What’s more ‘New York’ than therapy? How many Woody Allen movies feature a scene where Allen’s character is lying on a comfortable couch in an impeccably decorated room overlooking the Hudson as he confesses to his psychotherapist? That sce…
Co-ops and condominiums are subject to more and more legislation affecting how they govern and interact with shareholders and unit owners. In fact, boards and residents alike should be aware of several new laws and regulations that have rec…
Co-op and condo buildings are complex social communities. At the heart of many of these communities is the superintendent. The super is the command center of the physical plant. He or she keeps it running like a well-oiled machine, and k…
Co-op and condo owners often make assumptions about who can serve on the board of their corporation or association -- and one of those assumptions is that any owner of shares in a co-op, or a unit owner in a condominium is eligible to run f…
Like any homeowner, co-op owners are always planning improvements to their homes. But one major difference between a cooperator and a homeowner is that the cooperator just can’t do whatever and whenever he/she wants. For example, if if th…
It’s that time of the year again: the Christmas lights are up; the air smells of pine trees and potato pancakes; and there’s a possibility of snow, sleet and ice. There’s also a chance that someone might slip and fall at your co-op or co…
As we’ve recently seen in the news--from the Democratic National Committee email leaks about Bernie Sanders from last year’s presidential election, to the latest in the Trump-Russia brouhaha --emails aren’t always the safest and sec…
For apartment buildings, window guards can protect little ones from dangerous and deadly falls. It's also the law. Under New York City's Local Law 57 of 2011 , apartments whose tenants include young children are required to install wi…
Small co-ops and condos face a special set of challenges relative to controlling expenses. The building has to be heated, the real estate taxes paid, and the halls cleaned. Unlike in larger buildings, the cost isn’t shared by dozens or pe…
As in any healthy marriage, an association board and its manager must be compatible or else the relationship will oftentimes end in a messy divorce, experts at a Community Associations Institute (CAI) Big Apple panel told an audience of …