In a posting on legal pros website Lexology , New York law firm Cozen O’Connor advises co-ops and condos to keep their gyms and pools closed for the time being, both to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to avoid liability and violati…
Whether you serve on the board of a co-op, condo or HOA, chances are you and your fellow community administrators are volunteers. Perhaps you're fortunate enough that you or one of your colleagues has professional legal expertise to bring t…
According to a recent press release, the Manhattan-based law firm of Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP (SSRGA) recently obtained the dismissal of a lawsuit brought against the board of a Brooklyn condominium by a group of unit owne…
Attorneys and community association managers can be a godsend for the board of a co-op, condominium or HOA. Most boards consist of volunteers who usually have quite busy external lives themselves, so having an experienced professional on th…
There’s an old joke about business partners on the outs. The punchline is something like, “my lawyer is bigger than your lawyer!” Punchlines aside, though, who can you sue, when, and for what? In our litigious society, the short answer is n…
For over 20 years now, The CooperatorEvents New York Expo has been the most useful, informative annual trade event for co-op and condo board members, property managers, apartment building owners, and anyone involved in the governance an…
Not every condominium or homeowners’ association is going to run afoul of the law—the happy truth is that litigation and legal trouble are relatively rare occurrences. However, even the most upstanding board in New York City must navigate a…
Nobody enjoys litigation; it's expensive, time-consuming, and acrimonious. There are ways to avoid the courtroom however, and in this clip, legal pros explain their role in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) proceedings in the context of …
Owners and shareholders trust their elected boards with their very lives . Okay... it's probably not a life-or-death scenario, but residents of co-ops and condos do put a great deal of faith in their association's representatives to have…
While the ‘Green New Deal’ and other long-term climate solutions are being debated at the federal level, some states and municipalities are getting in on the action as well, setting legal emissions benchmarks that will have a real impact on…
Legal pros sound off about the most common legal blunders boards are prone to.
In a recent piece for the New York Law Journal , attorneys from Manhattan-based law firm Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer delve into the issue of privacy as it pertains to the personal information of shareholders and unit owners - and…
Winston Churchill once said that “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference,” and that couldn’t be more apt for those who live in multifamily buildings. Co-op board members and managing agents sometimes complain that res…
Winter in New York is a magical time, filled with walks through dirt, grime and slush, exorbitant weather-induced dry cleaning bills, and excessive clothing accessories…often enough to shame Ralphie from A Christmas Story. Upon sprin…
It's probably no surprise that no matter what field of law they practice in, attorneys have some pretty good stories. (The volume of television shows and movies devoted to lawyers and legal procedures may be one indicator of this.) T…
Every year, the shareholders of co-op apartments gather together—in their building's community room, or even in the basement in the shadow of the laundry machines, on flimsy chairs that are only used once a year—to discuss their mutual inve…
Many cooperatives and condominiums in New York have long benefitted from a tax abatement program under Real Property Tax Law 467-a. In September of 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul put new eligibility requirements into this law that go into ef…
On January 5th, Governor Kathy Hochul addressed New Yorkers in the annual State of the State Address. According to attorneys Brett Gottleib and Mitchell Korbey of the law firm Herrick Feinstein LLP, “While [Hochul’s] speech was silent with …
Q. One of our condo units that the owner was renting out to a tenant is now in foreclosure. But before the unit went into foreclosure, the owner (who has been missing in action) was behind on the common charges and the condo board was tak…
Q. One of our condo units that the owner was renting out to a tenant is now in foreclosure. But before the unit went into foreclosure, the owner (who has been missing in action) was behind on the common charges and the condo board was tak…