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Fraud Detection for Co-ops and Condos When You suspect Something is Amiss

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Criminals like Bernard Madoff and other so-called “white collar” lawbreakers have made headlines recently with their financial double-dealings, but unfortunately, fiscal mismanagement and fraud also happen in co-op and condo communities. The scale is much different obviously, but an apartment is a major investment, and residents of a building trust their board members and managing agents to uphold their fiduciary responsibilities and be good custodians of that investment.

It's vital, therefore, for building administrators to have a sound system of checks and balances in place to keep things transparent and above board in their co-op or condo community's operations. Such a system will alert board members, managing agents and other concerned parties to the possibility that something odd is happening with—or off of—the building’s books. But it’s not always the obvious financial frauds that might be uncovered; dealings of various kinds might be found.

The More Eyes, the Better

"Fraud" doesn't always take a form that board members or others might suspect, which is part of the reason why there are many potential weak spots that can make a building vulnerable to theft and mismanagement. As part of their fiduciary responsibility, board members also must guard against shady practices that aren’t exactly fraud but which are undesirable and not helpful to the building.

One such shady area involves quid pro quo situations. In return for sending business their way, a person involved with a building’s operations might get something like cash or services from a contractor as a kickback. Such a scheme might involve a property manager overpaying a contractor with building funds, then being given cash by the contractor in exchange for the inflated payment, or having a new deck put on their house in repayment.

“The biggest schemes you encounter are when someone is in cahoots with contractors and getting kickbacks,” says Gerald Marsden, a partner with Manhattan-based accounting firm Eisner and Lubin LLP. “The other [scheme] is when someone is writing ‘play’ checks to themselves.”

Who’s minding the paychecks, and what the checks and balances are, could be the two most important factors that make one building more vulnerable to fraud than another. Fraud might be perpetrated on a building by a manager or a director or directors on the building’s board. In cases of fraud committed by board members, the deed could happen if one or two board members were signatories of the building’s reserve account and ended up pilfering it.

When considering ways to thwart fraud in a residential community, the overwhelming opinion among industry professionals is that the more administrators (such as property managers and board members) are involved in watching the community’s financial movements, the safer the community’s assets will be.

At a minimum, a co-op or condo community should have two board members with joint signatory responsibility for borrowing for the community or for accessing the cash reserve account, says Jeff Heidings, president of Siren Management in Manhattan.

“A board should never allow one board member to be the only signatory on an account, because that leaves the account vulnerable,” Heidings says, adding that the board also should be insured in the event of fraudulent dealings by those working for the building. “The odds are a lot less likely of two people being dishonest and conspiring.”

Being out of the loop regarding their community’s financial affairs could cost board members money, because their aloof stance could be enabling criminals. The easiest communities to steal from are those whose boards have a hands-off governing style, says Stephen Beer of the Manhattan-based accounting firm Czarnowski & Beer. Some of the most vulnerable buildings rely heavily on their property managers to handle all of the details of running the community’s operations, he adds.

“Oversight by the board is the best protection,” Beer says.

With such board supervision, questionable practices such as hiring contractors who are paid in cash can be caught—or better still, avoided before they even start. Even smaller but potentially problematic control issues might be detected, such as when a building examined by Czarnowski & Beer was found to have given a credit card to the superintendent for expenses. That’s a no-no that can lead to many "oh no’s" from the board if an unscrupulous superintendent abuses the credit card.

“Frauds tend to start small and grow over time,” Beer says.

As with so many other crimes, fraud is a crime of opportunity. An unscrupulous person sees an opportunity to defraud in the process of doing their job. For example, the superintendent might accidentally use the building expenses credit card to gas up his own car one time. When he realizes that no one notices, he does it again. After a while, the theft becomes a habit with the superintendent regularly buying other personal items on the credit card. Over time, the petty thefts add up to thousands in losses to the building.

Protecting Assets

Ensuring that your community’s assets are secure can sometimes involve nipping in the bud any unnecessarily increasing expenses. Again, the community’s financial bottom line must be closely scrutinized to find these increases. Under such evaluation, theft of building materials from a construction job in the building, or the regular pinching of building cleaning supplies by staff will be caught before those actions become patterns and result in higher maintenance fees for residents.

Even mundane aspects of a building’s operations, such as contracts and supply ordering, are areas of co-op/condo buildings that often are vulnerable to cheating and fraud. Because of a lack of controls in many buildings, often property managers can commit fraud quite easily, Heidings says. Again, he advises boards to make sure all checks are countersigned by at least one board member to prevent manager fraud..

A warning sign that could lead a board member or manager to suspect that the building’s finances are being mishandled or misappropriated might be that a particular cleaning solvent or another building supply suddenly costs much more than it once did. If the $20 solvent suddenly costs $50, a kickback scheme could be happening.

