2009 Jan
Focus on... Management/Board Relations

Management Relations Making the Grade
2009 Jan Making the Grade

No matter what the job—be it flipping burgers at a chain restaurant or running a multinational investment firm—employees should be given periodic reviews of their performance to assess how they’re doing and identify both their strengths…

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Management Relations Management  and Board Relations
2009 Jan Management and Board Relations

Building boards and their managing agents function best when they work together as a team. Ideally, the two parties collaborate to implement policy, carry out administrative duties, and make decisions about the efficient operation of the…

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Management Relations How Companies Can Stay Competitive
2009 Jan How Companies Can Stay Competitive

In a competitive industry, management companies must continuously find ways to retain current clients while honing an edge that makes them appealing to new customers. This is especially true in these tough economic times, as many indiv…

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Management Relations New York City Professionals Weigh in
2009 Jan New York City Professionals Weigh in

Last January, not even television psychic, Ms. Cleo, could have predicted the events that were set to unfold in 2008. With the unraveling of the economy that we’ve already heard quite a bit about and forecasts for a gloomy start to 2009…

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Management Relations Next Generation Property Management
2009 Jan Next Generation Property Management

Remember Stanley Roper from the 1970’s sitcom Three’s Company? To some, he might still be their idea of a property manager—the upstairs landlord or the guy you’d call when your plumbing’s on the fritz. And indeed, when the plumbing in you…

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Management Relations Hiring the Pros Who know
2009 Jan Hiring the Pros Who know

Tax time is coming soon, and a time no one really enjoys will likely be even less fun thanks to the current recession. In the case of condo and co-op buildings however, accountants and attorneys may be able to help the communities they…

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Management Relations The Least Popular Decision
2009 Jan The Least Popular Decision

The boards of some co-op and condo buildings pride themselves on not raising their monthly maintenance fees for years at a time. At first glance, this might seem like a good thing—after all, low fees are appreciated by residents and can…

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Management Relations Handling Sub-Par Maintenance
2009 Jan Handling Sub-Par Maintenance

In most buildings—even otherwise well-run, well-managed ones—building staff and administration can sometimes get a little bit lax in their day-to-day maintenance duties. Equipment doesn’t get serviced. Paint peels. Dust and dirt accumula…

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Q&A Q&A: Sponsor's Role in Board Voting
2009 Jan Q&A: Sponsor's Role in Board Voting

Q My question is about the co-op’s building sponsor. I understand the building is owned by each shareholder and that they vote in a board to run the corporation. How does the sponsor factor into all of this? Is the sponsor part owner a…

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Q&A Q&A: Board Refusing to Fix Leaky Roof
2009 Jan Q&A: Board Refusing to Fix Leaky Roof

Q I am a shareholder in an eight-unit co-op in Brooklyn. The board is composed of all eight owners, of which there are four officers. My apartment is on the top floor, and over the past few years I have sustained over one dozen water l…

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Q&A Q&A: One Name or Two?
2009 Jan Q&A: One Name or Two?

Q I’d like to ask about the transfer tax in co-ops. I have been living in a co-op unit with my brother for 11 years. It is currently under both of our names, but now I want to change it to my name only. How does the transfer tax figure…

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