The days when an apartment building's 'security system' consisted of a tricky  front door lock and the landlord's ill-tempered dog are long past. Today,  security measures range from old-style deadbolts to high-tech biometric  screening e…

 Your co-op or condo unit houses more than your material possessions. The  management office also typically contains detailed information about you—including your social security number, credit card number, emergency  information, phone nu…

 Recent nationwide crime statistics show that New York City and its outlying  suburbs has become one of the safest cities of its size in the past 15 years.  Nevertheless, in a sprawling metropolitan area encompassing New York and New  Jers…

 A few years ago, when I lived in the East Village—in a one-bedroom, fifth-floor walk-up—I had a creepy experience when the cable guy came to hook up our service. He arrived in a beat-up windowless van that looked like it had been boosted …

Q My co-op allegedly has mold growing inside the central air conditioners. Isn't this the responsibility of management to clean? There is water inside the units which apparently is causing the mold. The maintenance crew said they will on…

Q “I live in a co-op in Queens that still has a small percentage of apartments held by the sponsor. Last year the sponsor was voted off the board (they held 2 seats). This year only one person was nominated and seconded by two people who…

As a construction attorney I can say that it is rare that a change is made in the law which revolutionizes the design industry. Up until now, the laws in the State of New York only allowed architectural and engineering firms to be owned…

 Tell someone at a cocktail party that you are on a co-op board and the most  likely response is “What a thankless task!” It seems every New Yorker has a co-op board horror story—and many of them probably contain more than a grain of truth…

 Thirty minutes outside of Manhattan, the city of White Plains has grown from a  historic colonial village to a thriving retail and cultural hub, offering a  more placid but not at all mundane environment for both its citizens, visitors,  …

If you feel safe entering your office or apartment building, see clearly outside your apartment window to gaze at the New York City skyline or receive a package of important papers on time, you have some very special service workers to …