New York City already had the largest, most extensive, most specific list of protected groups in the nation when it comes to housing discrimination. With the New York State Legislature’s passage of the Fair Chance Housing Act earlier this y…
According to a new report from consulting firm Construction Coverage, only 17.0% of NYC housing units are single-family—the smallest share among all large U.S. cities. Since the peak of the U.S. housing bubble in the early 2000s, the p…
For many co-op and condominium buildings in New York, making necessary repairs under the City’s many local laws requires cooperation from neighboring - often physically adjacent - buildings. You may need access to your neighbor’s roof, or a…
Q. I’ve lived in a pre-war NYC studio co-op for almost 40 years. While the apartment walls are well insulated against adjacent apartment sound, the floor and subfloor, being constructed entirely of wood, barely provide any sound insulatio…
Talk to anyone familiar with common-interest community governance anywhere in the country, and they will tell you the same thing: apathy is rampant among residents of co-ops, condos, and HOAs. Not only is it difficult to get owners and shar…
In multifamily residential communities, where neighbors share common space, amenities, and maintenance—if not actual walls—establishing and maintaining boundaries can be a bit tricky. Physical boundaries are often breached by things like …
Did you know that March 23 is World Elevator Day? Now you do. (You’re welcome.) On that date way back in 1857, the first passenger elevator was installed in the E.V. Haughwout Building—an upscale, five-story department store in Manhattan’s …
With severe weather events becoming ever more common—and more intense—waterproofing your building’s envelope against rain, wind, snow, and ice is a growing concern. To counter the effects of climate change on buildings both old and new, our…
