2000 Feb
2000 Feb Vol. 20, No. 2
Focus on...Management/Board Relations
Settling Co-op Disputes?
Over two decades ago, an amendment to the New York City Civil Court Act transferred enforcement proceedings connected with housing to the Civil Court. This amendment established what we now know as housing court, where residential landlord and tenant disputes could be resolved. Since a co-op shareholder is, in effect, a tenant of the apartment corporation and executes a proprietary lease (in which the rights and responsibilities of both the corporation and the shareholder are set forth), use of the housing court is available to the co-op in the event of a breach of a shareholder’s obligation. At the present time, each New York City borough has its own housing court. Despite some of the problems with delays and shortage of available courtrooms, co-op issues continue to be resolved in housing court alongside landlord-tenant disputes. Read More
Battery Park City
It’s a corner of New York City where the Hudson River kisses the shore and majestic towers reach to the sky. It’s a place where business professionals make multi-million dollar deals and parents raise their children. It’s a place to dine with friends, shop and take a stroll. It’s a quiet oasis with brilliant sunsets and salty breezes. Read More
Are You Prepared?
Annual shareholders’ meetings are in our midst. It takes a lot for a board to prepare for the spring occasion, but if thoughtfully planned by a building’s board and managing agent, it can become a successful forum for board elections, the dissemination of news concerning the building, and for shareholders to air their concerns. According to Steven Wagner, a partner at the Manhattan law firm Wagner, Davis & Gold, everything a board needs to know about running an annual meeting is stated in the building’s bylaws. Wagner explains, "The annual shareholder’s meeting is run according to a recipe, found in the larger cookbook of building bylaws. To learn how to run a shareholder’s annual meeting, just follow the recipe." Read More
Avoid Building Catastrophes
It’s three o’clock in the morning and your building’s boiler has just broken down. Your property manager is woken from his sleep by a phone call from the superintendent telling him that there’s a catastrophe at hand. You’re left shivering in your apartment while those hired to protect your home scurry to manage the crisis. Could this have been avoided? Read More
Large vs. Small
Peculiar as it may sound, the union of a building and management company can be likened to a marriage: the mate that suits you best might be incompatible with your friend. Likewise, a management company that works well for one building might not work for another. "Each co-op building is like a different human being," says Greg Carlson, president of Carlson Realty Inc., a co-op management and consulting firm in Queens. "Each one’s needs may be different." Read More
Cover Story: The Changing Face of New York
New York City is in a constant state of flux. At no time was this better illustrated than during the recent New Year’s Eve celebrations. Photographs of Times Square celebrations past were constantly flashed across television screens, but what Times Square was this? With the exception of the Paramount Building at 1501 Broadway, there was barely a recognizable landmark to be found. Were it not for the geographical layout of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, many of our older citizens would be hard-pressed to identify the theater district of 1940 with the millennial melee of 2000. Read More
