Building History

The current building at 12 Inman Street was constructed circa 1962. It was converted to condominium residences circa 1973.

Building Layout and Common Areas

The building has six stories of residences. The floor plan for each is the same. Each floor has 2 two bedroom units (one at each end), 2 one bedroom units (with entrances near the stairwells), and 1 studio unit (across the hall from the elevator doors).

The lobby level has a common lobby area, a rental unit (734 sq. ft.) , a laundry area with two washers and three dryers, and a sauna and shower room. A wash cycle takes about 40 minutes. The dryer runs for about 60 minutes. Each washer and each dryer requires 6 quarters ($ 1.50 each).

The basement area provides one storage cubicle for each unit. It is recommended that you do not store anything in these cubicles that you are not prepared to have disappear.

The roof has a common roof deck accessible from one of the two stairwells. Please do not venture beyond the wooden deck as severe and costly damage may occur to the rubberized roof material.

Building Government

The building government is run by a board of trustees formed by unit owners. This board is selected each year at an  annual owners' meeting in January. The board has general legislative, executive, and judicial powers. It is the board's responsibility to decide on matters dealing with building upkeep, maintenance, budget, and parking, within the rules established by the building by-laws. The board meets on the second Wednesday of every fourth month (unless rescheduled or more frequent meetings are necessary). All unit owners are welcome and encouraged to attend board meetings. A general owners' meeting is held each January. All unit owners and residents may provide suggestions and questions to the board via written communication, e-mail, or the Comments Page on this website.


Building Maintenance

The building is professionally managed by Go Management. The company's responsibilities include overseeing all upkeep and maintenance functions, collecting condominiums dues, paying bills, and generating required accounting paperwork. Our contact with Go Management is Mr. Raphael Gottesman. Please phone Go Management at 617-354-1011 if you become aware of a maintenance problem. Please do not call for non-emergency services on nights or weekends, as this may result in extra expenses for the association. Please be aware that some maintenance items are the fiscal responsibility of individual unit owners. If you have a question about this, please ask Go Management before any work is contracted.

Condo Fees 

All condominium fees are payable to the Austin Court Condo Association, and should be mailed to

    Austin Court Condo Association
    c/o GO Management
    2534 Massachusetts Avenue
    Cambridge, MA 02140

Please note that there is an interest charge of 1.5% per month on all outstanding payments due to the association.

Trash Pick-up

Each Friday morning, the City of Cambridge DPW will pick up trash that is left by the Bishop Allen side of the building. This service is paid for by our tax dollars. Please note: If there is a holiday during the week, trash pick up will be on Saturday morning.

Parking

There are 22 rental parking spaces under the building. Spaces are not deeded to particular units. They are held in a common pool and are assigned by seniority. Owners have first rights to the spaces for personal use. Renters have second rights to the spaces. Both renters and owners who desire spaces need to put their names on the list held by Go Management. Trespassers will be towed at the car owner's expense.

Heat

It is very important that unit residents do not allow their heat pipes to freeze in the winter time. Heat pipes may burst and result in severe damage to the unit, and units below. Thermostats may not accurately predict the minimum temperature in a unit. Unit residents must learn the appropriate setting of their own thermostat to ensure that heat will be received in their unit on cold nights. Please do not leave your unit for any period of time without having the thermostat set so that the heat will go on in your unit.

ACCA Board of Trustees Information Transfer Procedures

Running this building is a lot like running a business, or having a successful marriage; it requires concern, commitment, communication, and consensus. Many owners and residents have excellent ideas of to improve the environment of the building; but do not know how best to communicate these ideas to the people who can do something about it. What follows is an outline of the most effective information transfer procedures.

1) Verbal Transmittal: Verbal transmittal of information to a board member is one means of beginning the information interchange. However, it is not the best means for assuring that actions will be taken. Your idea reaches only one board member and there is no documentation of your idea.

2) Written Communication; Written communication of your idea is an acceptable means of information interchange. Your message will be shared with all board members and filed for reference.  Also, please sign and date your entries so we know who to contact if we need further information. If you have already approached the management company about the specific issue please include this information in your note. If you would like a personal reply to your input, please state so. To date, many useful suggestions have been received and acted upon. Keep up the good work!

3) E-Mail: E-mail is the preferred means of communicating with the board. You can send your message to any individual member of the board or to the board as a whole. The e-mail addresses of each of the board members, as well as an e-mail address for the board as a whole, are listed on the Trustees Page.

4) The Feedback Page on this Website: Feel free to send your comments to the entire board by filling out the Comment Form on this website.

5) Calls to the Management Company: If you become aware of a maintenance problem in the building please call the management company (Go Management, Mr. Raphael Gottesman, 617-354-1011). Please state whether the problem is an emergency or not (to the best of your knowledge) and include your name and phone number if you must leave a message. Do not call after hours or on the weekend if the issue is not an emergency (we may be charged for non-necessary services).

6) Cleaning Suggestions:  Keep in mind that the cleaning service comes only once a week and thus the building can not always be kept in top shape (unless, of course, all residents help to clean up any messes they make between cleaning periods).

Thank you for your continued efforts,