Even in the most harmonious of communities, conflicts are bound to arise -- and having a responsive, resourceful manager with good communication and conflict resolution skills is crucial, no only to avoid costly litigation, but to get impor…

Ideally, beloved heirlooms tend to stay in the family when applicable, passed down from one generation to be appropriately cherished by the next, ad infinitum. Unfortunately, many families are less than ideal, and thus inheritance can bec…

The age-old adage about real estate is that there are three major factors in determining its value: “location, location, location.”  While that may or may not be true, and location aside, a smart seller has to price an apartment right to se…

Serving on your building or association's board isn't easy - especially when you don't have a managing company guiding you. There's a lot to remember, a lot to take in, and high-stakes decisions to make. These legal pros offer some advice o…

Home cooks often dream of large rambling kitchens filled with restaurant-quality equipment; six burner stoves; double ovens; industrial strength dishwashers that scrape the crud right off the pots; and sub-zero refrigerator freezers with hy…

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…