Aniello DeGuida is the resident manager of The Cocoa Exchange condo building in Manhattan's Financial District just a stone’s throw from Ground Zero, so he’s very aware of the importance of having an emergency plan in place for his resi…
The job of a co-op or condo board member seems pretty straightforward: have meetings, take votes on this or that item of business, approve checks, keep an eye on the budget, and so forth. That’s the administrative part of the …
Board members find themselves acting as referees so often, some may feel like they're wearing black-and-white striped shirts. Maybe they're mired in the middle of a conflict between homeowners because one group of gardening enthusiasts…
One of the most important recurring themes Cooperator readers are likely to encounter in these pages is that of communication; between board and manager, between building administrators and residents, and between neighbors. When commun…
The sitting president of a Connecticut condo board recently approached the property manager with a proposition: If he saw to it that her contractor boyfriend was awarded certain jobs in the building, the property manager would receive …
Q “My co-op recently charged a shareholder for a letter written to her by the co-op’s attorney. Other shareholders have received similar letters but haven’t been charged for them. Is it permissible for the board to charge such a fee an…
Ladies of the Night? Q I am writing to find out information on how to deal with a current problem in our condo building in New York City. We have recently noticed a couple of apartments being used as brothels. We live in a new, …
Q Does the sunshine law pertain to co-ops? And if so how, as far as keeping shareholders in the dark about misused finances? We recently overturned our board except for the president that still is finishing her term. The new vice pre…
Q If a co-op board member collects proxies from other shareholders and she or he uses those proxies to advance her/his own interests orpersonal opinion, to move forward a proposed amendment of the proprietary lease, for example; is t…
Q The board of directors at my co-op recently mandated that every apartment must carry homeowner’s insurance and list the complex as “additionally insured.” My insurance agent says that by listing them as “additionally insured” on the po…