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…
Q “I live in a co-op in and had a question about proxy voting. In a recent vote, some proxies were left unassigned although everything else was filled out correctly. Does this make them automatically void because they were incomplete?…
Q “I am a board member of a condo in Rego Park, Queens. Our superintendent is leaving and we are looking for a new one. This position is non-union. I know that by law, supers who belong to Local 32BJ must live in the building. But wha…
Like all property owners in New York City, cooperative and condominium boards and their managing agents are sometimes presented with a problem which, while not unique, is perhaps more pressing here than elsewhere: with land so develope…
On April 22, 2010 the federal Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) new “Renovation, Repair, & Painting Rule” for lead based paint will take effect. The new rule requires owners to follow lead-safe work practices when disturbing a pa…
Trade groups and professional organizations are an excellent illustration of the old adage that “It’s not what you know, but who you know that makes the difference.” By joining trade organizations, professionals in any industry are affor…
When people think of the Bronx, most probably picture an urban landscape of tenements and commercial buildings surrounded by acres of concrete and asphalt—the image of a leafy suburban enclave is perhaps not the first thing that comes t…