Some financial controls can be put in place to avoid misdealing as well. The board of directors can put a cap on the amount for which checks paid by the building can be written. Or, the board might instruct the bank that any amount over a certain set number not be removed from its account without a letter from the board approving the withdrawal.

A board’s members can expect some help in protecting the community’s assets from its professionals, including the building’s accountant, its attorney and its other professional advisors. Because much of the burden of protecting the community’s assets is in the hands of accountants, these days, auditors must do risk-based auditing. That approach focuses on recorded and unrecorded risks, by evaluating the payment of bills, the building’s internal controls, and whether the building’s system of balances can be relied upon. Through the process, an accountant can identify cases of fraud.

“It’s really looking at controls," says Carl Cesarano, co-owner of Cesarano & Khan, an accounting firm based in Manhattan, echoing other money managers' sentiments. "You also need to have a board member who can do monthly reviews of the building’s financial reports. Some boards keep the reserve fund out of the hands of the property manager. The more people on the board looking at the financial statements, the less likely you are to have a problem.”

A board and management team can help themselves to avoid being taken by actually comparing the building’s financial statements from month-to-month or year-to-year. Those closer examinations could reveal discrepancies in spending for different items and services.

“You’re looking for variations, and you’re looking for blips,” Cesarano says. “We know certain expenses reoccur. You should look at utilities and see if anything strange is going on there. Whenever you have a third party such as a property manager watching your building, you have to watch what they’re doing.”

Scrutiny of a building’s operations is a team approach, with board members, the managing agent and the accountant all having roles to play in the process. Board members should regularly check online to see what payments are being made for the building’s expenses. At the very least, the board’s treasurer should regularly review those payments.

Every co-op and condo community must have a yearly audit. That audit should help boards to pick up on duplicate payments being made, or illusory vendors receiving funds, Heidings says.

However, audits often do not look at 100 percent of all of a building’s bills, so they cannot be viewed as definitive. They are a sampling of financial activity that sometimes can miss inconsistencies which point to mishandling or misappropriating of a building’s finances.

But it’s not simply a building’s professionals, such as property managers, or a building’s staff members, like the superintendent, who need some over-the-shoulder scrutiny. Outside contractors also must be thoroughly vetted to avoid “sweetheart deals” in which the property manger and contractor are in collusion.

“The board has to be fully aware of who its vendors are. When a new vendor comes along, board members might want to question it, to make sure there’s no hanky-panky going on,” Heidings says.

Prosecuting Wrongdoing

Where shareholders, board members and the property manager go if they suspect or believe their building is being defrauded depends upon the individuals. Still, experts say they should first tell the building’s lawyer.

While the penalties for fraud in a co-op/condo setting can be severe, in many cases they are state crimes. In some cases, the fraud is perpetrated by someone close to the board, whom the board chooses not to prosecute. Or the wrongdoing could be viewed by board members as so small as to not be worth prosecuting. The community’s leaders also might feel foolish that they were deceived and choose to fire the offender, rather than pressing charges and have the situation become public.

Often, Marsden says, communities do nothing about such wrongdoing, because the person who committed the crime is the board’s friend or neighbor. “They look to get some type of restitution. They don’t want the publicity,” he says.

Heidings suggests that administrators of buildings that are defrauded do otherwise. “Go to your attorney, and find out if [the wrongdoing] is actionable, and file charges, if possible,” he says.

Jonathan Barnes is a freelance writer, reporter and a frequent contributor to The Cooperator and other publications.

