When it comes to insurance coverage, whether for your health, your possessions, or your home itself, the question is not should you have insurance, but rather, what policy best meets your specific needs? The same question applies to collec…
For over a century, states have had laws, rules and regulations in place to ensure that employees who are injured while performing their jobs are adequately taken care of. An uninsured employer that finds itself embroiled in a workers' comp…
Like beauty, what constitutes an 'amenity'—particularly a 'luxury' amenity—may well be in the eye of the beholder. Young families may want indoor and outdoor play equipment, while professionals may appreciate a well-appointed gym, and senio…
"I wish someone had told me the nuances of trying to cultivate a community while also trying to manage a business,” said Pat Burke, the current president of the Fieldstondale co-op in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, when asked what he w…
A cooperative, condominium or homeowner's association is more likely than not governed by a ragtag band of brave volunteers. Oftentimes, these folks have outside jobs that have little to do with maintaining a residential real estate propert…
No matter what the size of their portfolio, a property manager must wear a great many professional hats: human resources pro, administrator, mediator, organizer, social director, project manager, sounding board—sometimes even therapist. I…
Just as the ways in which we socialize have changed in recent years, so too have the spaces in which that socializing has traditionally been done. Common spaces and amenities in multifamily buildings and condo associations have evolved to s…
Most board members can use all the help they can get when it comes to understanding the rules, laws, and other factors that guide how they will help govern their community. Senior board members are a terrific source of information, as is a …
Even with proper risk management best practices, it’s impossible to completely avoid all types of insurance claims from happening. At heart, a claim is like any other business dealing—a negotiation. Your ability to convincingly argue your p…
As more and more new condominium construction projects are built, completed and sold off (as well as cooperatives and homeowners associations, although less common) there has been a correspondingly large number of what have come to be known…
Q. I am a 65-year-old disabled homeowner (I own a co-op apt. in Forest Hills). I have been a recipient of the STAR DHE property tax abatement for the last 8 years. This year the management of our co-op decided to replace the abatement wit…
Q. We’ve come across a situation at our cooperative, where some members of the board want to change the transfer fee or flip tax allocation. They want to assign a lower per share fee for those shareholders who purchase property in the nea…
Q. My question is this: Can a co-op board restrict outside contractors from working on a religious holiday? If so, is it legal for this to be done for only one religion? The board of my co-op has restricted work on all, including the mino…