Q&A: Can a board claim my STAR abatement check as an assessment?

Q&A: Can a board claim my STAR abatement check as an assessment?

Q. I am a 65-year-old disabled homeowner (I own a co-op apt. in Forest Hills). I have been a recipient of the STAR DHE property tax abatement for the last 8 years. This year the management of our co-op decided to replace the abatement with an 'assessment,' which they forecast to be a 'wash.’ That basically means I'm going to lose the money from the abatement. Is that a legal practice, and if not, what recourse do I have in this case?

                        —Money for Nothing

A. “Your board’s levying of a special assessment in order to “capture” your STAR DHE abatement is not only legal but also is an increasingly common practice,” says Bruce A. Cholst, a shareholder attorney at the Manhattan-based law firm of Anderson Kill, P.C. “If you look carefully at the maintenance statement for the month in which the assessment was levied you will see that the board issued both a credit and a debit.

“What really occurred was two separate transactions. First, the board issued a credit towards your monthly maintenance in an amount equal to your pro-rated share of the co-op’s annual STAR tax abatement. The co-op actually received the tax abatement because it is the record owner of the property against which real estate taxes are assessed. However, under the terms of the STAR program it is legally required to pass the proceeds on to resident shareholders. The board met this requirement by issuing the credit against your maintenance. 

 “However, the board then exercised its separate right under the proprietary lease to levy a special assessment against all shareholders (including investors) on a per share amount approximating the aggregate credit issued to all shareholders. The result is an approximate “wash” to resident shareholders because the assessment debited to the maintenance account approximately equals the credit issued by virtue of the abatement. (Investors get hit with the assessment because assessments must be levied uniformly against all shareholders but do not get any credit because they are not entitled to participate in the STAR abatement program). “When the STAR program began in the 1990s the overwhelming majority of boards allowed the abatement to be issued to shareholders without a corresponding assessment. However, as co-ops’ operating costs spiraled boards saw an opportunity to “capture” the abatement by asserting their assessment power to raise revenue. They justify their action by observing that it is a “painless” assessment since residents do not suffer any out of pocket loss.” 

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6 Comments

  • I am a shareholder in a sponsored co-op. How many shares must be owned by minority shareholders before the board is required to get approval from them to do all repairs or work that is not needed in an emergency or for normal operation of the building? I was of the understanding that it is 25 percent. Can someone clarify if that is correct? This question is raised since we have a board that the sponsor simply appointed a shareholder that is going to work on their behalf only. The shareholder receives possibly 1 or 2 votes from the residing shareholders every time we have an election however, the sponsor gives all of their votes so that they can keep this individual on the board, again, working on their behalf. Thanks, Carlos
  • Carlos, you should post this as a separate question, rather than as a comment.
  • My board has neither issued a credit nor assessed the shareholders for the STAR abatement. We used to get the credit but with the new board it stopped. I have asked about it for at least three years but gotten not reply. What recourse do I have?
  • What you say is true regarding the basic STAR benefit. But the questioner is disabled, and I believe there is a separate STAR exemption for low-income disabled. It is not clear whether the question is regarding basic STAR or the exemption for the disabled, but if the latter I doubt whether Board can assess that, since it is required to treat all shareholders equally.
  • How can a board assess all for the few who receive STAR, E STAR or veteran when they are three different amounts?
  • If I live in a coop in NY. I am 67 yrs old and disabled. Why does my coop charge me almost a thousand Dollars saying it’s an assessment instead of out of pocket taxes. If they are including my taxes in my maintenance. Some ppl get credit n debit. Why do I hav to pay out of pocket assessment every June? Why are some reasons one would have to?