It’s true that a building is as only as strong as its foundation—and while New Yorkers don't have as much active concern about the foundations of their buildings as residents of an earthquake-prone area like California might have, it's …
After the four walls of a given structure, the roof is sometimes referred to as the “fifth plane”—and just like the walls that hold it up, the roof is an all-important structure that can make or break a building’s performance. The tri-s…
The Cooperator’s annual Co-op & Condo Expo, which is now in its 26th year, is the premier event for education, networking and learning all you need to know about managing and maintaining co-op and condo properties in the Greater New Yor…
Q I recently bought a co-op in Kew Gardens, and I am now living what is starting to seem like it will be a nightmare. When it came to the closing, I was only told of an assessment of an extra $60 each month, and, while this was a compl…
Q I am an owner of a co-op in Forest Hills, Queens. We currently have a flip tax of $2.00 per share. The sponsor is pushing to amend this to make it 3% of the sales price. The sponsor is also the managing agent and they do whatever they…
Q I believe that owners have a fiduciary responsibility to the association, as they are held in a public trust of that association just like board members. The responsibilities and duties of owners in a homeowner association are outlin…
Q We are having a major problem with our board president and vice-president. We have a seven member board, in which one of the directors has asked to see a list of bills paid to date and other board inquires. He was told that he is not …
There are a number of consultants out there that are “pretending” that they can prepare the energy audit and energy efficiency reports required by Local Law 87. Local Law 87 of New York City's Greener, Greater Buildings Plan re…
Recently, the Appellate Division First Department, in Fletcher v. Dakota, Inc., involving a shareholder in The Dakota, a historic luxury co-op on the Upper West Side, held that the business judgment rule does not protect individual con…
While residents may breathe a sigh of relief when winter and its piles of snow, slushy puddles and blasts of arctic air finally exits the scene, co-op and condo buildings can’t always shake off the ravages of the season so easily. …