Q. The 40-year-old, chain smoking, son of a shareholder lives with his parents and is not allowed to smoke in his apartment or in our co-op. Instead, he loiters directly below my apartment windows, and only below my window, and smokes alm…
Q. Can one condominium board member's voice recording of the board's closed executive session meeting be restricted by the board? —Inquiring About Privacy Issues A. “It is uncertain if this reader's query is about whether a…
Q. My husband is the president of our condo community, and some board positions' terms are ending and are up for vote, but he has another year before his term is up. My question is, can the new members vote to remove the sitting president…
Tenants and landlords don’t always see eye to eye. Disputes arise because one party isn’t living up to their agreement, and not everything can be solved with a phone call or cordial email. That’s where the Housing Part of the Civil Court of…
Q. Is ordinance or law insurance required in New York State for co-ops? I am being turned down for refinancing my mortgage because our building does not have this insurance. Is it mandated for co-ops? They have all other required insuranc…
One of the biggest political buzzwords of the past 10 years or so is “transparency.” Observers demand transparency in meetings of elected bodies in local and state governments, transparency in the proceedings of public agencies, and at time…
Q I've heard a lot about the STAR abatement and other tax breaks for apartment owners, but I'm confused as to who gets what, and how those refunds are distributed among residents in multifamily buildings. Could you please clarify the most…
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…
Q “I know you probably get tons of questions—I have combed through your site and am looking for information regarding the rights of shareholders to see books. Our managing agent and board are refusing to allow viewing of anything but mi…
Q “My mother and I jointly own her co-op apartment. She is 90 years old and still lives in the co-op. If it becomes a necessity for her to need homecare and possibly go on Medicaid, what would happen to the co-op after she passes? Will M…