Category: Building Operations

Education, awareness, and cooperation between management, boards, and residents can make a huge difference in deterring crime in and around a building. Some basic behavioral adjustments – such as making sure nobody follows you into the buil…

Cities and suburbs can be dirty places – and unfortunately, getting that dirt off the façade of a building takes more than just a scrub-brush and a bottle of Mr. Clean. How a building is cleaned depends on two factors: what materials the bu…

The sun stays up a little longer, the breezes are warmer, and the flowers begin to bloom. The signs all point to the arrival of spring, when we can cast off the dreary grayness of winter and look forward to blissful summer days. It is the p…

Along with the exterior appearance of buildings themselves, landscaping is the first point of contact for potential residents and visitors to a condo or HOA community. While it’s tough to quantify the effect of beautifully curated and maint…

When it comes to purchasing a unit in a condominium, co-op or homeowners’ association, everyone is rightly concerned with square footage, baths, beds, kitchen aesthetics—all of the hallmark bells and whistles. But before a potential buyer c…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 …