Think you don’t need the services of that 24-hour doorman in your co-op anymore? Better check with the rent stabilized tenants with whom you share the building. Chances are their leases provide protection against the elimination of building…
Many New York City co-ops have garages leased to the sponsor dating back to the co-op’s conversion. Though these garages, described by one judge as "a veritable gold-mine," throw off riches mostly to the sponsor, a little-known federal stat…
Co-ops have to be vigilant and address defaults due to nonpayment, objectionable conduct, illegal sublets, bank foreclosures and below market resales, and shareholders declaring bankruptcy. Some proprietary leases and bylaws appear to give …
New York, my old home state, presently litigates all co-op and condo disputes. Litigation, however, continually proves to be an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. Perhaps it’s time for New York to consider compulsory mediation-arbitrati…
As we enter the 21st Century, issues of equality continue to be a problem in the United States. As such, government has created a complex set of laws to protect people from discrimination, but the problem has still not gone away. The respon…
After Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau handed down indictments against dozens of New York property managers in 1994 for taking kickbacks from contractors, New Yorkers, including the D.A.'s office, thought there would be at l…
You can't walk down a Manhattan street these days without passing under one or more sidewalk sheds erected to protect pedestrian and vehicular traffic from pieces of building exterior that might fall. Local Law 10 of 1980 and the recently-e…
If you think you can't make a difference, think again. One very important benefit of membership in local and national organizations for co-op and condo residents is that they get your voices heard by city, state and federal law makers. The …
As the resale value and demand for cooperative apartments increase and the supply of available units decreases, purchasers are facing denials for admission to co-op buildings in record number. There was a time when many co-op boards concl…
When it comes to decision-making in your building, attending meetings in person is always best. But should the need arise, shareholders and unit owners are permitted to vote in board elections and other matters of corporate governance by pr…