Page 1 - CooperatorNews New York June 2022
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June 2022                                   COOPERATORNEWS.COM  William McCracken, a partner with the law firm of Ganfer   Shore Leeds & Zauderer in New York City, explains that in New   York, understanding the difference in ownership rights is key to   understanding evictions in co-ops and condos. “Condo unit own-  ers own their units,” he says. “The condo board has no standing.   Because a co-op shareholder has a tenant-landlord relationship   with  the  board  under  a  proprietary  lease,  for  purposes  of  evic-  NEW YORK  THE CO-OP & CONDO RESOURCE  COOPERATORNEWS  205 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10016 • CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED  In a rental building, the landlord has certain rights under certain circumstances to   remove a tenant from his property before the expiration of their lease. In a private home   setting, the only real path to removing an owner is through foreclosure—usually due to   a mortgage default. But what about in a multifamily setting like a condominium or a   co-op? In short, it’s complicated.  To start off, in the legal world, the word   eviction   has a very specific meaning, differ-  ent from how most non-lawyers understand the term. Attorneys often prefer to use the   term ‘remove’ or ‘eject’ when speaking about forcibly getting a condo owner or co-op   shareholder out of an association or building. For the purposes of this article, however,   we will use the colloquial ‘evict’ and ‘eviction’ to keep things simple.   Can an Owner be Evicted?  According to Scott Piekarsky, an attorney with Phillips Nizer, a law firm located in   Hackensack, New Jersey, “You can eject a shareholder from a co-op—but you can’t evict   a condo owner from his or her unit.” That said, removal can occur for monetary or non-  monetary reasons. In the case of monetary default, which is the more common reason,   “an association can put a lien on the unit for outstanding common charges, and then   foreclose on that lien,” Piekarsky says. “The lien has a priority over the first mortgage   and tax liens. The association can pursue a foreclosure, and then a sheriff’s sale subject   to the lien. In the end, if the foreclosure and sale are successful, the association gets the   unit and the owner is out.” So, the process is not an eviction per se—but a means of re-  moving a non-paying association member and recouping the monies owed.   continued on page 2   Even before the pandemic and social   unrest of the last few years, interpersonal   conflict and outright hostility often sur-  faced in the co-op and condo environ-  ment, forcing boards and managers to   deal with both legitimate grievances and   conflicts that are sometimes less than ra-  tional. Whether a conflict arises between   neighbors, between residents and man-  agement,  or  between  tenants  and  the   board, it’s vital to address it swiftly and   diplomatically to  maintain  a function-  ing, livable community.  Sources of Problems  Michelle P. Quinn, a partner with Ga-  llet Dreyer & Berkey, LLP in New York,   says  typically,  the  three  main  sources   of conflict concern odors, noise, and   leaks—and during  the pandemic,  when   people were home so much more, these   issues became even more prevalent.   “Odors could have to do with a build-  ing’s ventilation system, so that’s some-  thing that is fixable. But then there are   odors that can range from someone not   liking their neighbor’s cooking—but   these people chose to live in a multiple   dwelling and those are the functional-  ities of doing so—to the collection of   smells that might come from hoarders or   those with lots of animals,” she says.  Michael J. Ciarlo, a partner with Man-  hattan-based  law  firm  Nadel  &  Ciarlo,   P.C., notes that these are particularly   difficult sources of conflict because they   are usually between two neighbors, and   it becomes a he said/she said situation.   “Sometimes it can be resolved by   having the offending neighbor install   carpeting  in  their  apartment,  which  is   usually already required by the co-op   First-time buyers in condo associations,   co-ops, and other multifamily residential   communities are often surprised—and a bit   confused—by the way in which their new   building or HOA operates. Whether they   are coming from a rental background or a   single-family  home  experience,  condo/co-  op living, and its administrative and gover-  nance structure, differs dramatically from   both. In a condo, you can’t depend on the   super for everything as you might in a rent-  al, nor can you undertake to do whatever   you’d like without any prior approval, as you   would in a single-family home.  Renter Mentality  “People  who  move  from  single-family   homes into multifamily dwellings often   have some trouble adapting to their new en-  vironment,” says Daniel Wollman, CEO of   Gumley Haft, a management firm based in   Manhattan. “They don’t realize they are liv-  ing in vertical housing, nor do they imme-  diately grasp that there are reasons it’s called   ‘cooperative living.’ Co-op and condo build-  ings have a series of rules and regulations   that govern everything from how we live in   the building together, to construction or al-  terations in our apartments. These rules are   intended for everyone to have a fair chance   to do the same things in their units as their   neighbors, and  at  the same time preserve   peaceful living in a vertical environment.    When you live in a private home, you can   leave five pairs of shoes outside your front   door; you can’t do that outside your apart-  ment door.”  Also, “At the root of a lot of first-time own-  ers’ misconceptions and misunderstandings   is a lack of understanding and knowledge   about what monthly assessments—also   known as common charges or mainte-  nance—are for, and what they cover,” says   Eric Staszczak, executive vice president for   property management with Westward360, a   Chicago-based management firm. “People   assume that anything and everything they   have—including their furniture in the event   of a damage event, for example—is the re-  sponsibility of the association. They assume   the building will take care of everything. But   that’s a renter’s mentality.”   Removals, Ejections, &    Evictions in Condos & Co-ops  When an Owner Has to Go  BY A. J. SIDRANSKY  Dealing With   Conflict in Co-ops   & Condos  Noise, Odors, & Leaks: Oh My!  BY KEITH LORIA  Orienting New   Owners  Getting Smart About   Condo & Co-op Life  BY A. J. SIDRANSKY  continued on page 15   continued on page 12 


































































































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