Spring means many things to many people—but for anyone involved in the tri-state area's residential real estate industry, The Cooperator's 21st Annual Co-op & Condo Expo—to be held this year on Tuesday, April 29th on three floors of the …

As a child, we tried diligently to avoid stepping on the cracks in the sidewalk, because, after all, our mother's backs were hanging in the balance. As adults, we simply take sidewalks for granted, often not looking down and watching whe…

To paraphrase the 1948 film, and later, television series of the same name, The Naked City, there are eight million stories in the naked city. And probably ten times that many signs. They are everywhere, all asking for our attenti…

When you walk around busy areas of Manhattan, Brooklyn and elsewhere in the city these days, it's hard to miss the large number of structures stretching above the sidewalk, made up of huge sheets of wood resting on thin metal poles.…

Being a co-op or condo owner often means multi-tasking—especially if you happen to serve on your building's board. To keep your home in good repair and to comply with Local Law 11 and other city building codes governing façade repai…

You've got to hand it to city plants. They squeeze themselves into the tightest of spaces, and each day they battle pollution and smog, get stepped on (or worse, thanks to the city's dog owners) more times than they'd like to count.…

Can a designated trustee of a co-op apartment serve as a member of a co-op board  in any role?     —Upper East Side Shareholder   A “The general answer to the question is yes provided that the bylaws of the  corporation or th…

 I am president of a co-op, which has a swimming pool. The question has come up  as to whether or not a lifeguard is required by law. I am writing because I  found an article on the Internet on cooperator.com found at  (cooperator.com/artic…

 I’m a condo owner in New York City. I have written to the management company of  our condo regarding some issues I have been having, but the management company  has not taken any action to remedy the situation. I would like to make my  mai…

The "mortar" that cements together the building blocks for community is communication between homeowners and the leadership team. The following types of communication are extremely important: (a) member surveys—both written and via focus…