2000 Aug
2000 Aug Vol. 20, No. 8
Focus on...Insurance
Survey Says!
Manhattan’s Upper East Side, at least in the prime real estate areas, is chock-full of parks and greenery, but lacks a convenient subway line. Wall Street area residents, on the other hand, have great subway accessibility–but not much of anything else. Read More
Enforcing House Rules
Building house rules are the "Thou shalt not’s" of the co-op and condo world. Unlike the proprietary lease or bylaws, which cover operational and administrative matters, the house rules cover behavior of the residents–you know, the types of situations that arise when more than one person lives in the same building… Read More
Terminating Sponsor Leases
Many New York City co-ops have garages leased to the sponsor dating back to the co-op’s conversion. Though these garages, described by one judge as "a veritable gold-mine," throw off riches mostly to the sponsor, a little-known federal statute gives co-ops the right to reclaim the benefit of garage ownership–namely, the high rents the garages generate–and an important recent decision of a federal appeals court has just made it easier to do. Read More
Necessity or Luxury?
One might assume that the insurance policies carried by a building would cover any mishaps that would affect residents. This, however, is a misconception. A co-op corporation or condo association takes responsibility for the structural aspects of the building. They are also responsible for the common areas of the building, including the lobby, hallways, stairs, elevators, and other areas shared by the building’s occupants. However, "every [co-op or condo] owner needs to have their own insurance," states David L. Mittleman, a principal at The Oberman Companies, an insurance brokerage firm in White Plains, New York. An apartment dweller needs insurance as much as any homeowner. Read More
Better Safe then Sorry
New York City is currently enjoying a period of prosperity and low crime rates. However, no matter how safe a building appears to be, it is important that the board doesn’t relax building security. If a building isn’t adequately secured, it risks the safety of its residents, making itself vulnerable to lawsuits. To prevent the worst from happening, buildings and their boards should have a strong security system, as well as ample insurance coverage, to protect them if faced with a lawsuit. Read More
Don't Learn the Hard Way
Insurance is always a "hot-button" topic among co-op corporations and condo association boards. Since insurance is an annual expense that is not mandated by a union contract or a city tax assessment, many boards regularly "shop" their coverage to lower a controllable expense. Yet, insurance often represents only a very small percentage of a building’s operating costs. Thus, boards could be found negligent if they fail to have adequate coverage to meet an emergency. [Such a negligence claim would be covered by Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance, incidentally.] Read More
