While essential to the successful operation of all cooperatives or condominiums, the contents of governing documents are often only glossed over by otherwise well-intentioned boards members and managing agents leading to potential pitf…
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker, the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.” Certain…
New York's co-ops and condos are both governed by a multitude of laws and rules. For co-ops, the primary governing documents are the bylaws and the proprietary lease. For condos, they are the condominium declaration and, once again, the…
Everybody sometimes disagrees with the decisions of their co-op, condo or homeowners association board. Maybe the choice to rearrange the garbage receptacles out front seems ridiculous, or the ongoing clattering of machinery on the roo…
Q My car was vandalized four times on the co-op’s property. We pay to park there each month. I have paid three times now for the repairs and I think the co-op should pay. There are no signs in the lot saying they are not responsible. …
Legendary funny man Benny Goodman once said, “I don’t want to tell you how much insurance I carry with the Prudential, but all I can say is: when I go, they go too!” The comedian hits on all-important issue: how much insurance is too muc…
Individual cooperative board members scored a major victory recently in the case of Weinreb v. 37 Apartments Corp., et al, an appellate court decision that relieved them of certain responsibilities when it comes to shareholders' propos…
They say there are eight million stories in the naked city, and when you’re an attorney working for a co-op or condo in New York, you may find that some of the best of them are happening to you. While some may think that handli…
Concern over health, the environment, and an evolving legal landscape has prompted a number of condo and co-op boards in communities across New York City’s five boroughs to ban cigarette smoking not only in common outdoor areas but in i…
By and large, a board and management company can expect payment from residents for monthly fees to be received on time and in full. These all-important funds keep day-to-day operations moving forward without delay. There are situations,…