When it comes to board members pushing their own pet projects, stalling meetings, and generally gumming up their building’s administrative works for selfish reasons, Chris Ebert, senior property manager of Downtown Properties in Manhatt…

Here’s the scenario: the sponsor of your co-op, who owns enough units to throw his weight around, hires a managing agent who plays fast and loose with the municipal tax codes. So much so in fact, that he winds up in jail—and your buildi…

As the trilogy of real estate values rising, building usage changing, and cellphone and Internet communications became universal, wireless telecommunications companies became popular defendants in the Commercial Part of New York’s Civi…

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…