In response to the city’s rapid addition of condominiums through rental conversions and new developments, Chicago’s Lakeside Community Development Corporation is offering a comprehensive training program to arm new owners with the ability to self-manage their condo associations and enjoy the full benefits of owning a home.

Lakeside CDC’s training session, titled “Forming and Operating a Small Condominium Association: A Practical Approach for Small Associations in Chicago,” is ideal for newly formed associations or those with a significant number of new officers or directors. 

Proper training is a critical first step in forming and maintaining a functional condo association. This program is essential for associations as it instills proper policies and procedures for increasing the capacity to self-manage.  For developers, having owners trained as an association and ready to take responsibility for the development facilitates smoother transitions and less headaches all around. A strong association can also contribute to better relationships between owners, affirming the notion of community.

The program, which is offered citywide, covers a range of key topics, including:

• How to elect a board, establish responsibilities, and conduct regular meetings;
• How to create maintenance plans and the pros and cons of utilizing an outside management company;
• An explanation of owners/renters responsibilities, assessments, non-collection issues, fair housing laws, and other important rules and regulations;

“So many people jump into condo ownership without realizing how a board of directors works,” said Jill Burgin, a realtor with Prudential Preferred Properties.  “A board of directors has to run independently like a business, but the majority of new condo owners have the renter’s mentality that someone else will take care of the building, which makes a training program like this very helpful.”

Lakeside CDC has provided both training and technical assistance to condominium associations located in neighborhoods such as Rogers Park, Lincoln Square, Uptown, South Shore, and Bronzeville.

“After the training, as newcomers to condominium ownership, the other
owners in my building and I were in full agreement that those few hours
of training had well-positioned us for a smooth and orderly assumption
of the association,” said Errol Horne, a Bronzeville resident who participated in Lakeside CDC’s training session.  “Every association should have access to this training,” he added.

To arrange for one of these comprehensive training sessions, contact Lakeside CDC by telephone at 773-381-5253 or by email at .