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62 Comments

  • Is it fraud if the board institutes major projects without the approval of the majority of unit owners. Is it fraud if the president uses condo funds to have trees planted outside her door on the sidewalk without a permit because she wants to. Is it fraud if she enlarges and has imported tile installed without the approval of the unit owners. Is it fraud if she puts in cameras in the common back yard area overlooking all the patios, without approval of the unit owners.
  • Jan, it sounds pretty bad to me but I think that if the board went along with it, then they are considered to represent the unit owners. That's co-op "democracy".
  • lafayette park condo. board members tried to block 2 owners including me to check 54 records and they have tols us that it will cost 400 dollars . we paid for it , and guess what ? they total charges that the board member and management spent from the funds was 10,000 dollars. so basically i paid 400 dollars and the management office paid 10,000 to the management company CMC and the lawyer . any sense ??!!!
  • the board collected moneyfor project A. they took the money and used for it for something else. the board wants to collect more money for project A. can they do that?
  • Arnaud, we live in a condominium complex, not a cooperative. Our by-laws and rules are different. A board can be sued for willful misconduct and abuse of power. We are individual owners and we did not have a vote on any of the projects they instituted. They are thieves.
  • I have a condo whose inside wall has mold due to an outside hole on the wall. The condo manager said that they would fix it but that the assoc. did not have the money. The assoc. never has any money!
  • A condo owner on my building, added an extra room to her condo in our common basement, now the basement is getting smaller and her condo is getting bigger.Is it fraud or theft to the member association? What can we do? She has been adding space to her condo for a long time. Where do we go for legal help?
  • frustrated condo owner on Saturday, May 14, 2011 4:25 PM
    whom should I contact if I suspect fraud of the board, the building management company and it's employees? I am in Chicago, and many told me this is just Chicago style.
  • Mnagement company and Codoboard refuses to do repairs from work order prior to Master Deed Changes. Civil Rights, refuses to acknowledge that there is retailiation and other discrimination of a ongoing nature. I can't get any work orders done
  • Monthly condo assessments on time, sent certified mail, but keep duplicating with late fees following months. And balance forwards swallow them eventually, so one does not know what is going on.
  • frustrated NYC condo owner on Monday, April 23, 2012 12:31 PM
    Can a building manager/board of directors fine shareholders for a building infraction that they (building manager/board of directors) originally approved? Building law11 was then passed. BM/BOD advised shareholders to remove flower boxes. SH were given 5 days or get fined. Some flower boxes had mourning doves nesting. based on fed law you can disturb a migratory bird nest. Infraction was corrected before buidling inspection, so fine was never given to the building. is shareholder still responsible for fine, if so what are they responsible to pay? part of the fine or what ever the MB/BOD deem is the fine? Thank you for your help
  • The board says we owe over 60,000 in property taxes and the and over 25,000 in oil and we now have to pay an increase monthly of over $200 or we will loose the building. They dont itemize the expense annuall expense reports and it is very vague and unclear ? What rights do i have as a shareholder to have an itemized list of expenses for the building.
  • Enraged NYC Coop Owner on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 1:45 AM
    To make a long story short, For the past 10 yrs, the board and mngt co have done nothing but give us trouble, accusing and judging me guildty of something I never did, just because "it came to our attention that...". The best part is tell me about this for the first time when I've already been charged guiltly. Then a few menaces. They always send all the paperwork to my dad. this time though, they coincidentally put it in my mailox after I was gone for 2 months. The letter said we didn't pay the very first 2 months of maintenance, and that if we don't pay it immediately, the apt will be sold in an auction. If we had not fought, they would have taken our apt! There's was also a flyers once that said: "THIS IS YOUR TRASH. PLEASE DESPOSE (error left on purpose) OF IT IN A GARBAGE BAG IN YOUR APARTMENT. Being the closest apt to the staircase, no one in the building could have missed it. Next to the anonymous, there was a pile of letters, none of which were addressed to me. Now everytime there is a leak, it is immediately my fault. Is any of this legit? Thanks
  • helpless shareholder on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 12:36 PM
    The President self managed the building for 3 years on her own with no board never having meetings,She finally gave it the bldg to an outside management who resigned after 1year , Recently we found out that the President withdrew funds from the bldg accts with the debit card within 2 1/2 years she took over 20k in cash and issued chks for her son over 14k desription says paperwork and phone calls on his checks and on top of that she's fighting to be President again , What can we do she';s defaulted in her proprietory lease we want her out of the bldg , Her family has become Irrate and wants to get physical has threaten my family members because I found out about them taking the money what can I do
  • Call authorities and the attorney generals office. They will get involved immediately. Protect yourself.
