While a board - or their constituent homeowners - may feel their community needs to employ all the latest gadgets and technology to secure their property and safety, the fact is, it's a rare community that truly needs biometric retinal scan…
The main takeaways that describe the Brooklyn and Queens residential market in the first quarter of 2018 were record-setting prices and slow sales, according to Douglas Elliman's most recent 1Q 2018 report. For Brooklyn condos, the ave…
At the moment, it appears that tenants at residential buildings throughout the city can temporarily breathe a sigh of relief. On Friday, it was announced that a tentative agreement was reached between the Realty Advisory Board of Labor…
It was a bizarre story that generated local media attention last fall, including from The Cooperator : Neal Milano, property manager of a 47-unit condo in Sunnyside, Queens, was arrested in September 2017 for allegedly accosting a 43-y…
A fire in an condo unit on the 50th floor of Trump Tower that killed one resident on April 7th has drawn attention to the issue of installing sprinkler systems in older, larger residential buildings. In 1999, the City passed a law re…
The power of a co-op board to approve or reject sales, as well as co-op applicants, is pretty much unlimited -- as long as the decision is made within the limits of applicable law. Boards require extensive information and documentation -- k…
Co-op and condo communities switch management companies for an array of reasons - but regardless of why a change is made, it's vitally important for the incoming firm or managing agent to have all the necessary documents, paperwork, and rec…
In 2016, The Cooperator ran a piece on the business of condominium units existing within a larger hotel property. The article was inspired by news that the iconic Waldorf Astoria had been purchased by the Chinese company Anbang Insura…
Living in a co-op or condo community is a social arrangement as well as a business and residential one. You are part of a community, and that community should feel ‘organic.’ It is also perhaps the purest form of representative democracy.…
When it comes to selecting a multi-family building insurance premium, the natural tendency is to go with the least expensive option. But cheaper doesn't always mean better or even proper. Insurance expert Edward Mackoul outlines the common …