Most folks know that turning off lights in unoccupied rooms, taking shorter showers, and turning down the thermostat a couple of degrees can help save energy – and by extension, money. However, helping an entire building or association cut …
In multifamily buildings that hundreds —maybe even thousands—of people call home, it comes as no surprise that unpleasant smells can become an absolute nuisance. The airways that run through the building, the chutes and areas that house the…
The majority of residential buildings in New York City obtain power from Con Edison or secondary energy suppliers. But in recent years, boards and managing agents have investigated, and in some cases, installed “cogeneration” systems that a…
Cleaning products should, ideally, have one primary function: to make things less dirty. But once one delves deeper into the overall goal, things get more complicated. For instance, what makes something really clean? Does it mean to look sh…
Incorporated under Article XI of the Private Housing Finance Law, Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) cooperatives are partnerships between public and private interests that help the tenants of city-owned residential co-ops – often …
For the board members and managers handling the successful operation of a co-op or condo community, one of their biggest responsibilities revolves around their fiduciary duties. They are, after all, dealing with people’s biggest assets: the…
Unless you call a sprawling Wyoming cattle ranch home, chances are that in your life, space comes at a premium. And while living in close quarters in places like New York City is often fodder for jokes, the problem of not enough space (or t…
The amount of time and energy invested by board members in the many decisions and projects surrounding the successful functioning of a building community can demand the kind of commitment and dedication required by a demanding part-time job…
Q. My husband is the president of our condo community, and some board positions' terms are ending and are up for vote, but he has another year before his term is up. My question is, can the new members vote to remove the sitting president…
Q. I am a duly-elected board member of my New York co-op. I have requested financial information from our co-op's treasurer. Although I have gotten various email responses from the treasurer that 'talk around' the subject and he says he…
Q. I live in a co-op in Bayside, Queens. We have not had a board meeting in almost two and-a-half years. I call and get no answer. Also, there is the issue that the president of the board is also the owner-manager of a property management…