Fifty years ago, residents new to a neighborhood might be greeted by a Welcome Wagon hostess in an A-line skirt and perfect matte lipstick bearing a basket full of goodies from local merchants. She'd give the homeowners the lowdown on wh…
Whether it's demanding residents or unreasonable board members, maintenance headaches or a barely-under-control work schedule, a property manager is in a unique—and uniquely stressful—position. No one knows this better than the property …
Lady Bird Johnson once said, "While the spirit of neighborliness was important on the frontier because neighbors were so few, it is even more important now because our neighbors are so many." The first lady of the United States (196…
On a classic episode of the TV show The Simpsons, the town read its founding charter only to discover that the mayor of Springfield was supposed to get two pigs every year. While there are probably no co-op or condo documents in eff…
For decades, co-op boards and managers have had to walk a delicate line between generating revenue and obeying the law when it came to renting out space in their buildings to commercial tenants. As of December 20, 2007, that has cha…
Most shareholders would agree that attending their annual meeting is an activity low on their priority list, right after flossing their teeth and organizing their sock drawers. Some feel the meetings are boring, while others feel they do…
Who is responsible for chimney maintenance in a New York City co-op? (Not all the apartments have fireplaces.) Also, who is responsible for repairing/replacing windows? My apartment is a loft with unique windows that are not easily repaire…
What is a conservation easement? What are the tax advantages to a conservation easement? Can a condo or co-op vote to place a conservation easement? —Curious in New York “An easement is a transfer of usage rights. Simply…
We are an 11-unit condo. association. In May 2006 two board members decided to remove our 19-year-old mature beautiful shrubs (azaleas & rhododendrons) from in front of our units. They promised to replace them by September 2006. It has not…
I manage a small Mitchell-Lama co-op. Our local grocery store, which has served as an important resource for our senior residents who can’t go too far, is closing down. We were wondering what we would have to do to set up a little store i…