As managers, residents, and board members of the city's residential buildings gear up for 2011, sweeping up the tinsel and cookie crumbs leftover from holiday parties isn't the only job at hand. From bedbug disclosure rules to a propose…
As recently as five years ago, traditional phone logs and Rolodexes were a common part of a managing agent’s daily communications arsenal. Yet, with recent advances in property management software, such anachronistic methods are largely…
Most buildings have emergency preparedness plans in case of fires, floods, or hurricanes. But there’s one form of crisis that very few have an organized response for: the public relations disaster. It could come in the form of a scandal…
Drawing up a contract for management services looks at first glance like a simple task. Such contracts usually follow a particular format and outline similar services for both co-ops and condos, regardless of size. But what about contr…
Job losses. Bankruptcies. Foreclosures. These are tough times for everyone, but when homeowners fall on hard times, they are often late paying their condo or co-op fees. Some can’t even afford to pay them at all. Add in contractors and …
These are hardly the best of times for those who manage co-op and condo buildings, charged as they are with overseeing financial well-being, maintenance goals, legal issues and an almost unpredictable kaleidoscope of other daily concer…
The vast majority of co-op and condo residents are normal folks who wouldn't dream of disrupting life in their building by being verbally abusive to neighbors, blowing up board members' phones and e-mail inboxes with endless complaints…
Home may be where the heart is, but these days, it’s also the source of enormous anxiety and concern for a great many co-op and condo owners. With the economy mired in recession and unemployment still hovering near the 10 percent mark, …
I often go up to Washington Heights, an area where I lived many years ago, just to walk around. On one recent trip, I decided to take a look into the lobby of my old apartment building on Cabrini Boulevard to see if there had been any …
Planning for what happens to your estate upon your death is never a pleasant chore, but if you own property of any kind, that planning is an vital responsibility. While there are many aspects and legal mechanisms that can be considered…