Condo and co-op boards are always looking for ways to save money and one area where some cost-cutting opportunities might be found is in your legal bills. Your building's attorney likely performs many different types of services, works d…
Although many co-ops and condos in New York City might not like it, shareholders and unit owners often rent out their apartments to subletters. Board control over subletting can vary—from stringent in most co-ops, to giving the board the fi…
Fifty years ago, residents new to a neighborhood might be greeted by a Welcome Wagon hostess in an A-line skirt and perfect matte lipstick bearing a basket full of goodies from local merchants. She'd give the homeowners the lowdown on wh…
Whether it's demanding residents or unreasonable board members, maintenance headaches or a barely-under-control work schedule, a property manager is in a unique—and uniquely stressful—position. No one knows this better than the property …
Lady Bird Johnson once said, "While the spirit of neighborliness was important on the frontier because neighbors were so few, it is even more important now because our neighbors are so many." The first lady of the United States (196…
On a classic episode of the TV show The Simpsons, the town read its founding charter only to discover that the mayor of Springfield was supposed to get two pigs every year. While there are probably no co-op or condo documents in eff…
For decades, co-op boards and managers have had to walk a delicate line between generating revenue and obeying the law when it came to renting out space in their buildings to commercial tenants. As of December 20, 2007, that has cha…
Most shareholders would agree that attending their annual meeting is an activity low on their priority list, right after flossing their teeth and organizing their sock drawers. Some feel the meetings are boring, while others feel they do…
It is easy to focus attention on the governance and business aspects of operating associations because of their immediacy. However, clear lines of communication and a strong sense of community among residents focuses everyone's attention…
It's been said before, but bears repeating: while there are certain similarities, every co-op and condo building in New York City is different, and every building community has different needs, expectations, and amenities. Those expectat…