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October 2021                        COOPERATORNEWS.COM  ments as follows: “Let’s say I need to replace a roof—so I call in an engi-  neer who specializes in roofs. Th  ey come out and inspect the property   and then create a request for proposal, or RFP.  From there, the engineer   will draw up project specs and a bid package that will be sent to between   three and fi ve vendors, depending on the preferences of the board. Also,   vendors and contractors are very busy—so if you only send an RFP to   three, you may not fi nd one.”  To ensure fairness and impartiality, says attorney Hubert Cutolo,   NEW YORK  THE CO-OP & CONDO RESOURCE  COOPERATORNEWS  205 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10016 • CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED  Th  e tragic partial collapse and subse-  quent demolition of the Champlain Towers   South Condominium in  Surfside, Florida,   this past June revealed some gaping holes in   the structures, governance, and oversight of   the country’s multifamily buildings. Many   condo, co-op, and HOA boards and owners   have awoken to the consequences of deferred   maintenance, poor planning, and indecision.   Municipalities have taken steps to bolster   their laws and regulations around inspection   and repair of tall buildings. Th  e real estate   market has also taken note of the value of re-  sponsible leadership and due diligence when   it comes to multifamily transactions.   Periodic reassessment of longstanding   practices or overlooked loopholes is a good   practice for any industry. But reactionary   reforms or knee-jerk responses to such an   overwhelming—if exceedingly rare—disas-  ter can have their own downsides.   Coopera-  torNews   takes a look at three aspects of mul-  tifamily housing that bear review in the wake   of Surfside and other catastrophic building   failures, and some caveats that should be   considered along the way.  Building Better Boards  Th  e vast majority of co-op, condo, and   HOA board members are volunteers, with   no formal requirements or prerequisites for   serving—just the will and the time, and usu-  ally a minimum age and duration of owner-  ship in good standing, as spelled out in the   One truism of home ownership is that there is always something that needs to be fi xed or   upgraded. Th  at’s true in condo and co-op communities as well, both large and small. Th  ere’s   always a roof to replace or a boiler to upgrade, or a lobby to refurbish. Th  e challenge is fi nding   the right contractors to get these jobs done effi  ciently and eff ectively at a cost that the building   or HOA can handle.  Types of Jobs  Work in and around multifamily buildings usually falls into two categories: one-time, big-  ticket capital improvements like roof or boiler replacements or façade overhauls, and smaller,   recurring maintenance work like pest control and landscaping/snow removal. While the scale   and frequency of the work falling under each category are diff erent, the vendors and contrac-  tors that do the work are identifi ed and engaged through the same process of research, bid   solicitation, fi nal selection, and awarding of contracts.   How Does the Bidding Process Work?  Michele Schlossberg is an account executive with Gumley Haft , a management company   based in New York City. “Th  e funny thing about the bidding process is that it’s pretty similar   for both large capital improvement jobs and annual vendor services,” she says. “What’s diff erent   are the pre-bid activities.” Schlossberg describes the bidding process for large capital improve-  The recent flash flooding resulting   from  Hurricane  Ida  and  other  torren-  tial summer storms around the nation   has come as something of a wake-up call   for homeowners and local governments   alike.  The  real-world  effects  of  climate   change are upon us, even in areas where   such events were rare before—if they oc-  curred at all—and certainly in places like   New  York  City,  where  the  destruction   of Hurricane Sandy back in 2012 argu-  ably marked the start of an era of more   frequent, much more intense inclement   weather events.    The potential for flash flooding in ur-  ban environments has raised a particu-  lar concern for co-op and condomini-  um owners in buildings or associations   where there are units at or below grade.   Such units are more common than you   may think; smaller associations and   corporations that occupy brownstone   or other low-rise-type buildings often   have ground-floor or semi-subterranean   garden units. They’re also common in   neighborhoods—such as Washington   Heights in upper Manhattan, for ex-  ample—where the natural topography   means that large numbers of ground   floor units are partially subterranean.  Surprise  “There are certain neighborhoods and   types of buildings that have more subter-  ranean  or  partially  subterranean units   than others,” says Nicole Beauchamp, an   agent with Engel & Volkers, a real estate   brokerage company located in Manhat-  tan. “Often these units are in buildings   and neighborhoods that wouldn’t neces-  sarily come to mind, including Washing-  ton Heights and Beekman Place.  Lobby-  level apartments are frequently under   sidewalk level.”  The Bidding Process  Finding the Best People at the Best Price  BY A. J. SIDRANSKY  Building Better in   Surfside’s Wake  Out of Tragedy   Comes Reform  BY DARCEY GERSTEIN   Flood Risk Rises for   Condos & Co-ops  How to be Physically &   Financially Ready   BY A. J. SIDRANSKY  continued on page 23   continued on page 22   continued on page 24   NEW YORK’S BIGGEST & BEST CO-OP,   CONDO & APT EXPO!  JACOB K. JAVITS CONVENTION CENTER — THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 10-4:30  FREE REGISTRATION: COOPEXPOFALL.COM  LIVE AND IN PERSON


































































































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