In March 1947, a group of nearly 600 onlookers gathered on the sidewalk in front of the home of bachelor brothers Homer and Langley Collyer on Fifth Avenue and 128th Street in Manhattan. Residents of the neighborhood had speculated and …
Living in a condominium community means working together. Cooperation and a spirit of volunteerism are visible every day in community gatherings, board meetings, even in the scheduling of time on the tennis courts. The men and women wh…
In an era of tight budgets and growing green consciousness, more co-op and condo communities than ever before are moving toward energy conservation and sustainable resources. For those residential buildings lucky enough to stand tall i…
The sun is hot and people are thinking about beaches and cooling off in pools and air conditioners, and surely the last thing anyone wants to think about is that brutal winter of snow and ice we just had. But this is precisely…
Some multifamily buildings have direct metering—the utility owns each apartment’s meter, and each resident pays directly to the utility based on an individual utility rate. Others don’t have electric metering of individual units—the enti…
The cost of producing energy is on the rise, a seemingly never ending ascent that places big heating and cooling bills in the hands of building owners. These costs are then passed down to residents. As a result, many boards are searchi…
Q Our condo building has a lot attached with parking for six cars. On the far side of the lot there is a garden and a playground. We have a member who has requested to use the garden, playground and parking lot for a party. Cars will be…
Q At our last annual meeting, the president, vice president and all other members of the board were present. However, without any explanation to the shareholders present, the corporation’s counsel proceeded to conduct the meeting by fir…
Operating a business—or the day-to-day business of a co-op or condo—without adequate insurance coverage is a lot like skydiving with an untested parachute; you may land just fine...or the result could be catastrophic. If your condo or c…