  • My condo's management co. and some board members have done some unusual things in our condo with the help of the condo lawyer.. The last thing that I am still trying to get the original paperwork on was an insurance claim that was submitted to the condo's insurance in 2011 for a great deal of water damage done in my kitchen which destroyed almost the whole kitchen. Right from the beginning, the condo manager put in the wrong claim which was refused. For some reason, the agent from the insurance company even had another adjustor visit my condo and that other adjustor supposedly denied the claim which the adgent informed me of in an email. . I called the female adjustors on the phone and only after speaking to these adjustors on the phone, the managemenjt co. offered me about 1/4 of amount I believe the claim should be for. They still will not show me the origjnal paperwork that the insurance companies send out with the check to cover a claim. They keep on saying that the unsigned estimate is the only thing they have which I do not believe. I even wrote the president of this insurance company but she had an attorney write back to me and he is again showing me an unsigned estimate which cannot be a legal document. Sadly, I think some insurance company employees may be involved as I am positive that 2 lied that the claim was denied when I have a copy of a check that the management company is saying was meant to cover my claim. No one in the insurancew company will tell me what the amount of the claim is, therefore, I am very suspicious of those employees as any honest insurance company would want a 69 year old retired person to get the full amount of the claim. I believe by insurance companies making out the check to the maqnagement company or the association is just looking for corruption to take palce and i am not sure if this is done or our management company has found a way to get this done. Employees of this insurance company may be involved and I am not talking about agents only but possibly some of the higher ups including some legal people. I am saying this because the claim was refused one day and a week later II was offered $5,000 if I wouldn't hold the association responsible. . What makes me very suspicious also is that the condo attorney made a notation on the back of the check saying that if I signed this check I would not hold the association responsible for any more money. I don't believe this condo lawyer should be doing this since our association is not self insured. If there was a cap on this claim, it would be up to the insurance company to state and not the condo attorney. I would never hold the association responsible for repairs but I would expect them to help me to get more money to cover the repairs if the $5,000 is not sufficient and I know it is not. Cam uou give me any advise. By the way you have only heard a tiny bit of what has occurred here. I have enough to write a book or even a newspaper article if anyone is interested. This horrible treatment of the condo owners by the mnanagement company has to stop
  • I am a condo owner.I believe my super was paid a huge kickback on a contracting job.how can I compel the company that did the job to submit to an audit
  • We have recently gone from selfmanagement to hiring a smal management company to handle our affairs. They promised monthly reports and now they are not forthcoing. I have asked several times for the bank statement copies and they still are not complying. I'm starting to worry alot. What should we do?
  • Con as president, Management 'Dirty' on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 8:18 PM
    We've had the same board leadership for years. Even being on the board, I have no idea of what is occurring- But have no question there is something going on. The president was arrested for forgery and theft by swindle, from the PROPERTY MANAGEMENT FIRM he worked for- he declared bankruptcy protection from literally dozens of creditors, he has civil judgements for gross PROPERTY MISMANAGEMENT- Yet, he's exceptional at using the system and is extremely likeable, even after hundreds of thousands aren't really explainable- And the worst is the actual management company is in 'cahoots', they erroneously sent an e-mail to the rest of board that was only intended for the president. As they control everything, there's nothing we can do.
  • I believe my board and management have both acted to defraud my coperative. Our financial statements come a year late... a budget is so out of wack...two boilers changed in the middle of winter....on the opposite sides of the street.Both could not have gone at the same time)...and they could have been maintained until spring, .. assessments like crazy with no explanation...and a request to inspect books and records is disregarded. What options do I have to see what is going on? I am a shareholder and have a management background. Woud I have to get a lawyer and pay the legal fees on my own? Does the cooperative Corporation have an liability to refund legal fees?
  • Has anyone ever heard of a case in which a co-op board member manages to steal the shares of a tenant who had lost his stock and lease? Someone told me that this happened to him, but I find it hard to believe.
  • Please tell me who to contact for the following situation. My neighbor has a dispute with out condo association. She wrote them requesting information concerning her payments. Instead they sent her a copy of my payments and five other condo unit owners. They released my checking account information to this woman, obviously by accident. Our property management company is paid approx. $750,000. a year and run it like amateur hour.The owner who received my information sent me a copy of my checks with a letter of explanation. Please tell me what legal action I am able to take. Linda
  • A coop apt is a home to a family however it does not have any homeownership rights.The class most target is the one with NO MORTGAGE. They can be evicted in housing court. We have no protection in Bankarutcy court. We are second class citezens. we need to change the laws. check COOPABUSE.COM and register to be part of the COOP REFORM MOVEMENT. IT IS OUR HOME AND WE NEED PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW AND THE ABUSER PROSECUTED.
  • Has anyome had a situaion of Board President is dating the association manager?? Her unit is spotless and is repaired while the rest is going down with no help of repairs except being put off. We are the second highest in our county and have nothing extra to explain it like a clubhouse, pool, etc. Any advice out there on how we go about removing the involved??
