Even among otherwise conscientious, community-minded condo, HOA, and co-op residents, the idea of running for and serving on their board often ranks somewhere between taxes and dental work on their list of things to look forward to. It conj…
Whether you live in a high-rise building or a spread-out condo association, you probably take having reliable, adequate heat in the winter months for granted. But heating a multifamily community is not so easy as simply turning a dial. Ther…
In recent years, concern over accelerating climate change has put increasing emphasis on ‘going green.’ This broad trend encompasses everything from what we eat to what we wear, to how we build our homes, and how we clean them. With the glo…
Real estate lore has its share of stories about merciless, if not downright unscrupulous, city inspectors popping in on unaware building owners, conducting unscheduled examinations of all types, and sometimes even demanding payoffs in excha…
As part of the larger Climate Mobilization Act, the City of New York passed Local Law 97 (LL97) in 2019 to reduce carbon emissions from buildings. This law enforces carbon caps on most buildings larger than 25,000 square feet—including roug…
On October 18, workers at 108 Leonard Street, a 166-unit luxury condo in the Tribeca section of Manhattan, went on strike to protest a number of alleged unfair labor practices at the condominium developed by Elad Group. According to an anno…
The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) recently published proposed rules for implementing Local Law 97 (LL97), landmark legislation initially passed in 2019 aimed at limiting the city’s carbon emissions. These limits are the center…
The real estate market since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on all buyers, but aspiring first-time buyers may have struggled most of all. For much of 2020 and 2021, the housing market faced a challenging combination of h…
As the effects of climate change intensify, apartment communities are faced with new and newly stringent requirements on many fronts in an effort to slow the tide. These range from converting from fossil fuels to more efficient types of ren…
Q. I’m a member of my building’s board. At a recent board meeting, the owner of our management company told the board that I fired the plumbing company. The owner of the plumbing company then asked for my name and phone number, and the ma…