The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) recently published an amended rule that increases the filing fees for Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP) Reports required to be conducted cyclically by owners of buildings taller than…
There was a time some hundred years ago that Great Neck -- not the Hamptons -- was the weekend and summer playground of the rich. A short drive away from Manhattan (there was no bumper-to-bumper traffic then) brought city dwellers to ‘the c…
As New York continues its efforts to re-open its economy safely amid the continuing (and in many states, intensifying) COVID-19 crisis, there is concern about what the residential housing market - which had experienced a decline even before…
As New York City enters Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plans during the COVID-19 pandemic, residential buildings must determine how, when, and even if they will resume certain functions and services that were shut down or curtailed in…
With the expiration of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s moratorium on evictions on June 20, New York’s Housing Courts began hearing new eviction cases on Monday, June 22. How this transition will play out in practice remains to be seen. On one hand…
Tenants, landlords, lawyers, and others involved in the adjudication of New York State’s commercial and residential evictions have some temporary certainty (if that’s not an oxymoron) after New York State Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence…
It’s a question we’re asked all the time: "Can we use reserves to cover an operating fund shortfall?" Under normal circumstances, our standard response would be an emphatic “No!” -- because reserves are for major repair and replacement proj…
As New York City continues to reopen, the Department of Buildings (DOB) has issued guidance and mandated protocols to promote safety and health on all job sites. After launching a citywide inspection sweep of every permitted site to verif…
According to a recent report in the New York Times , “hundreds of thousands” of New Yorkers left the city as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the five boroughs between March and May 2020, fleeing to second homes, vacation cottages, and t…
With an eye toward reopening the New York economy safely, the Building Trades Employers’ Association (BTEA), along with the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and the Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC), released mandatory …