  • I think my managment firm at my condo is taking kick backs from contractors. She offered us an alarm company for work too refinish our wooden deck for 10,000 however I was on the board at the time and found a real deck company approved by BBB and they did the job for 5,000. After the deck company met with the property manager the price went up to 5,900
  • I received a letter from condo Mangement telling me I would be fined if I did not clean my flower beds. How do I know if it came from management co if it was not signed. It was on there letter head but is it legal to threaten me that way
  • I believe 2 of my association board members gave false information to the insurance company providing our master policy-what are the implications to owners and board members just made aware of this ?
  • I own a condo unit. I had a water leak from my water heater, I called my insurance tripple a, I filed for a claim, knowing that, they are the best and honest, they sent their contract company and i signed the paper knowing that they are responsible for it. after couple of days I found out they denied my claim , and they charged me too much for the service they provided. I could have called somebody cheaper. They are pointing my primary is the home owners association insurance.I have to pay every thing out of my pocket, both are denying my claim. So sad with my hard earned money will just go in to the drain.
  • i own a condo unit living on forth floor. above me terrace of fifth floor,owner put storage. is it allowed to put without my permission?
  • building dept filing of large project & dollars are different than Board notes and tax filing by $250,000 capital project per auditors 2013 filed taxes. Your comment ? Fraud /kickback?
  • I am the Secretary on the Bosrd of my condo. Our annual audit was just completed. The Treasurer stated that the management letter should not be on the agenda for the open Bosrd meeting, but should be discussed in Executive Session only. Is this.best practice?
  • Who do you c tact when your condo board has no financial records of who did or did not pay common fees?
  • Brookline condo owner on Friday, May 30, 2014 7:51 AM
    Dannin management of Brookline is practicing this for years. I tried alerting the city and state ... No reaction. Where else can I turn to?
  • Hi, I own a condo unit in nyc. Our president of HOA is doing things that are not supported by-law. Recently, floor in a common area was redone but the construction guy who did the work found a tiny tiny chipped spot which was not even visible unless you really look very closely. Regardless how much damage it is and who made that damage, it should be maintained by common charge as per by-law. However, this president charged penalty of $100 to three unit owners who uses the common area; maintenance people also have access to this area and comes by often for routine maintenance. I have sent letters to address this issue along with copies of by- law indicating common area is not each owner's responsibility. However, this president is not logical and refused to remove the fine. I spoke with vp of the board who disagrees with the president but he said he can't change the president's decision and suggested to speak to her. I have communicated with president, vp, maintenance company so many times but answer is always the same "it is her decision, no one else can do anything about it but her" Now the fine became $250 due to late fees for the last few months. I cannot afford an attorney to fight for $250. But it is not fair and it is not right to be fined without violating any rule addressed in by-law. I also take this as a discriminatory action as the president made only three units to be subjected to this her personal regulation. Two of the three units are Korean and one unit is hispanic. There is no answer why we are the only ones targeted and fined. No one actually check other common areas to apply this illogical practice. I need advice. Please help me.
  • Who do you go to when you suspect fraud and 3 of the 5 Board members, the property manager and our Association's attorney are all in it together? FDLE, Attorney General, or the local police (who I don't think would have enough knowledge about fraud condo associations.) It's proof positive that association funds are being mishandled.
  • While going through an on going loan mod with bank after paying 12 yrs of mort/ while waiting for the procees and waiting for the recalculation of new payments we didn't pay and were tokd the loan would be backended, we trusted and gave every bit od info asked for. almost 2 years and still being asked for more ifrom the bank we trusted. we recently got legal letters of forclosure and my apt was sold at auction(or so I hear)..whomever wasnot in any time frame to do so..Fraud u think.a family in need of help and abvice, My Child does not understand and his schoolwork is suffering..Help please
  • Is there office charged with investigating management companies suspected of fraud ?
  • Three members of my HOA Board are stealing irrigation water & lawn maintenance by tapping into the HOA water meters & demanding the landscaper for the common areas also maintain their yards.
  • Property manager and some board members have created financial fraud and refuse to open books to an audit.. special assessments now total over $2Million for work that was not "mandatory"... who in Illinois do we contact to open an investigation in to this management company
  • One of my co-op's Financials (utility bills) are inflated. I know this because I work in billing for the same utility company. Does this constitute fraud?
