Category: Building Operations

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…

On an otherwise uneventful January 8th evening, with a run of major holidays in the rear view, the denizens at 2186 Cruger Ave., in the Bronx still had something to celebrate. Some 20-plus shareholders in the 72-unit building congregated in…

Members of a condominium or co-op homeowners’ association (HOA) have a fiduciary responsibility to manage their community’s funds wisely, and to protect the financial interests of all owner/shareholders. Breaching this duty carries the real…

Among the many positive aspects of apartment ownership (rather than renting) are long-term stability and long-term occupancy.  Long a city of mostly renters, New York City has transitioned into more and more a city of owners over the past 4…

A condominium, cooperative or homeowners’ association thrives or falters based on how all of the various stakeholders involved can come together in effort to achieve a common goal: the maintenance of a successful and stable residential comm…

Owning a unit in a multifamily co-op or condo carries a great many benefits in the form of shared responsibilities, but it also requires compromises along the lines of control: what your board, management, and building staff can or cannot d…

Everyone can use a little help now and again. The residents of condominiums, co-ops or homeowners’ associations are no exception. There are tons of tasks that just cannot be left up to the board or residents who are busy people themselves, …

It is not easy being a board member. There are meetings to attend, documents to review, decisions to make, and neighbors to mollify. There are also a number of rules and regulations that must be followed in order to ensure that the individu…

Updated December 27, 2017 New York property owners could get some tax relief from the state following the passage of the sweeping new Republican-backed tax law in Washington. Last Friday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an emergen…

Condos and co-op communities have an array of choices when it comes to how and from where they get the energy that keeps their lights on and climate comfortable. In this clip, an energy market pro gives boards and managers some useful tips …