Category: Maintenance

 In today’s turbulent economic times as so many of us try to regain our financial footing,  the question of how to balance the bottom line and still take care of all that  needs to be done in a co-op and condo building remains a difficult …

 For building owners and managers in New York, winter weather not only refers to  the white stuff that falls out of the sky—but rather, the white stuff that collects in a building’s lobby.    That’s right—ice and snow can be a build…

The deep freeze of winter will fall on New York again very soon and most New Yorkers are hoping that we don't get pounded as badly by snow and ice this year as we did some years ago. Because of weather’s unpredictability during winter, …

In many ways, a building’s boiler is like the heart is to the body: it provides heat and circulation; it works unseen; and if properly maintained, it will function well for decades without a problem. Maintaining the heat source of the c…

It’s a well-known fact that New Yorkers are tough. But even the bravest Big Apple resident shivers just a little bit when the first signs of winter settle over the city. Winter and the inevitable snow and ice that accompany it take thei…

If you’re a board member, a manager or just a unit owner of a typical New York City-area co-op or condo, chances are you use an elevator every day, except if you live in a “garden apartment” complex in one of the outer boroughs or the s…

As winter approaches, it will soon be time to batten down the hatches so the warm air stays in and the cold air stays out. Keeping indoor air clean is critical to maintaining a healthy environment. The inner workings of a building’s ope…

Q I am an owner in a building that went condo 10 years ago. In 2008, our taxes were reduced by a firm that does this procedure for the building. However, my individual real estate taxes are way out of line compared to other apartmen…

Q We have had one tenant/shareholder who has cost the co-op over $100,000 in legal fees since 2000. We continue to be at odds with this tenant because of her objectionable behavior. She continually makes unfounded calls to the police d…

 Nowadays, almost every co-op and condo board member and every board manager  knows about Local Law 11 inspections. The law and its predecessor, Local Law  10, were originally enacted to make building facades safe and to protect  pedestria…