The good news is, after a fallow period in the depths of the recession, the construction industry in New York City is starting to come back. However, with that activity comes the potential for disputes and property damage, especially w…
Whether it is redesigning light fixtures in a common space or replacing a roof, repair jobs and capital improvement projects are like death and taxes, they are inevitable. Whereas a building administrator or a managing agent most often …
For most people, few things are as stressful—or exciting—as buying a new home. That can be especially true for buyers and residential unit owners who sign up to be among the first residents in a newly renovated or constructed condo or c…
As a construction attorney I can say that it is rare that a change is made in the law which revolutionizes the design industry. Up until now, the laws in the State of New York only allowed architectural and engineering firms to be owned…
Most boards of co-ops and condominiums spend a lot of time negotiating the terms of their contracts with general contractors; however, it is often subcontractors who do most of the work. Sometimes the Boards are not even aware of how m…
As gasoline prices rise with increasing summer demand, building administrators' attention has turned sharply to the cost of energy, and ways to trim fat from their overall energy budgets. Yet for the nation’s nearly 60 million…
Q Recently shareholders have asked to have family names added to proprietary stock certificates (I was told to avoid estate “problems” in the future.) I balked (I'm on the board) stating the legal rights of ownership, and liabilities, t…
As residential buildings and the business of managing them have become more sophisticated, the term “super”—as in superintendent—has come to mean “super-qualified.” The days of the building handyman armed with little other than a ring of…
Q I own a co-op apartment in the West Village and my girlfriend owns a house in Bucks County, PA, but works in New York City. We both want to enter into a mutual "living estate" will where either of us will have the right to live in …
Q If a co-op board member collects proxies from other shareholders and she or he uses those proxies to advance her/his own interests orpersonal opinion, to move forward a proposed amendment of the proprietary lease, for example; is t…