Like any profession, property management has its moments. Managers often feel a sense of great achievement when they’ve done a good job for a client community, sorting out a seemingly intractable problem, saving them thousands of dollars, o…
In 2016, the New York City Council passed a citywide ordinance requiring the installation of natural gas detectors, 180 days after “an industry standard concerning the use of natural gas detecting devices in residential buildings has been p…
It may come as a surprise to many that federal disaster recovery assistance is not available for the country’s co-ops and condos the same way it is for single-family homeowners. This discrepancy in the law became apparent after 2012’s Sup…
The day-to-day life of a property manager—while not quite as predictable as that of, say, an accountant—does revolve around certain cyclical tasks, like building inspections, staff meetings, and keeping boards informed of what is going on w…
When a crisis hits a multifamily community—or any other organization—the difference between a good outcome and a disastrous one is often a matter of simple preparedness. Residential communities in particular need to have a plan in case of a…
As New York City enters Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plans during the COVID-19 pandemic, residential buildings must determine how, when, and even if they will resume certain functions and services that were shut down or curtailed in…
It seemed to come out of nowhere, and hit the city like a whirlwind. As grim daily reports rolled in from China, Italy, and other hard-hit countries, Americans—and perhaps in particular New Yorkers, those most intrepid of city dwellers—watc…
Seward Park Cooperative on the Lower East Side of Manhattan (where this author has lived for the last 15 years, and has served on its board of directors for the last six) is a remarkably diverse community of 5,000 or so New Yorkers that pri…
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. Here in the US, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has detailed recommendations for individual preparation and response to the ou…
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique and challenging situations to each of us. Our cooperative and condominium clients, and their managing agents, have been working diligently to keep pace as this crisis unfolds. First and foremost, we …