2007 Nov
2007 Nov Vol. 27, No. 11
Focus on...Building Systems Maintenance
Restoring Buildings After Emergencies
Apartment buildings, whether cooperatives or condos, are inherently fragile. When that many units share the same plot of land, and the same walls, the same floors, the same elevators and stairways, standpipes and boilers, lobbies and roofs, disasters—whether broken water pipes or the tragic in the case of decomposing bodies, fatal fires or building explosions—have the potential to spread quickly. Thus, when something nasty befalls a building, the first order of business is to contain the problem. Read More
Duct and Air System Upkeep
It creeps in silently and is everywhere at once. It is totally invisible to the naked eye, but often carries potentially dangerous materials. It can cause sickness and discomfort without ever being detected. What on earth could it be? Read More
Electrical Demands Call for Building Upgrades
A few generations ago, even the largest residential buildings had basic electrical needs, such as lighting the building and running some washing machines. Residents back then generally only had a TV, a radio, some lamps and a few kitchen appliances. Until not long ago, older residential buildings that were constructed more than a century ago and electrified later were able to provide enough power for their residents' needs. Read More
Management in Crisis
Every property manager has a horror story or two—or three, or four, or forty-seven—about the sub-zero winter night when the boiler in a 400-unit high-rise went kaput, or what happened when the sprinkler system decided to turn on for no discernible reason and drenched several newly-remodeled hallways, or the spring rainstorms that helpfully revealed the dire condition of the building's World War II-era roof by flooding the penthouse owner's collection of Picassos. Even the best-maintained buildings sometimes experience what might be called maintenance meltdowns, and when disaster strikes, it's up to the management, board and building staff to get things under control and back on track as quickly as possible. Read More
How to Deal with Urban Construction
Say that you and your neighbors have been living a quiet, peaceful life on your tree-lined city block for years and years. Suddenly, you see construction workers digging in that vacant lot next to your condo or co-op building. So you go down to the city offices—or these days, go online—and find out that some Read More
How Boards and Residents Can Reduce Noise
New York City is known as the city that never sleeps—and for good reason: the city noise can be enough to keep anyone awake 24/7. In a city packed with millions of people, who often live in tight quarters, New York City residents experience noise pollution from both external sources (construction, for example) as well as within residential buildings. Recent regulations have been introduced to address noise within the city. In addition, there are steps boards, shareholders and residents can take to lessen the amount of noise within co-ops and condos. Read More
The Bronx-Manhattan North Association of Realtors
You know that old adage, "It's not what you know but who you know that makes the difference." By joining trade organizations, you have an opportunity to get to know more people and network, and you can become an invaluable source of information and support to others.
Read More
Williamsburg's Most Recent Reinvention
Over the past 15 years, freelance photographer Simon
Russell and his wife, Ann Delilkan, worked hard to make a home out of their
small basement-level apartment on MacDougal Street. Read More
Automated Parking Makes its Debut
In a cramped city crawling with cars, a parking lot or garage is a gold-plated amenity for a New York City co-op or condo. Just as we need a place to lay our heads, we also need a place to stable our precious sedans and SUVs. Adequate parking is an important selling point to potential residents, a perk to current residents and a possible source of revenue for the building if extra spots are available. Read More
Smart Buying in New Construction
Everyone's heard the old saying about how "They don't make 'em like they used to" applied to everything from cars to appliances. But does the same hold true for residential buildings? A spirited debate surrounds the issue of whether today's glass-and-steel (or zinc, or titanium) condo towers are less well made than the stone-and-mortar edifices raised at the turn of the last century. Read More
Creating a Seasonal Plan
One of the most confusing subjects of property management is maintenance. Engineers make it such with fancy names to various types of maintenance, such as "Reliability Maintenance," "Routine Maintenance," "Predictive Maintenance" and "Total Productive Maintenance" to mention a few. These are new buzzwords found in the maintenance jargon today and they may very well fit for manufacturing plants but not for residential buildings. Read More
A Ten Item Punchlist
When a client hires a general contractor to build or renovate property, that company is legally responsible for completing all of that work. The contractor may go out and hire different companies or subcontractors to help execute that work, but the prime contractor still remains liable, and the subcontractors are liable to the general contractor, not the client. Subcontractors have what is called "privity of contract" with the general contractor. The general contractor also has privity of contract with the client. Read More
Q&A: Problem Selling Unit
I am a shareholder at a 49-unit co-op in Manhattan. For the past five years we’ve had a vacant unit on the third floor as a result of excessive noise emanating from the apartment above. The past and present boards have not initiated any type of action in regards to the loss of income that the unit represents for the corporation. What can the board do in this regard? And what is the corporate responsibility to shareholders? What actions can the shareholder take to end this? Read More
Q&A: Limit on Fee Raise?
I have a question about raising the maintenance fees on a condo. Is there any set limit or percentage? Case in point—our maintenance fee has been the same for 17 years. Now the board of managers has raised it 40 percent. I was paying $307.11 and will now pay $419.43. Is such a jump allowed? Plus, I was not aware of a meeting held where this was discussed. Is the board allowed to implement this change without owners’ approval? Read More
Q&A: Nit-Picking?
Our condo has prohibited the use of doormats. They say they are a hazard. Is this legal? How can we fight this nit-picking rule? Read More
Q&A: Past President, Present Blame
I’m a past president and current shareholder of a co-op. The current board is saying—that two years ago when I was president—I am responsible for decisions that the majority board decided back then. My apartment is for sale and the board is demanding payment of some of the expenses the board incurred two years ago before they will approve an interested buyer. All invoices and contracts I signed were done after either a majority board or shareholder vote. And all bills were paid via assessments or out of our holding account. What are my options? Read More
Q&A: Elevator Out of Service
I live on the fourth floor of a condominium project, and management has advised that they will shut down the elevators for two months. They claim they will arrange to have staff assist people with carrying up groceries, etc. However, I have a bad back and cannot walk up or down stairs—especially four floors. Read More
Q&A: Shareholder Preventing Sale
We have a shareholder who has posted notices around our co-op that condemn the co-op and the board. They are in plain view of potential buyers. When the buyers read these notices, they refuse to even look at the available unit that we have. The real estate agent is embarrassed and takes the potential buyer to other co-ops with available units. What can we, the co-op board, do in this case with the offender? Can he be evicted for interfering with the operations of the co-op? Read More
Q&A: Sporadic Noise Problem
From downstairs at times I can hear the kids who live in the apartment above me jumping around. The owner has a rug down sometimes, but not at others. The board president has hardwood floors, even though it says in the bylaws that they’re supposed to have 80 percent carpeting. Is there something you can do about sporadic noise? Impact noise? Any remedy? I talked to an acoustical engineer and when the floors are put down there is supposed to be some sort of soundproofing and it’s possible when this building was constructed it wasn’t there. Read More
