Category: Building Operations

There’s an old adage that ‘insurance is for pessimists’ – but that’s very much not the case. In the world of home ownership, and especially in shared communities, proper insurance is a critical factor in protecting not only your most import…

Insurance can seem like a mundane administrative afterthought – right up to the moment you need coverage. In a community association, just because a responsible board handles the lion’s share of maintaining the policy covering common areas …

Unless you own an oil well, energy conservation is a win-win proposition; making more efficient use of energy both reduces one's impact on the environment, and saves money. In this short clip, three energy experts weigh in on which methods …

Insurance may not be the most exciting topic facing boards in multifamily co-ops and condos, but decision-makers neglect it at their peril. Here, an insurance pro outlines some of the more common mistakes he sees boards make when it comes t…

In April of 2017, The Cooperator  examined the passive house building standard that, according to the Passive House Institute U.S. website , follows a set of design principles to achieve energy efficiency in a structure–or as the orga…

Every year, the New York Landmarks Conservancy holds its Moses Awards – named after local philanthropist Lucy G. Moses – to honor outstanding achievement in preservation projects. A project team behind a facade preservation and rest…

Every conscientious board wants to control costs, while still making sure everyone in the building or association gets the services their monthly fees entitle them to. Here, an energy pro discusses ways that boards can reduce energy costs w…

It was a very mixed second quarter 2018 for the Manhattan residential market (condos and co-ops), according to the latest report by Douglas Elliman. Those results included a decline in sales prices and number of closed sales, along with an…

Among the many responsibilities of condo, co-op, and HOA board members is the safety and security of their communities. Here, some security professionals outline some of the more common security-related mistakes or oversights they see in th…

While most of us make do with just the one home, some are lucky enough to be able to escape less-than-favorable weather for second (or even third) homes in greener pastures. But while these fortunate folks winter in, say, the Florida Keys, …