vented properly to avoid the effects of carbon monoxide.
5. If you require medical care or treatment, make arrangements to deal with medical emergencies.  Make sure you association or a neighbor has emergency contact information just in case.
6. Similarly, if you are a snowbird and will not be around in the winter, make sure you winterize your home to prevent unexpected damage or legal liability for frozen/broken pipes.
7. Be vigilant—ice damming occurs in the winter months and the resulting leaks are sometimes undetected until there is serious damage.  Be aware of what is going on with your home—make regular observations to catch problems while still small and manageable.

By Loren Rosenberg Lightman, Esq.

A new law amending New Jersey’s Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law changes the schedules for inspections of multiple dwellings throughout the state. While a primary purpose of the law is to allow for flexible inspections for substandard apartment buildings, the law also encompasses multiple dwellings including condominiums and cooperatives. This flexibility is potentially good news for some multiple dwelling owners and perhaps not as positive news for others.

Prior to the amendment, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Bureau of Housing Inspection inspected multiple dwellings in the state every five (5) years. Depending on the findings from the initial inspection, there would either be a follow-up inspection or there would not be another inspection until the next 5-year cycle. Under the new law, there is now a “flexible” inspection process that will potentially lessen the frequency of multiple dwelling inspections. The law goes into effect immediately and is applicable to the next new inspection cycle for each multiple dwelling.

By Caroline Record, Esq., CCAL

Effective January 1, 2019, the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code, State Fire Prevention Code, was amended to require that all multiple dwellings have an approved 10-year sealed battery single station alarm installed. The proposed reason for this change is that a battery cannot then be used for another purpose, or not changed for an extended period of time, thereby reducing the number of non-working smoke alarms in a building. Thus, any existing smoke alarms that may use a 9-volt battery must be replaced with a 10-year sealed lithium battery type alarm. If the smoke detector is hard-wired, it will not have to be replaced. Likewise, any carbon monoxide detector does not need to be replaced unless it is combined with a non-hard-wired smoke detector.

After January 1, 2019, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) will be citing those units which do not have the new, required alarms, during its 5-year inspections. Therefore, all unit owners must be advised that their smoke alarms must be replaced. In addition, upon the resale or rental of a unit/home after January 1 date, the new smoke alarms will be required.

For more information, please click here to read the DCA press release.

For more information on this or any other issue concerning your community association, please contact one of our Community Associations attorneys. For breaking news or updates on new blog posts, follow us on Twitter at: @njcondolaw, on Facebook at: njcondolaw, and on LinkedIn at: Hill Wallack Community Association Attorneys.

Hill Wallack LLP Partner Michael S. Karpoff, Esq. will speak on “Disabled Residents and the Law Against Discrimination: Reasonable Modifications of Facilities and Accommodations of Rules and Policies” at the 2012 Community Association Law Summit. This seminar is presented in cooperation with the New Jersey Chapter of the Community Associations Institute and the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section.

The summit will be held at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on Thursday, December 6, 2012, and has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 6.8 hours of CLE credit, of which 1.0 qualify for ethics/professionalism credit. CLE credit is also available for PA and NY.

For more information on this seminar or to register to attend, please click here.

Hill Wallack LLP Partner Michael S. Karpoff, Esq. will speak during an educational seminar titled “Working with the Directors – Getting along with the DCA” at the 2012 CAI-NJ Conference & Expo.” The seminar will cover the Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Act inspections, Construction Code violations, and Alternative Dispute Resolution compliance.

This educational seminar is part of the 2012 CAI-NJ Conference & Expo, which is being held on Saturday, October 27, 2012 at the NJ Convention & Expo Center, located at 97 Sunfield Avenue Edison, New Jersey. The theme of this year’s Conference is “Shine – Be a Star with CAI-NJ.”

In addition, Hill Wallack LLP’s Community Association Practice Group will be exhibiting at the 2012 CAI-NJ Conference & Expo. Come visit us at Booth 807 and drop your business card for a chance to win a NOOK Simple Touch.

For more information on this educational seminar or to register to attend the  2012 CAI-NJ Conference & Expo, please click here.