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				<title><![CDATA[Cooperator - Articles - 2007 Jun]]></title>
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					  <title><![CDATA[Q&amp;A: Commercial into Residential]]></title>
					  <link>http://cooperator.com/articles/1761/1/QampA-Commercial-into-Residential/Page1.html</link>
					  <description><![CDATA[ We have a two-building, 146-unit cooperative that has a five-hundred-square-foot
 ground floor of commercial rental space. It has been vacant for about a month
 now. We, the board of directors, would like to know: Can this space be
 converted into another cooperative apartment unit? Who would we have to contact
 to make [sure] it is done legally?  ]]></description>
					  <author>no@spam.com (Jeffrey S. Reich, Esq.)</author>
					  <pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:59:14 EST</pubDate>
					 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://cooperator.com/articles/1761/1/QampA-Commercial-into-Residential/Page1.html</guid>
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					  <title><![CDATA[Q&amp;A: Corrupt Management]]></title>
					  <link>http://cooperator.com/articles/1760/1/QampA-Corrupt-Management/Page1.html</link>
					  <description><![CDATA[We&#8217;ve had problems with a corrupt management in the past. I&#8217;m suspicious of our current management and several board members receiving
 kickbacks from vendors. Are there any steps that I can take to find out if this
 is repetition of our previous managing company and possibly board members
 participating in kickbacks? ]]></description>
					  <author>no@spam.com (Stewart E. Wurtzel)</author>
					  <pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:56:37 EST</pubDate>
					 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://cooperator.com/articles/1760/1/QampA-Corrupt-Management/Page1.html</guid>
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					  <title><![CDATA[Q&amp;A: Shareholder vs. Shareholder]]></title>
					  <link>http://cooperator.com/articles/1759/1/QampA-Shareholder-vs-Shareholder/Page1.html</link>
					  <description><![CDATA[&nbsp;In the event that a shareholder has a &ldquo;dispute&rdquo; with another shareholder&mdash;and claims that many other residents of the building have complained regarding
&nbsp;the same issue&mdash;but refuses to provide the names of other complainants&mdash;how should this be handled? In a co-op aren&rsquo;t you legally entitled to discuss complaints with other shareholders in order to
&nbsp;mediate any problems?&nbsp; ]]></description>
					  <author>no@spam.com (Eric M. Goidel)</author>
					  <pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:53:38 EST</pubDate>
					 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://cooperator.com/articles/1759/1/QampA-Shareholder-vs-Shareholder/Page1.html</guid>
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					  <title><![CDATA[Q&amp;A: Unfair Transfer Fees]]></title>
					  <link>http://cooperator.com/articles/1758/1/QampA-Unfair-Transfer-Fees/Page1.html</link>
					  <description><![CDATA[Some members of my co-op board want to change our transfer fees upon sale to
 assign a lower per share fee for those shareholders who purchased after the
 year 2000. Their reasoning is that real estate values decreased after 2000.
 Others on the board argue this is unfair because all the continual fluctuations
 of real estate through past years and of future years to come can&#8217;t possibly be addressed. Also, those who&#8217;ve been here the longest to pay off the mortgage, and have invested and waited
 the longest for our new capital improvements, can&#8217;t be told our shares have lesser value than those of newer shareholders do. Is
 what they are proposing legal? How can we dissuade them from changing the
 transfer fees? What course of action can opposing shareholders take if those
 members of the board decide to implement their ideas?  ]]></description>
					  <author>no@spam.com (Peter G. Goodman)</author>
					  <pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:52:08 EST</pubDate>
					 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://cooperator.com/articles/1758/1/QampA-Unfair-Transfer-Fees/Page1.html</guid>
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					  <title><![CDATA[Q&amp;A: Renovation Fee Woes]]></title>
					  <link>http://cooperator.com/articles/1757/1/QampA-Renovation-Fee-Woes/Page1.html</link>
					  <description><![CDATA[I live in a co-op in Manhattan and am planning to renovate my bathroom. My
 managing agent has informed me that I must pay a $500 fee to file my
 application for the renovation, which seems unusual. The renovation is simple&#8212;to replace tile and install a new toilet and sink. There is no structural work
 being performed, and there are no architect&#8217;s plans. In addition, the co-op wants to hold a check of $6,000 in case of
 damages, which seems very high. Finally, the managing agent who owns remaining
 unsold shares sits on the coop board which seems to be a conflict of interest
 and unethical. My questions are: 1) Is it typical that a fee is imposed by the managing agent, and if so is $500
