It doesn't matter what type of building you live in or where it is located, eventually it will need some capital improvements. Unfortunately, there's more to it than deciding that the work has to be done and finding a contractor to do the…
Following is a list of security do's and don'ts for both doorman and non-doorman buildings. Of course the first line of defense, according to many security companies, is to use your common sense. Resident Guidelines 1. Never let str…
A little over a year ago tennis star Vitas Gerulitas went to bed in a friend's pool house on Long Island and never woke up. Unbeknownst to him, a faulty pipe was spewing a colorless, odorless, highly poisonous gas into the air and with ea…
The deregulation of the electric industry appears to be a sure thing, but there is still much confusion as to the particulars. Today the three most commonly asked questions concerning the deregulation of electricity are: When will it occu…
Many co-op and condo boards have realized that energy conservation is not only an issue of environmental importance, but also a key area in helping reduce their buildings' operating expenses. And the industry continues to offer a variety …
It's the dead of winter. Outside the temperature is below freezing. Your building is sending up heat, and you've got your windows open. What's going on? Why can't your building's heating system just make everyone comfortably warm instead …
Every 11 seconds a burglary is committed in the United States, according to the Department of Justice's most recent annual Unified Crime Reports. Even Mayor Giuliani, who is perpetually promoting the decrease in crime in New York, is not …
You probably don't think about your building's boiler very often. As long as it provides heat and hot water, it's pretty much out-of-sight, out-of-mind. And when the boiler does need repair, you probably depend on your management company …
What can a board do if its building is faced with extensive capital work while recovering from the real estate slump of the early 1990s? Assessments are unpopular and reserves are low. There's a desire to have construction operations com…
In Spring, 1996 New York State made it legal for small-volume users in the metropolitan area to purchase natural gas from sources other than the major utility companies such as Consolidated Edison (Con Ed) and Brooklyn Union Gas (BUG). Ho…