Proving that a co-op board is acting in bad faith can be difficult.Q: I believe I am facing retaliation from the board of my Manhattan co-op. In 2018, the building manager was supposed to correct an error with my account, but she never removed the baseless late charges, and has since added more. Management has
Proving that a co-op board is acting in bad faith can be difficult.Q: I believe I am facing retaliation from the board of my Manhattan co-op. In 2018, the building manager was supposed to correct an error with my account, but she never removed the baseless late charges, and has since added more. Management has
A friendly conversation is often the way to start. Legal action may follow, but it can be expensive and difficult.Q: My Manhattan co-op building somehow allowed a shareholder three floors above me to install HVAC units with drainage tubes that go through the exterior wall. A fluid purge, like turning on a faucet, periodically flows
The office of the New York State attorney general calls the failure of building sponsors to pay dues on unsold units a “serious” problem.Q: I own a condominium in an eight-unit building in Brooklyn. Our sponsor did not pay the homeowners association dues for unsold units, as required under law, and he stopped responding to
It’s possible that a gym isn’t even allowed in your building. If it is, it cannot violate the noise code, the warranty of habitability or the lease.Q: I recently moved into an 11th-floor apartment on the Upper East Side. When I was shown the apartment, I wasn’t told that it was directly below the building’s
If your rental is not properly heated, gather your neighbors and complain together.Q: We live in one of many Manhattan market-rate prewar rental buildings owned by a real estate family. We always had enough heat. Then the family hired a third-party management company. Now, a new heating system provides the legal minimum of 68.2 degrees
Tenants typically cannot make alterations or improvements to an apartment without permission. Unauthorized upgrades could lead to eviction.Q: We’ve been fortunate to live in a rent-stabilized apartment on the Upper East Side for more than 40 years. Although it’s a rental, we have treated it as our own, making cosmetic changes along the way. Our
Tenants typically cannot make alterations or improvements to an apartment without permission. Unauthorized upgrades could lead to eviction.Q: We’ve been fortunate to live in a rent-stabilized apartment on the Upper East Side for more than 40 years. Although it’s a rental, we have treated it as our own, making cosmetic changes along the way. Our
Transfer fees, a.k.a. flip taxes, typically fund upgrades and improvements in co-op buildings. But how much is too much?Q: In our 10-unit South Harlem co-op, the new board announced an initiative to raise the flip tax from 2 percent to 7 percent of the gross sale price, but has not voted on it. Meanwhile, a
State housing laws favor tenant protection, so landlords want to make sure that a new tenant will meet the lease obligations.Q: I’m moving out of my rent-stabilized apartment in Brooklyn and I provided my landlord with a suitable replacement, a friend of a friend who needs a new place after ending a relationship. When I
© Copyright 2025 | RE-INSIDER.COM, all rights reserved.