Q. Our co-op building was completed in 1926. A taller building was built a few years later, right next to our building. Since the exhaust from our chimney could go into the new building’s apartments, our chimney had to be built taller. T…
Q. I live in a co-op. Last year we had new windows installed, but the cost was greater than we’d initially been told, due to a DOB law requiring all apartments to have a set amount of air and light that necessitated the use of a different…
For many, birds are a particularly contentious class of animal. Some people are extremely fond of them—admiring their colorful plumage, their melodic calls, or their enviable ability to soar effortlessly above whatever mess we have going on…
Nothing lasts forever, even with good maintenance—including most building components. Exterior elements are perhaps most subject to wear and tear in any climate. Their construction and material type dictate their maintenance needs and repai…
Car owners know that in order to operate their vehicle legally, they must have it professionally inspected every year. An older car might need some relatively minor repairs or adjustments to bring it into compliance with state emissions req…
When the topic of exterior maintenance comes up, it’s important to keep in mind that when it comes to multifamily properties, even projects that focus on a building’s ‘envelope’ are by no means limited to just the façade or roof. Projects l…
In the eight months since the deadly collapse at Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, many states and municipalities are reviewing their policies around reserve funds, inspections, and maintenance projects for high rise apartment bu…
According to a recent report by HireAHelper looking at which U.S. cities have the largest homes, more and more homeowners and home-seekers prefer larger houses with more rooms. Responses to a Pew survey cited in the report suggest that …
Many cooperatives and condominiums in New York have long benefitted from a tax abatement program under Real Property Tax Law 467-a. In September of 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul put new eligibility requirements into this law that go into ef…
Homeowners in New York were not spared from the economic repercussions of the pandemic. If anything, New York was the first and one of the worst affected areas in the country when COVID arrived on US shores in 2020. It’s also no secret that…