While for many laypeople cooperatives and condominiums are essentially interchangeable, from the legal point of view they are radically different institutions. Much of this difference can be attributed to history. Co-ops have …
It’s not necessarily to the degree of the Hatfields vs. the McCoys, the famous mountain clan involved in a decades-long blood feud, but living side-by-side in a co-op or a condo can, needless to say, get pretty heated on occasion. …
Two state laws make the illegality of a tenant’s use of rented premises a matter of considerable concern to property owners of all kinds, including cooperatives. One empowers local prosecutors to bring eviction proceedings against both …
Q My ex-[husband] owns his co-op but has become diagnosed as mentally incompetent after a stroke. He is in arrears on maintenance and the co-op is seeking to evict him. He will be homeless. Also if the co-op takes his apartment, wil…
Q I live in Cobble Hill in Brooklyn and our building is going through non-eviction condo conversion. Can the landlord or sponsor raise our rent for major capital improvements even if the building converts, or does the sponsor pay the…
As managers, residents, and board members of the city's residential buildings gear up for 2011, sweeping up the tinsel and cookie crumbs leftover from holiday parties isn't the only job at hand. From bedbug disclosure rules to a propose…
Ladies of the Night? Q I am writing to find out information on how to deal with a current problem in our condo building in New York City. We have recently noticed a couple of apartments being used as brothels. We live in a new, …
Q “I have been dealing with a co-op board that appears to have denied a transfer of shares to me in a bad faith manner. The proprietary lease states that the board will transfer shares to a spouse or a "financially responsible member…
In a high-cost, high-density real estate landscape like New York City, when disputes arise in a multifamily building, tensions can escalate from annoyance to litigation very quickly. In rental buildings, problems can range from lack of…
Evicted For Having a Pet? Q I live in a co-op where pets are specifically not allowed. This is made very clear in writing to residents before they move into the co-op. If a resident comes in, buys a pet, and refuses to get ri…