Category: Board Operations

It’s a common enough occurrence: Jane, who has served on your co-op’s board of directors since the Hoover Administration, makes a surprise announcement at the monthly meeting: she’s selling her apartment and retiring to Florida. This does n…

It appears we’re living in the age of the consultant. There are financial consultants, construction consultants, security and management consultants, and those that get you rebates on your building’s taxes and utilities. There are experts t…

Even the best-running engine–or the most well-built house–needs an occasional tune-up or a fresh coat of paint. So too with governing documents which are so vital to the operation of the place you call home. As times change and people come …

We all live and work in co-ops or condos; most of us have lived through some form of havoc wreaked by a board member. This person may be earnest and well intentioned, but projects an argumentative and contentious demeanor that is disrupt…

Remember the adage that 80 percent of the work is done by 20 percent of the people? The same appears to be true of boards throughout the city. In many cases, board members–and even certain shareholders–feel that being on a board is puni…

It’s 3:30 in the morning and your upstairs neighbor can’t seem to get enough of the new Cher album. It’s not just the techno beat that’s getting to you, it’s the volume. It’s making your china collection rattle in its hutch and your teeth h…

Call a real estate consultant a "know-it-all" and he or she will probably just smile wisely. For a consultant, that term is far from insulting. It’s simply a statement of fact. These "Jacks-and-Janes-of all trades" serve a diverse clie…

It’s the beginning of another meeting in your building and even though signs were posted throughout the lobby and on bulletin boards, the crowd is sparse. To make matters worse, the few owners or shareholders who are in attendance have only…

Who would visit a medical office that did not have running water? Many would question whether the office was sanitary. This occurred to a doctor who used a Forest Hills co-op unit as his office. Management placed a notice under residents’ d…

Building house rules are the "Thou shalt not’s" of the co-op and condo world. Unlike the proprietary lease or bylaws, which cover operational and administrative matters, the house rules cover behavior of the residents–you know, the types of…