Community living' in the context of a co-op or condo building means abiding by a set of rules and regulations designed to serve the community’s best interests and maintain property values. The building board makes the rules, and the reside…
As jugglers of multiple and oftentimes complex tasks, property managers must be adept at mediating between board members and unit owners, as well as resolving all manner of maintenance and legal issues. To this end, property managers don’t…
While crime rates are steadily decreasing nationwide—even in the Big Apple—multiunit dwellings are often more difficult to 'police' due to the number of residents, visitors, delivery personnel and third party workers such as contractors. A…
Q If the majority of board members pass a motion, and the president or other members of the board decide to ignore the majority's vote and proceed in opposition to their directive, what recourse do the board members have? Is there anythin…
Many aspects of the American work landscape have changed radically in the last two decades. As the service and information economies have overtaken manufacturing and other more traditional forms of labor, the old 9-to-5, office-bound workd…
The New York State legislative season is here again, and bills of all kinds are being considered, including housing. Some of these bills directly impact co-op and condo board members, managers and residents. Housing is also on the agend…
Thirty years ago, Cats won the Tony Award for best musical, setting it off to secure its place as the second longest running Broadway musical in history. New York City streets were filled with women in torn sweatshirts and leg warmers …
Q The building where I live, a former hotel, was converted to a condo about four years ago. There are nine hotel-stabilized tenants remaining as renters within the condo. Management says that our hotel-stabilized units have been “condom…
As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and for co-op and condo homebuyers, that first impression is almost always the view from the street. No matter how deluxe the accommodations inside, if th…
In today’s legislative world, housing is a big item. Rent-payers, condo owners, co-op shareholders, and developers all have their particular interests—and they don’t necessarily mesh. In the meantime, the ongoing recession threatens all …