Brickwork is everywhere across the New York area. Around since the early 1600s, the popular building material is commonly used not only because of its aesthetic appeal but also because of its practicality. “Brick is the most b…
Warranties for products are simple to understand, most people might think. You go to the store, buy a computer or a DVD player or a TV, or even a larger appliance like a refrigerator, and you get a piece of paper describing a one-year …
Q Ten years ago I rented a small closet on the floor of my co-op for $25 per month. Last year the board raised the price to $200 per month. Last month, they raised the price yet again to $300, which is about the cost of maintenance of a…
Q For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a leak in my bathroom. I believe it happened when the shareholders above me moved in. Another complaint is that the upstairs owner’s son likes to take long baths, sometimes for two hours or more. O…
Q My 47-unit Brooklyn cooperative is carrying $1.7 million of debt, all of it already spent, in an interest-only mortgage, and contemplating taking on more debt. By what measure or measures does a cooperative determine how much debt is …
In a recent case that will be of interest to anyone who has ever wanted to bang on the wall between his or her apartment and the one next door and shout at the neighbors to keep it down, the New York Supreme Court found insufficient ev…
Superintendents are a lot more than a repair person or someone to call at 3:00 a.m. if you suddenly find yourself without heat in the middle of a blustery February night. Superintendents or resident managers are responsible fo…
The difference between a residential building that is successful and one that is troubled can be the level of communication between the building’s shareholders and its board members. Although not commonly discussed, this is perhaps one o…
What could be nicer than being safely home on a winter’s day, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate while snow falls outside your window? That is until you hear the drip, drip, drip more often associated with a rain event and find that the pr…