  • There is so much corruption in NYC ! All the co-op and condo owners pay the price. The problem is too many people look the other way or indirectly participate in the corruption. For example, you want to hire a contractor, you have to get an application to get approval, you wait and wait then someone will suggest using someone from your building. The building's insurance does not cover this contractor but is a friend of the super. The super gets his cut, you get you renovation done no hassel. Well, you just participated in corruption. If the shareholders or owners don't question it, then eventually they will find out the hard way, that they have broken a code. It takes many years for the truth to come out. It costs so much money to get anything done in NYC due to corruption and the cost is passed on to the consumer. The co-op shareholder that don;t follow the rules of the co-op and take a short cut ( becuase all they care about is what they want) ruin a perfectly good community of people that care about themelves and also their fellow neighbors. No one talks about it but everyone knows it is there
  • It cannot be an "I" thing; there is strength in numbers. Get enough owners on board who are in good standing and committed. Create a hostile takeover (signatures), or things will never change.
  • Frustrated Condo Owner on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 1:36 PM
    I’m a condo owner in Brooklyn and I have been trying to get a refinance on my mortgage and everything is completed except for documents requested from the management company, who is also the sponsor for the building. The documents are a simple questionnaire and the annual budget but the sponsor who is in charge of the management company refused to answer my phone calls, texts, and e-mails in regards to this matter. My loan officer from the bank has also reached out to him numerous times to request these document but he never return any calls or emails. This has been dragged out for the past 5 months and it has caused me to lose out on a lower interested rate and a lot of time wasted. I have also been paying my maintenance fee but have never received any annual budget or any information on where and what the money has been used for. Is it fraud and/or unethical for the management company to do this? What legal action, if any, I can take against him and the company? Please help!
  • In NY you need monet. With money you can afford a good lawyer. With a good lawyer you can sue. If we all sued, the transgressions would occur less frequently.
  • THE ANSWER IS stop whinning STAND UP go to court the only answer that counts is the Judge's. Stop saying mommy he stole my lollipop.
  • I am positive that our President of the board is doing major fraud I have the documents to prove this and pictures. Running our historical building into the ground while making profits off vacation rentals and internet scheme. They have free cable while we been having to pay for our cable.
  • I live in a single family home with an HOA. Twice I have caught them (HOA member and landscaper) connecting their own hose to my water bib to water common areas. Is this legal? I pay for my own water bill. I'd also like to add I live in California where we're in a drought right now and being restricted and penalized.
  • Defrauded in Illinois on Friday, May 22, 2015 10:55 AM
    The property manager and board at my condo complex defrauded their insurance company of $4,500 and did not fix the destruction to my kitchen for a pipe burst the association is responsible for. The association carries insurance to cover replacement of all customary permanent items in a condo, such as appliances, countertops, cabinets, flooring, as well as betterments and improvements, through Nationwide Insurance. After the pipe burst, the property manager and board told me that the association's insurance would not cover internal damage to my unit., so I filed a claim with my homeowners insurance company, State Farm, and had the repairs done. I then discovered that the associations insurance did cover these items, and that the association had received $4,500 from Nationwide for damages to my unit that it did not repair and pocketed that money. This is not theoretical. I and the board have copies of the Nationwide report showing that the association was paid this money for repairs to my unit that it did not perform. These specific repairs were performed by contractors I hired and paid from the proceeds of my State Farm claim. The board is covering this up and trying to keep the $4,500, as is the property manager. Its just pure insurance fraud and greed. The association turned a profit on my hardship and also left me with out of pocket expenses and the loss of my insurance deductible, which I should not have had to pay. I should not have had to file a claim with State Farm. I wish I could say It is not just the prop. manager, but the board is trying to keep this money. It has been clearly brought to their attention and they are stonewalling. They went as far as to motion to stop a board meeting during the homeowner forum where questions about this insurance claim were raised. The question now is where is the $4,500 they got from Nationwide? Did the prop. management company take it? Did the association take it? Did the board take it? They are covering up where the cash is right now, but it is clear from the paper trail that the $4,500 was paid to the association by check, and one or all of these parties has this $4,500. They are circling the wagons in order to hide who has it and keep this money obtained through insurance fraud.
  • We just reinstituted our HOA for our condos after almost 20 yrs of none. A woman who identified as a resident and homeowner basically elected herself president. It turns out now she is not a resident but rents both her units out. this is in hudson county nj. She misrepresented herself. is this grounds for removal? No quorums at meeting there are 40 units. They "pass" rules and bylaws with 5 people present. she and the secy own 3 units. Is this legal?
  • I suspect fraud in the FL condo bldg I live in by the board. We are in the midst of a 40 year accessment for $5million and every item is way over budget for example. Replace tile floors in hallway budgeted at $400,000 current cost $850,000 with I board member taking complete control of projects and no transparancy on why the increases.. Who do I call, police or lawyer and is there any way to have assc cover legal fees?
