While the economy sputters along and unemployment rates remain steady at more than nine percent, there doesn't seem to be much call for celebration—but all is not gloom and doom. The real estate market has been one of the most notable c…
Typically the sources of terror in horror movies come from ghouls and zombies. Victims in these films find themselves trapped in an abandoned warehouse or haunted mansion with no chance of escape or survival. These films leave the audi…
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…