Jill Terreri Ramos

Various laws and regulations dictate where people can and can’t light up. Here’s how to make sure they’re enforced.Q: I live in a condo building in New York City that is next to an elementary school. I understand that city and state smoking laws require a 100-foot smoke-free perimeter around school entrances. This would include

People who buy timeshares often don’t realize that the asset can quickly become a liability.Q: Over many years, I have tried to get rid of, or rent out, or somehow get some value out of the Tennessee timeshare that we never should have bought in the 1990s. We have paid the timeshare “mortgage” off, but

People who buy timeshares often don’t realize that the asset can quickly become a liability.Q: Over many years, I have tried to get rid of, or rent out, or somehow get some value out of the Tennessee timeshare that we never should have bought in the 1990s. We have paid the timeshare “mortgage” off, but

Readers often ask why anyone would buy a co-op unit when boards are so controlling. Here are a few reasons.Q: Every query I read about co-ops in your Ask Real Estate column makes me wonder why anyone would want to buy into a co-op when condos are a similar but less restrictive option. I’m a

It’s the age-old question: Rent or buy? Here are some things to remember that go beyond your month-to-month expenses.Q: I rent a one-bedroom in a high-rise doorman building with many amenities on the Upper West Side. The rent went up substantially in the second year of the lease, but I wasn’t ready to move, so

It depends on the building’s governing documents, but most co-ops don’t look kindly on visitors coming and going.Q: I don’t live in New York, but I’m interested in buying a one-bedroom co-op in Manhattan so I can visit my son in Brooklyn or use for vacations. I’d also like to let relatives or very close

When you realize that your apartment has a problem that no one disclosed, who gets the blame?Q: I recently bought a co-op in Manhattan. During the due-diligence process before the purchase, the co-op board assured me and my attorney that there were no noise issues or noise complaints relating to the unit. It turns out

When a board refuses to communicate, hold elections, or provide access to records, it’s a red flag.Q: I live in a co-op building in central Queens where the board of directors is secretive and, we suspect, corrupt. Shareholders are not invited to monthly meetings, only to the annual meeting, when elections are held. We are

It’s perfectly legal to keep registered honeybee hives in the city, but they can’t become a nuisance to the neighbors.Q: We live in a building on the Upper West Side. Bees from an unregistered bee hive at a neighboring building are getting through our window screens and into the apartments. I’m all for urban rooftop

It’s important to know what the law says, but maintaining friendly relations with your landlord has its own benefits.Q: I sublet a market-rate rental apartment in Brooklyn on a month-to-month basis. There is nothing in my sublet agreement with the prime tenant that states how much notice I have to give before I move out.