  • I feel for all these victims on here. I know our condos have been defrauded but it's so hard to prove. Last year our previous property- managing company was raided by the FBI. That company(actually one bad apple in the company) had defrauded customers of hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was turned over to the DA of NM and when I asked them on two different occasions the details, etc. they don't even return my calls.
  • We are a 10 whse building with 5 owners. Presently we have a management company handling affairs and I am a member of the board. Can the 5 owners get together n decide to run building operations thus saving ourselves the extra expense by firing management co? If so do we need papers drawn by a lawyer to that effect n some sort of personal insurance?
  • Nobody's comments are being responded to on this comment form, yet so many people have problems with boards and fraud...in our case, embezzlement. I can't find any information on the internet about what to do in California if a board member is embezzling, actually the board president. There are no co-signers on any checks, and she gets kickbacks galore from contractors, uses the association's credit card for personal expenses, and the list goes on. The state atty gen is too busy to deal with just one HOA. So where do homeowners go when they need a forensic audit?
  • I would like to ask you for an advice how can I contact county Inspector or anybody who can make investigation in Condominium Association of Aventura Fl, Miami Dade County. . We are sure that it is big fraud in our community. I appreciate very much your answer and advice. Thank you, Henry.
  • I live in a manufactured home co-op and earlier in the year we switched property management companies. At first it was that they lost a check, guess that can happen, then a few months later a group of us received eviction/demand for rent and were served by the sheriffs office. I set up a payment arrangement and have stuck by it for the last three months, Then another check went missing. Long story short when I called the management company and asked for a copy of my account and what I have paid in I was told it was sent to the co-op's lawyer and I would have to contact him to obtain it. I told the woman on the phone " Um no. This is my account and I am asking you for a copy of what I have paid in including arrears." She told me she would email it to me. I told her I wanted a hard copy. I received an email copy from the attorney. When I read the ledger I found that even though there were months that the check was picked up prior to the 5th of the month they were not being creditied to my account until after the 15th and an automatic $25.00 fee was being added. To me this seems very odd. Is it a normal practice?
  • The management company in my condo has my financial record all wrong and is it won't corrected.
  • I was going to buy a co op apt in Port Jefferson station Long Island New York , I was shown the apt by a real state agent , it advertised it was 2 bed , 1 bath living room and dining room a kitchen with a small space for a in the kitchen dining place , and the size 1300 sft and I thought it was big enough for my Familly of 5 , we liked it and we let the real state agent know we wanted to buy , the real state agent told me to get a lawyer, I did it it , and then the real state agent contacted the co op owner and the owner advised us to contact his lawyer and then both of us signed the contract , at the time we signed the contract thecrealnstate gave a partial application , when I was filling the coop application I noticed that the application was missing pages and the coop rukes , and after requesting it for over a month from several people :Real state agent , coop owner ,, my lawyer , all of them were told by coop management they would not give it to them , then my lawyer contacted coop owners lawyer , then they got it from coop management the full coop application and its rules , once I read it I realized I won’t be accepted , I contacted my lawyer and explained to him the situation and told him that I wanted to withdraw my application for thecreason that I won’t be accepted because there was this rule that said it will not permited 5 people in a 2 bedroom coop apt., then my lawyer told me that I can’t withdraw from it because I will lose the deposit 12,500.00 , I had to continue otherwise I was going to lose 12,500.00 dollars, then I had to spend in title search , coop appraisal, tittle fee , coop fee , coop application, around 3,000, once I sent the application I was notified that my application was rejected and i won’t be allowed to buy it , then I was refunded the 13,500.00 but end up losing around 3000 in all these fees , I think this was a scam , it is unjust, I wish I could sue and try to get all the money I lost , any advise ?, thank you.
  • woodstock towers corp. ,nyc 10017 continue to charge my bank accounts for maintenance fees in 2016 and while they have gotten payments / coverage for my maintenance fees payments from the woodstock towers corporation insurances - (for when my apt apt. was repeatedly sewage and hot water water riser pump failures - which resulted flooding in my apt.,the gym,floors, ceiling and resulted infestations in black toxic mold infestations w/c is still in the apt .27 months now and on going. woodstock towers corp. also,filled,non payment from 2016 and ongoing and hpd judge -jts-ruled that i need to pay my maintenance fees starting oct.2018 even knowing that the woodstock towers refused to do mold remediation which she ordered them-woodstock towers corporation lawyer jay ginsberg)- to do. the question of habitability of my black /green mold toxic mold infested and moist bathroom ceiling is a ground for stopping maintenance fees unless woodstock towers corp. correct those dangerous ,unhealthy environment. i left the apt.in 2016 bec.i have been very sick from the molds 8-9 mold testing by 4 different mold testing companies have been done and continuously shows the tbm -toxic black molds what recourse/es do i have? the hpd court judge knows that there 's still black toxic molds in the the apt.
  • help and guidance pls.my lawyer is stone deaf and not so very knowledgeable about the nyc/nys/epa laws and regulations.i can no longer afford to get another lawyer.
