There was a time when many of the city’s key resident management/superintendent associations didn’t communicate much. The Manhattan Resident Managers Club, Inc., the Metropolitan Building Managers of New York, the Scandinavian-American B…

Westchester County is known for, among other things, its grand, multi-million dollar mansions and historic homes found in its posh communities such as Scarsdale, Bronxville and Brewster. Many of these homes were built in the 1950s, when …

In what may prove to be a significant victory for cooperative and condominium boards sued for housing discrimination, an appellate court recently applied the protection of the business judgment rule to a discrimination claim for disabili…

The bathroom is one of the most used rooms in the home—albeit in short intervals.  We all have our own vision of the ultimate bathroom, from natural light and optimal storage space, to telephones, Jacuzzi baths and flat screen TVs. But u…

Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” And taxes aren’t just a certainty for co-op and condo buildings—they’re a complicated part of keeping a building co…

Forget Barbie dolls and dress up clothes—when Janet Leon was a little girl, she probably would’ve preferred to have a mini tool belt and set of screwdrivers. Growing up, she says she fondly remembers shadowing her father, a machinist, ar…

Even the best-run buildings have their bad days, and minor (sometimes not-so-minor) emergencies.  In times like these, it’s vital to have a capable, experienced manager at the helm who can handle problems efficiently and minimize their d…

One of the most important things that a co-op or condo must take into consideration when hiring a contractor for a maintenance or construction project is whether the service providers the building are bringing in to do the work are prope…

Co-op and condo buildings don’t run themselves. Their owners and shareholders rely on board members to make important decisions about the buildings they live in, and board members count on their management companies to provide them with …

In a perfect world, the relationship between a management company and the co-op or condo it serves would be harmonious, with few—if any—bumps in the road. But this is New York City, and if that vital relationship sours, your board could …