Category: Building Operations

Curb appeal provides that first impression, the attention-grabbing feature that all condominium and co-op properties strive for. In New York City, curb appeal usually starts with colorful flowers or planters out front that may reflect t…

 As winter looms, property owners can cut costs and save on their heating bills  with preventive maintenance and upgrades to their steam systems. Here are some  suggestions for savings from Con Edison.    Optimize Steam Piping Syste…

 According to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), New  York City currently has the largest unfiltered surface water supply in the  world. Every day, some 1.3 billion gallons of water are delivered to more than  …

 In December 2008, the National Bureau of Economic Research announced that the  United States was in a recession that had started back in December 2007. The  official announcement was old news for most Americans.    As the dust cont…

Wait a second. You say you bought your apartment, but you don’t own it? Huh?” Explain the concept of the cooperative apartment —you buy shares of a corporation and then rent the apartment to yourself—to a homeowner outside of Ne…

 New York is one of the most diverse cities on the face of the earth. Its huddled masses yearning to breathe free include immigrants from places  completely unlike the Big Apple: Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, Uruguay—even North Dakota. There are m…

 Most people don’t think much about their garbage after they toss it down the chute or into a  container for pickup, but the fact is, removing a multifamily community's trash  and recyclables can be a big job, especially in a private devel…

 For the most part, human nature is fearful of change; people are more likely to  stick with what they have and what they know, rather than explore new  possibilities and take on unknown risks. That’s certainly the case with condo and co-o…

 As any good co-op or condo building administrator knows—either through common sense or painful experience—failing to clean up snow or ice promptly can result in injuries, acrimony, and  expensive lawsuits. Any one of those is reason enoug…

 Saving energy does a lot more than just reduce a building’s carbon footprint and toxic emissions—going green can save a building some green too. The steps a co-op or condo  building can take to reduce energy consumption and save money ran…