In terms of building security, boards today are in a tricky position. They are obliged to protect the residents, their property and offer the same quality of life just as they did prior to the great economic belly flop of the 21st Cent…
Over the past two decades, New York City has become a safer place than it once was. But events in recent years, both at home and abroad, have made Americans more aware of security—how much they have, how much they’d like, and how much s…
So your condo or co-op’s management company is getting ready to hire a new service employee. It could be a doorman, it could be a maintenance man, it could be a swimming-pool supervisor. Is this a simple process, or a complicated one? A…
Push aside old notions of ineffective security officers. The security officer of the future has arrived. Today’s security officer may be navigating tours on a Segway to patrol airports, transit stations, manufacturing facilities, apartm…
Although many co-ops and condos in New York City might not like it, shareholders and unit owners often rent out their apartments to subletters. Board control over subletting can vary—from stringent in most co-ops, to giving the board the fi…
Who is in you building? Do you know? And most importantly, do you care? If you answered ‘no’ to either of those last two questions, you could be in for a rude awaking. In today’s environment more and more building owners and man…
Many years ago, when I was living on the Upper West Side, a neighbor of mine was notified over his scratchy intercom system that a UPS carrier had a package for him. Without hesitation, he buzzed in the deliveryman and opened his fron…
Any transfer of ownership of a cooperative unit will require the cooperative corporation to cancel the old stock certificate and issue a new one. Many see this step as a simple clerical task, and often it is the managing agents that keep th…