Sometimes it can be all-too-tempting to throw around the 'r'-word, whether for the sake of cynical sensationalism or genuine enthusiasm. (The word being, or course, 'renaissance.') But it's often better to tread more lightly; to just acknow…
The world of real estate, especially condos and co-ops, has its share of unique characters and universal conflict. In a way, it's not that different from a William Shakespeare play. So it's not too surprising that a new production at Man…
Q. Litigation has been brought against our co-op, its board of directors, and individual board members, accusing one or several members of the 2015/16 board of directors of malfeasance. If the allegations are substantiated in court, it co…
Q. My Manhattan co-op has a liberal sublet allowance of four out of six years, and a five percent sublet fee. The person who purchased the apartment above me has been permitted to sublet for 7 1/2 years now. I have had a lot of problems d…
Q. My question is about an irrevocable trust I have set up. I would like to put my co-op into the trust. I have paid the co-op’s attorney $700 and submitted appropriate papers. Now the management says first I need to pay them $625 to comp…
Q. When the board of a New York City Mitchell-Lama co-op requires the shareholders to purchase homeowners’ insurance, does the resolution, if passed, becomes part of the building’s house rules? If there are no city-approved house rules, …
Jack and his wife Rachel live in Chicago, happy in a two-bedroom, two-bath condo with a parking spot. Assessments are criminally low, the building is dog friendly and it is literally a half block from a Chicago train stop. While they have a…
According to the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP), there are 10.4 million residential and 309,000 public swimming pools in the United States. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an agency that is independent of th…
Like people, buildings age. Even under the best of atmospheric conditions, dust, dirt and grime accumulate, changing a building’s appearance over time. Often it’s not until a building’s façade is cleaned that one notices how it was dirty to…
Once upon a time, when someone purchased a condo or co-op, their ownership came with the privilege of using the building’s amenities. Those who lived in a building with a fitness room equipped with treadmills and weights considered themselv…