On Labor Day, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed Senate bill S6350A, which prohibits most individual unit owners or shareholders in condominiums (condos) or cooperatives (co-ops) from obtaining or maintaining tax abatements under section…
Q. The bylaws of [my co-op] currently charge utility costs—water, sewer, heat/AC, and electricity—to our shareholders on the basis of the number of shares each unit is assigned. The shares apportioned are variable depending on unit size, …
Q. We recently had to vote to remove our board president from his position, because he was taking small amounts of funds on a regular basis. He said it was all ‘petty cash reimbursements,’ but he never told the board or treasurer about ma…
Q. I have a question as a shareholder. Our Mitchell-Lama development in NYC is taking a needed bank loan to cover major repairs. There was no shareholders meeting or voting on this capital improvement. The board has not yet decided on how…
As the COVID-19 pandemic descended upon the country at the end of last winter, notably taking hold initially and most prominently in New York City’s outer boroughs, which include some of the most diverse ZIP codes in the United States, it q…
Between the tragedy of the Surfside condominium collapse in Florida and the subsequent placement of the association in receivership, as well as the flurry of recent press around popstar Britney Spears’s yearslong struggle against her own fi…
The reality of climate change is upon us. Weather patterns have changed, and seasons have been altered. We experience more intense heat, more frequent, destructive storms, wide-ranging wildfires, and more destructive cold. Tornadoes—the spa…
In the beginning … there was light. And all this time later, we are finally harnessing light’s energy to power our cities, our buildings, and our everyday devices—mostly because all of the energy sources we’ve used until now emit incalculab…
Beautiful new residential buildings are erected every year. As developers make the finishing touches, the walls are closed to conceal elements like piping, wiring, fire suppression systems, and insulation. Unfortunately, awareness of these …
One of the main considerations in selecting an apartment for purchase is whether the unit is in move-in condition or requires renovation. This is not a new question, though perhaps surprisingly, attitudes have shifted in recent years - espe…