Q I’ve lived in my Manhattan co-op for nearly 20 years. We elected a new board president a little over a year ago, and in that short time our board has raised the monthly maintenance three times. Can a board just keep raising our ma…
Q My question concerns the various forms of compensation our building’s super receives and the shareholders’ right to know the exact sum of his monthly income, as an exact cost to the building. Our super has a fixed salary, which is di…
Q I am a member on the board of directors of a co-op in Nassau County, New York. We are experiencing a problem with a shareholder, who we believe regularly smokes “pot” and also entertains fellow smokers in his apartment. The odor pe…
When you rank the key players who keep your building functioning from day to day, the superintendent should probably be placed close to the top of the list. A building’s super has a tremendous amount of responsibility, including looking…
Fortunately for boards looking to cut costs while still providing needed services to their buildings, many vendors are advertising bargain basement prices to fortify their own business. Unfortunately, the risk of getting stuck with unf…
Despite the heavy rains, which kicked off this summer season, the thoughts of beaches, vacations, barbecues, family picnics and ball games still permeate the air. The last thing on most people’s minds is the icy chill of winter. However…
Steam was once considered the lifeblood of Manhattan, providing heat to thousands of apartments and buildings. Even today, Con Edison provides steam for heat and hot water to approximately 1,800 buildings in New York City. However, upk…
When it comes to the windows in your building, like most people you’re probably focused on energy conservation—keeping the air conditioning inside in the summer and the cold air outside in the winter. While you’re probably aware that not…
Saving money by going green sounds great, but who has that initial capital in these tough economic times? The average person may not be able to afford a hybrid car or a solar panel array, however, there are many energy-saving changes yo…
There was a time when Long Island City’s waterfront area wasn’t exactly a hot residential neighborhood. With its looming industrial buildings with a few small residential buildings thrown together near the East River, the area was more …