In a high-cost, high-density real estate landscape like New York City, when disputes arise in a multifamily building, tensions can escalate from annoyance to litigation very quickly. In rental buildings, problems can range from lack of…

In the 1950s and 60s, airlines hired comely young women to work the aisles and tend to passenger requests—stewardesses, they were called. And while the word was the feminine form of steward, the combination of the title, the outfit, and…

Lawsuits, by their very nature, are acrimonious affairs. They can be messy, they’re time-consuming, and even when they’re relatively uncomplicated, they’re expensive. For a lower- or median-income co-op or condo resident, getting sued or…

Lawsuits are an unfortunate, expensive fact of life these days—chances are that at some point in your lifetime you’ll be involved in one to at least some degree. In you live in a co-op or condo community, legal issues arise between board…

It will come as no surprise to anyone that between the cars, industry, residents’ power needs, and other energy use, New York City has a pretty mammoth carbon footprint. According to a recent carbon inventory of the city, nearly 80 perc…

 As the legislature in Albany and the New York City Council are in full swing,  legislation of every type is being proposed, debated, and considered. As one  might expect, the budget is front and center in these recessionary times, but  ho…

The late 1990s saw a surge of nationwide smoking restrictions put into effect. State by state, legislation banning smoking in various settings was proposed and passed into law. With varying amounts of resistance and controversy, workpl…

Evicted For Having a Pet? Q I live in a co-op where pets are specifically not allowed. This is made very clear in writing to residents before they move into the co-op. If a resident comes in, buys a pet, and refuses to get ri…

Q “I am the superintendent of a Manhattan cooperative. One shareholder's apartment has bed bugs and the board had done the right thing by paying the exterminator bills as this is no time to be having an argument as to who is responsible…

Q “My building has recently turned co-op and we are trying to create a contract for a new super. I would like to know if there is some type of guideline that I can follow to specify what the super's duties will be. We would feel more…