While September 11th probably stands as the biggest emergency New Yorkers have faced to date, many other, less-catastrophic crises arise in the city every day, from fires to water main breaks to building collapses. And whereas residents ha…
My grandmother purchased shares from a HDFC co-op in 1995 for $250. When she passed away, the president of the board explained that since there was no notarized letter signed by her willing the apartment to someone that the family had lost …
Q I am trying to sell my co-op, and the board has expressed they will not approve a purchase under $145,000.The market comps are $140,000 (high end) $120,000 (low end), and I sold mine for $136,000. We have a viable purchaser who has alre…
Legal issues, maintenance challenges and the ever-present Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and Department of Buildings (DOB) compliance requirements are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the obstacles condo and co-op boards, a…
Kale pizza, street art (don’t call it graffiti— instead think eye-popping, colorful murals, like Danielle Mastrioni’s ode to late rapper Biggie Smalls), hour-long waits at the newest, hottest restaurants and soaring rents have all become h…
Any New York building of significant size needs a professional building manager in order to function from day-to-day, and even smaller buildings often need some help from a management company. Before any management company is hired, howeve…
Workers' compensation as we know it today—the insurance system that provides medical care and other benefits for workers who become sick or injured in the course of doing their jobs—grew out of the European labor movement in the late 19th …
Though the last couple of winters have been unusually mild, New York City does in fact get slammed with the occasional blizzard or ice storm—and when it does, the heavy snow and freezing temperatures inflict lots of wear-and-tear on co-op …
Big or small, disasters often strike out of the blue. They catch us unaware, flatfooted and feeling helpless at their impact. This is especially true when these events hit us at home or within our shared communities. When fire, flood, hurr…
As the holiday season approaches in the Big Apple, many New Yorkers may be preoccupied with choosing gifts for picky family members, finding a parking spot downtown, or snagging that coveted new smartphone. Those who live in multifamily bu…