Category: Building Operations

Co-op and condo communities come in all shapes, sizes, and configurations. They range from three-unit, wood-frame houses to high-rise apartment buildings containing hundreds of units, to sprawling townhouse communities in park-like settings…

Like just about every other occupation on the planet, property management has been profoundly altered by the coronavirus pandemic and the changes it’s brought to society at large, with many of the challenges and stressors we’ve all had to f…

There are elements of board service that can vex even the most committed, most intrepid volunteer—and negotiating a building’s management contract is probably at the top of that list. Vexing or not, however, the extent and quality of servic…

It’s often said that good people are hard to find. That may be true, but for residential communities like co-ops and condos, finding good people—and then hiring and retaining them—is a major key to success. Doing so can be a roundabout proc…

Not so very long ago, acquiring goods and services required some physical effort on the part of consumers; a trip to a store, or restaurant, or other commercial establishment. Sure, you could phone or mail in an order from the Sears catalog…

Whether you live in a single-family home, an apartment building, or an HOA, home security is a major concern. Providing that security can range from installing a simple alarm system to equipping and training building staff members to use so…

As part of NYC's Greener, Greater Building Plan , Local Law 87/09 requires building owners to have an energy audit conducted on their base-building systems, undertake energy-efficient maintenance practices as part of retro-commission…

As Budgeting Season approaches for co-op and condo communities, it’s time for the boards of associations and corporations to consider how they will cover expenses and fund projects in the coming year and beyond. While recurring operating ex…

Aging is expensive—and that goes double for residential buildings. Exterior deterioration is inevitable, mechanical systems do not last forever, and everyday foot traffic and wear take their toll on even the sturdiest structures. For many c…

This summer and early fall, several massive storms struck the United States in rapid succession. Hurricane Ida cut a huge swath of damage from the Louisiana coast to New England. Record flooding, tornadoes, and sustained high winds damaged …