The presence of unfamiliar cooking aromas, 'foreign' music in the hallways, multilingual chatter in the elevators, and increasing numbers of younger newcomers collecting their mail in the lobby alongside older longtime residents—these are s…
Taking care of a condo or co-op building’s budget and finances is a big job. Handling such large sums of money is an important responsibility, and not every shareholder or unit owner has the expertise to do the job well. Sure, most people k…
In South Africa, it’s called a “sectional title.” In Quebec, it’s a copropriété divise or “divided co-property.” In Italy, they call it “condominio,” derived from Latin. Regardless of location, a condominium—commonly referred to as “condo”…
Having an apathetic, uncommunicative board is a big issue in many buildings and associations, but the opposite situation—a board that oversteps its authority—can be just as problematic. When a board does something it should not do, or fail…
Q I am the owner of an apartment in a co-op where I own about 9% of the outstanding shares. We are in the process of selling our apartment and were told that there would be about a 1% flip tax payable to the co-op after the sale. This fli…
Q In our co-op association, we have new owners who have not registered their new certificates. Some have owned for a period as long as four years. Others have purchased as corporations and all it seems have children or parents living i…
The idea of cooperative living began in the 19th century in central and northern European countries, and came to America late in that century, sprouting in various forms in parts of New York City. For some residents here, it was a way that…
While the exception rather than the rule, boards can run afoul leading an association into troubled waters. In some cases, certain rules are enforced over others or community funds are simply mishandled. And in other instances, trusted adv…
Often, the best, most successful boards and communities share the same combination of habits and traits; all the while, the worst, least successful boards and communities share the same habits and traits, as well. Case in point: there isn’…
You may live in the most well-run and self-sufficient building in the city, but no building is an island, not even in developments from the sprawling Stuyvesant Town- Peter Cooper Village in Manhattan to Co-op City in the Bronx to the smal…