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Board/Management Relations
The Co-op Manager Shortage
The horror stories abound: Ivy Leaguers flipping fries. Dot-com darlings begging for work. A six percent unemployment rate. It's no secret that the New York job market is in the intensive care unit right now. So then how is it possible that co-op management agencies are taking out full-page wanted ads and offering hefty signing bonuses for qualified (and sometimes even less-than-qualified) recruits? Read More
Board/Building Harmony
As an attorney who represents co-op boards, building managers and shareholders, one sometimes wonders if the expression—“ You can’t please all the people all of the time” best applies to the idea of creating harmony between these parties. However, I believe that there is hope and that you can try to please more of the people more of the time, if you just listen to what they are saying and respond promptly. Read More
Noise, Graffiti and a Greener Environment
In its last meeting of 2005, the New York City Council
enacted legislation to make the city a quieter, cleaner and more
environmentally-friendly place to live. Perhaps one of the major
initiatives sought by the mayor’s office was revising the
city’s 30-year old noise code. Honking horns, noisy refuse trucks,
construction clamor, boom boxes and car alarms are just some of the
undeniable facts of life in living in the city that never sleeps. However,
residents may sleep a little quieter when that outdoor noise, music and
even barking dogs are muzzled by new restrictions that carry fines ranging
from $50 to $8,000 depending on the nature of the offense.
Read More
While You Were Out
Mel Garskof is thrilled about the lobby makeover that
will happen in the coming year at the Kips Bay area cooperative building
where he lives. The public halls will be renovated, including new wallpaper
and carpet, doors will be repainted, new molding will be applied and the
spacious lobby will be reconfigured to include mailboxes and additional
security measures.
Read More
Strategies of Success
Property managers have a lot on their minds. There are
board meetings to attend, legal issues to wade through, phone calls to
return, emails to answer and a constant parade of maintenance issues to
contend with at any given time. The job is tough -- especially if the
person with the job is interested in going above and beyond the call of
duty. What are the qualities of a good property manager? And what makes a
good manager great?
Read More
The Long and Short of It
Every co-op or condo community in New York City has its own personality and character, from the tiny 20-unit brownstone co-ops of the West Village to the towering modern high-rises of the Upper East Side. The wide range of sizes, demographics, expectations, and overall building personalities poses a special challenge to managing agents, whose portfolios might include both a 20-unit prewar and a 200-unit high-rise. Read More
Avoiding Management Mistakes
Mistakes happen - they're part of everybody's learning curve. There are plenty of opportunities to make mistakes in the course of running a residential building; in nearly three decades in the building operations field, I've both made and been witness to quite a few of them myself. The trick, however, is to minimize the impact of our mistakes and make sure we don't make the same one more than once. Below you'll find a short list of some of the mistakes I've seen happen again and again in buildings all over the city, along with tips on how to avoid such problems in your own building community. Read More
Disseminating Information
There's a lot of paperwork that's involved in running a co-op or condo building - everything from financial records to legal documents, shareholder correspondence and management statements from board meetings - and it's important that the documents are available to the board and shareholders when needed. While it's up to the managing agent to keep this material organized and secure, sometimes copies of the paperwork can also be found in the co-op office itself. Read More
The Debate Goes On
Six years ago, a scandal rocked the New York State real estate management industry for the second time in a decade. Thirty management company owners, agents and contractors were indicted for taking kickbacks for contract work at many New York City co-ops and condo buildings. Read More
