2009 Feb
Focus on... Board/Shareholder Relations

Shareholder Relations Avoiding Court, Limiting Costs
2009 Feb Avoiding Court, Limiting Costs

Turn on daytime television and you might get a false impression that people like to go to court to work out their differences. There are so many cookie-cutter judicial shows like “The People’s Court,” “Judge Judy,” and “Judge Joe Brown,…

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Shareholder Relations Bringing in a New Board
2009 Feb Bringing in a New Board

In managing the affairs of a building or a community, all board members are far from equal in their abilities and skills. Some bring experience in construction or a background in law, finance, or other professions that can be helpful to…

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Shareholder Relations A Look at Enforcing House Rules
2009 Feb A Look at Enforcing House Rules

It’s a time-worn pattern that plays out in workplaces, classrooms, and residential buildings everywhere: rules are set, and enforced strictly for awhile. Over time, enforcement wanes a little; the rules are bent, then broken—until such t…

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Shareholder Relations Taking the Bait
2009 Feb Taking the Bait

Bugs, rodents, and other pests are always a potential problem in a city or densely populated suburban area—and even upscale, well-maintained buildings are not impervious to the occasional unwelcome interloper. Cockroaches invade kitchen…

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Shareholder Relations Who Really Runs the Building?
2009 Feb Who Really Runs the Building?

Most people assume that the board of directors runs the building. Actually the responsibilities for maintaining the building are usually divided between the board of directors and the managing agent. Both parties perform their functions…

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Q&A Q&A: Removing Names on Stock Certificate
2009 Feb Q&A: Removing Names on Stock Certificate

Q I live in a 15-unit co-op in Queens. A single tenant owner lives in one of the apartments. She has requested, while still living here, to remove her name from the stock certificate, and replace it with her daughter’s name. Is this le…

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Q&A Q&A: Board Negligence on Leak
2009 Feb Q&A: Board Negligence on Leak

Q I reside in a co-op apartment in the Bronx. For one year I incurred damages to my bathroom and kitchen ceilings from a washing machine above. The damage allegedly came from a negligent tenant of the shareholder. Each time the leak oc…

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Q&A Q&A: Minute-less in Manhattan
2009 Feb Q&A: Minute-less in Manhattan

Q I am newly elected to the board of a small (32-unit), self-managed condominium, where traditionally there has been little transparency between the board of trustees and the unit owners. The board has been stingy with information and …

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