In April 2001, the Committee of Condominiums and Cooperatives of the Real Property Section of the New York State Bar Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and the New York County Lawyers Association approved a new…
Every year, co-ops and condos spend serious time and energy compiling their operating budgets. The process can start as early as September, with an evaluation of the first eight months of expenses for the past year–the primary purpose of wh…
In October 2000 Judge Louis York (New York Supreme Court, First Judicial Department) issued a decision that annulled the City of New York’s lead-poisoning prevention statute, commonly called Local Law 38. In the many news articles and attor…
Although the US economy appears to have been in a steady decline for some time, it would seem that financial fraud and abuse are, unfortunately, "growth sectors." In 1996, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) published i…
When I was growing up in the ‘60s, our large rental building in Queens was like a village. My mother played mah jong once a week with several neighbor ladies, and Tuesdays were Dad’s poker nights. We kids played freely in the halls, practic…
Few things are more important for a building than having a competent managing agent willing to work closely with board members to make their home a safe, harmonious place to live. A big part of any good managing agent’s job is to be "on cal…
All relationships–even the healthiest ones–need constant care and maintenance. Whether it’s person-to-person or business-to-client, relationships must be cultivated in order to thrive–a fact that holds doubly true for the crucial connection…
We all know how it goes. All year long, you let things slide a little here and there–an extra handful of chips here, putting off changing your oil there–until by the time the New Year rolls around, you’re battling ten extra pounds and your …
Many co-op and condo-dwellers have been looking inward of late, concentrating their energy and income on making improvements to their buildings and personal spaces, rather than spending money on travel, entertainment, and other more extrove…
The implications of the attacks of September 11 are far-reaching, with tentacles stretching around the world. But what about right next door? An entire section of Manhattan has been forever altered, as have the lives of all the people who c…