The day-to-day operation of a residential condo or co-op can certainly be a handful for its board of trusted volunteers. But not to add insult to injury, communal living doesn't happen in a vacuum, and there are likely to be outside activit…
In the spring of 2013, the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) began its curbside organic waste collection program in eight pilot neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. Since its inception, the NYC Organi…
Whether it's for Christmas, Hanukkah or any other occasion during the holiday season, festive decorative lighting is a traditional staple at residences. From real trees draped in blinking multicolored lights, to menorahs left burning on the…
Q. Can a unit owner demand to see a copy of the monthly list of unit owners' payments of the monthly HOA? —Shareholder Seeking Open Access to Documents A. “Yes,” says attorney Aaron Shmulewitz of the New York City firm of Belkin Burde…
Q. Buying a co-op vs. a condo probably wasn't the best choice given how dictatorial my board is. What is your suggestion for trying to sell my co-op without a traditional real estate agent? —Spurned O…
There has been a recent push by federal, state and local legislators to get reverse mortgages or Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) approved for residential cooperatives. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) h…
For the last decade or so, newly-constructed residential buildings have featured all kinds of new amenities, from the opulent to the simple, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. This leaves older buildings sparser amenities in a lu…
Time will tell whether global warming and climate change eventually make winter—and its attendant snow, ice, sleet, and other challenging weather issues—extinct, but for now at least, the colder months can take a seasonal toll on buildings …
In New York, with its countless multifamily buildings, there are certain dangers that have nothing to do with crime rates, economics, or the latest exotic imported disease. Falling bricks, short circuits leading to fires, trash piling up, a…
As just about every mother tells her child, it’s important to share with others. The same can be true when it comes to condos and homeowners associations — especially for smaller buildings that may be doing everything they can to control co…