Jill Terreri Ramos

It doesn’t hurt to visit a lot of potential rentals, but be choosy about where you submit an application. Q: I have rented apartments in the Washington, D.C. area for the past 30 years. I plan to move to New England, but before I buy a house, I want to rent for a while to

Building administrators sometimes fail to follow their own rules. Legal action is one option, but a more direct approach can also yield results.Q: The board in my Brooklyn condominium hasn’t held elections in more than four years, and we are worried about the building’s financial management. We’ve sent several emails to board members, who have

Building administrators sometimes fail to follow their own rules. Legal action is one option, but a more direct approach can also yield results.Q: The board in my Brooklyn condominium hasn’t held elections in more than four years, and we are worried about the building’s financial management. We’ve sent several emails to board members, who have

Prospective buyers should limit any offer to the value of a property as they see it.Q: I’m looking to buy a home in New York’s Hudson Valley, where it seems sellers sometimes ask considerably more than what a property is actually worth. So when it comes time to make an offer, when is it lowballing,

Because of your religious beliefs, your co-op could face legal liability if it fails to accommodate your request.Q: I live in a co-op in New York City that doesn’t have a doorman. The front door to the building locks automatically every evening at 9 p.m., and there is an electronic keypad outside that requires a

Flip taxes, also known as a transfer fees, help co-op buildings raise money for repairs and improvements, and they must be described in your governing documents.Q: A month before I sold my Upper Manhattan co-op, I discovered that I would have to pay a flip tax of 2 percent of the sale price at the

Flip taxes, also known as a transfer fees, help co-op buildings raise money for repairs and improvements, and they must be described in your governing documents.Q: A month before I sold my Upper Manhattan co-op, I discovered that I would have to pay a flip tax of 2 percent of the sale price at the

Shareholders have a right to know about the building’s expenses, and there are ways to look inside the books.Q: I am a shareholder in a Brooklyn co-op. One year ago, the board suddenly fired our super, who had worked here for more than 21 years. He immediately began legal action against the co-op, and the

When it comes to rent-stabilized tenants, legal claims against co-ops are tricky. Ultimately, it’s the apartment’s owner who must take action.Q: I’m a shareholder in a large co-op in Queens. The lease prohibits odors from traveling from one apartment to another, but doesn’t include a smoke-free policy. My elderly downstairs neighbor lives in a rent-stabilized

Landlords are required to put security deposits in interest-bearing bank accounts. How much of that interest goes to you?Q: I live in a large market-rate apartment building on the Upper West Side. My landlord placed my security deposit in an interest-bearing account, as required by law. The account only pays 1 percent and the bank