  • January 30, 2021 – Board 1 and STILLMAN wants us to borrow 4 Million—*STILLMAN? WE WISH to THANK the Lesser Law Group (ATTORNEYS of BOARD 1), for advising Board 1 of our Condo Laws regarding our repeated requests to see Payment, Vouchers and Records that our Board has refused to do in the past. We have yet to receive anything-- In 2019, the cost for both FACADES (100 and 200) were $750,000 in Board 1 reports, in 2020 that cost increased to $1.6 MILLION, AND in January of 2021, the cost will be over 2 Million. That is a lot of money for “non urgent” repairs. Other buildings will do similar work for less than half that price ($436,000) and we have NO SAY in how Board 1 mis-manages our money. To the Stiller Law group—I have written documents from those in charge of our roof, former treasurers and volunteers that resigned advising there has yet to be proper bidding on these major projects. Board members and Volunteers left due to Board interference with their jobs and lack of transparency even our treasurers—all in writing. The total lack of sound business judgment regarding Board 1 representing Condo’s 100 and 200 in High Point could learn from other boards in the complex. Board 1 intentionally hid information as to major work for several years in writing—repairs and delays cost money. All is well documented if this becomes a legal issue. Stillman blames our board, but if their lawyers agreed with us—WHY? Board 1 will not allow me to review Costly Bids claiming I was not a volunteer (totally untrue,) but that is alright—Some of us ex-volunteers have met and contacted roofers and already know what the costs should be and what others have paid for similar, quality work. As a volunteer, Board 1 reports will talk I, not about US— (2 Treasurers and I that have since resigned) and have substantially lowered our roofing bids that were initially costing in the MILLIONS per roof (we said NO) to now as advised (a recent proposal 09/2020) $500,000 per roof. If we re-read past reports, Board 1 admits of delays and of continued mistakes. Prior, Board 1 members gave the engineers (Stone--$25,000) the wrong specs. Our board did not know that TPO or PVC (membranes) are now used until I/WE told them what is needed for our roofs. Several top-of-the line roofers to contact were given years ago, and they finally reached out to one of them—see your 09/16/2020 report to verify this. Mr. Lesser, there are NO comps. to S and S —let’s talk truth. With a *$500,000 bid (or less) and NO “Apple to” bids, use S and S but don’t claim you have other bids. If our board or an ego seeks to disregard and take credit for my/our/other boards research and bids that stops the massive waste—who really cares, if it will save us MILLIONS.” Board 1 has wasted thousands on engineering reports that other boards do not need, on costly delays, on their use of G.C.’s/Contractors others don’t use costing us millions. With 2 years of Voting Issues, and Board Control conning us for years-- Borrowing/Assessing us $4 MILLION is now their 01/2021 Answer, with nothing set aside for Emergency or Remodeling. If anybody would like to know specific costs paid to a G.C., Company or Person, let me know. *Stillman supposedly sold their assets to Gartchester, but is still MERGER here. Bidding Skills and Knowledge is a great cost saving tools when used properly. 3 years ago, our roofs should have been done—let’s look at the leaks.
  • So many legal questions here, so little answers (actually, none). In the final analysis, you have to go to court, which means investing in a lawyer. If you can't afford a lawyer, then you can't afford to own property and you should be a renter. My 12-unit, mostly investors, co-op board has been issuing false financial statements since 2018. I have documents proving some of the numbers to be false. Some of the evidence is intuitive (Land and Fixed assets and Stock holder's equity categories abruptly disappear). I have YouTube videos with all the details which you can find by searching my name. I requested to see books and records and was denied. Nothing works, and I mean nothing, except going to court. The court ordered that the co-op reissue financial statements to be done by an accountant instead of granting me an inspection of books and records. Since the financial statements need to be CPA certified, I'm ok with that order since I don't need to spend time on reviewing financial records. The co-op has not complied with the court. The case is in discovery phase for a year now. I'm very confident that the cause is just (No retreat, No surrender), and that I will prevail. I anticipate the outcome will result in NYS CVP § 6401.
  • It is baffling to anyone's mind how condo Unit owners especially in S.Florida suffer the continual defrauding actions against Owners accountworthiness . Now,in this age Of cyber activity,Data forgery is an added Blockade for innocent unit owners to defend Themselves from, like swimming nowhere in murky unchartered waters Case in point, our wonderful ccondo Community was so mismanaged with so much lack of transparency and so many infractions and losses that we were recently( 3 months ago) Forced into receivership .The previous Board pres.was removed by judgement! Board members claim .He had not paid Hoa dues for 5.,yrs.and illegally sold deeded Parking Spaces for profit , causing stress + Pain especially to older owner inhabitants With mobile disabilities.I am a victim of his Scheme. In addition; an.amonymous arrears Note claiming ,$7099 owed for 2020 (pandemic surge) against my Very good Pay history for 17+,yrs. Seems a possible Attempt to extort me for personal gains! Is so disingenuous and frightening.especially Since there is no reference of Sender info Or accountibility. Just false allegations and Cyber data maneuvering! Reporting this Crime to my bank they expressed concern + Hoped that I would not respond with any Of my bank statements.Grateful that someone agreed with my fear of huge Id theft I ask when we homeowners can get The protection we ve been missing and seeking + when the unscrupulous crime driven lawless cheating thugs + Ruthless criminals will go away? From A pain + suffering unit owner begging For legislation to represent us now. Before We condo existence becomes extinct.