 typical? 2) Is this $6,000 for damages a typical amount? 3) Is it permissible
 by law and/or is it a conflict of interest for a non-owner managing agent (who
 owns unsold shares) to sit on the board?  ]]></description>
					  <author>no@spam.com (Dennis H. Greenstein, Esq.)</author>
					  <pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:49:15 EST</pubDate>
					 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://cooperator.com/articles/1757/1/QampA-Renovation-Fee-Woes/Page1.html</guid>
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					  <title><![CDATA[Budgeting for New York City&#039;s Future]]></title>
					  <link>http://cooperator.com/articles/1458/1/Budgeting-for-New-York-City039s-Future/Page1.html</link>
					  <description><![CDATA[Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced his $59.0 billion budget plan for Fiscal Year 2008 and presented his updated four-year financial plan for New York City. In preparation for a possible economic slowdown, the mayor's proposal focuses on long-term planning that will help meet budget gaps through FY 2010, and new initiatives to maintain and advance the city's financial health. ]]></description>
					  <author>no@spam.com (Kelly Miner)</author>
					  <pubDate>Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:25:56 EDT</pubDate>
					 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://cooperator.com/articles/1458/1/Budgeting-for-New-York-City039s-Future/Page1.html</guid>
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					  <title><![CDATA[Understanding Apartment/Home Tax Inequity]]></title>
					  <link>http://cooperator.com/articles/1457/1/Understanding-ApartmentHome-Tax-Inequity/Page1.html</link>
					  <description><![CDATA[The old saying goes that the only two sure things in life are death and taxes. According to the experts, for owners of co-ops and condos in New York City, there's a third inevitability: you're going to be taxed at a higher rate than owners of single-family homes. ]]></description>
					  <author>no@spam.com (Crystal Proenza &amp; Anthony Stoeckert)</author>
					  <pubDate>Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:25:40 EDT</pubDate>
					 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://cooperator.com/articles/1457/1/Understanding-ApartmentHome-Tax-Inequity/Page1.html</guid>
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					  <title><![CDATA[City Council Speaker Christine Quinn]]></title>
					  <link>http://cooperator.com/articles/1456/1/City-Council-Speaker-Christine-Quinn/Page1.html</link>
					  <description><![CDATA[You would think that trying to get to know the city's first female Speaker, Christine Quinn, would be difficult when you've only been granted ten minutes in the demanding politician's day. However, in such a short timeframe, Quinn has enough time to come across as focused, passionate, confident and proud of her achievements since taking office in January 2006. She also readily admits and recognizes the challenges that she still faces, especially on the topic of affordable housing. ]]></description>
					  <author>no@spam.com (Lisa Iannucci)</author>
					  <pubDate>Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:25:23 EDT</pubDate>
					 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://cooperator.com/articles/1456/1/City-Council-Speaker-Christine-Quinn/Page1.html</guid>
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					  <title><![CDATA[Co-op and Condo-Related Legislation]]></title>
					  <link>http://cooperator.com/articles/1455/1/Co-op-and-Condo-Related-Legislation/Page1.html</link>
					  <description><![CDATA[Legislatures are in session, both in the city and in Albany, and, as always, housing is a hot issue. What bills should co-op and condo board members, managers and owners be looking at that may impact their residences? ]]></description>
					  <author>no@spam.com (Raanan Geberer)</author>
					  <pubDate>Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:24:45 EDT</pubDate>
					 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://cooperator.com/articles/1455/1/Co-op-and-Condo-Related-Legislation/Page1.html</guid>
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					  <title><![CDATA[Avoiding Legal Nightmares]]></title>
					  <link>http://cooperator.com/articles/1454/1/Avoiding-Legal-Nightmares/Page1.html</link>
					  <description><![CDATA[We all have nightmares. Whether it's hungry sharks nipping at our feet or shadowy figures lurking in the woods, there will always be things that wake us in the middle of the night. If you're a co-op or condo owner, manager or board member, your nightmares may be a bit more specific; perhaps they involve feuding board members, or contractors gone awry, or worst of all, a tangled web of litigation that gets more snarled the more you try to free yourself. ]]></description>
					  <author>no@spam.com (Liz Lent)</author>
					  <pubDate>Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:23:35 EDT</pubDate>
					 <guid isPermaLink="true">http://cooperator.com/articles/1454/1/Avoiding-Legal-Nightmares/Page1.html</guid>
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