Category: Building Operations

 While news of defaults, liens, and other financial train-wrecks have dominated  the news and caused many building boards plenty of sleepless nights, co-ops  have been lucky. While a spike in defaults on maintenance payments over the  last…

 Not everybody on a co-op or condo's board is an accountant (or can even balance  their own checkbook, for that matter.) Handling the money for an entire building is a big responsibility, however, and  residents rely upon their board to ma…

Tighter lending requirements for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-backed mortgages for condos have put financial and administrative pressure on condos all over the country at a time when many are ill prepared for any new challenges…

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg presented a Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Executive Budget and an updated four-year financial plan for New York City that calls for $62.9 billion in spending. While the mayor’s attempt to balance the city’s budget res…

 Like all property owners in New York City, cooperative and condominium boards  and their managing agents are sometimes presented with a problem which, while  not unique, is perhaps more pressing here than elsewhere: with land so  develope…

 On April 22, 2010 the federal Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) new “Renovation, Repair, & Painting Rule” for lead based paint will take effect. The new rule requires owners to follow  lead-safe work practices when disturbing a pa…

 Being on a committee is not always an easy task. In fact, sometimes it can be  downright frustrating. A three-month commitment can stretch into six months;  meetings can go on forever; committee members may drift off topic; and  precious,…

 For the residents of a co-op or condo building, the building's lobby and common  areas function much as a front porch or entry hall might in a single-family  home; they're a spot to meet guests, get mail and packages, or to stop and chat …

Newsflash: many New York and New Jersey interior designers and decorators are busy with projects and clients; remodeling jobs are moving forward and boards and homeowners are spending money again. This might sound crazy, considering th…

Architecture that liberates the space, light and air” … “Natural beauty in Fort Greene” … “Sophisticated style, fabulous kitchens, fabulous bathrooms” … “The convergence of fine living and fine lifestyle.” These phrases are all …