The eboard of my 16 unit, self-managed co-op has recently posted a vote via email. It has given 4 days for shareholders to vote on a wholly discretionary spending motion (landscaping) which would require a one time assessment. The motion will be considered passed if a majority within quorum are aye's.
This is the first time our co-op has voted on an significant matter via email. There are no rules on how a motion by email is to be conducted. We did have an email vote in the past, but a majority of outstanding shares was required for the vote to pass, rather than a majority of quorum (the eboard didn't want that one to pass, but they do want this one to pass).
The eboard has transmitted the vote via blind carbon copy. I cannot see who recieved emails, I am not able to engage in discussion with my fellow shareholders, I am not aware of any issues they may have raised and they are not aware of my objections,. I cannot see who voted or how they voted.
Little information has been given to the shareholders. No information on what will be planted, replacement costs, et cetera, nor has an alternative been given. This is very different than what we have done in the past wherein information and alternatives have always been provided.
I have raised my objections with the eboard and they have been ignored. What recourse do I have here?
Thank you for any help you can give on this.
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We sold a condo property recently in NY. The property management company forced us to pay a portion (apportioned to our unit's size) of a very large general bill of overdue building utility bill without the board itself passing a resolution or notifying the condo owners. The management company told us that they would not sign off on our sale unless we paid. They sent us a copy of the overall bill for building (amounting to over 40,000 dollars for over 6 months neglect).
We had no choice but to pay as the closing was imminent, and we did not have the time to fight it. They did show us a copy of the overdue bill sent by the utility. It was large and it was delinquent. Previous extraordinary expenses were always sent in the form of an official notice.
My question is whether a property company can charge us for such an expense, amounting to several thousand dollars, without the board passing a resolution or even officially notifying the owners. As we have already closed and, are no longer owners, what recourse do we have to complain and/or try to have the money returned to us? Is it legal for such an expense to be demanded without a board resolution?
This property company has also to date, not returned our initial deposit of two months fees for the standard management fee.
I’ve been informed that a board member is getting paid by the co-op for some work he’s doing.
I’m assuming this isn’t allowed and if that is the case I thought it needs to be communicated to all the shareholders and at the annual meeting or part of the financial report so basically full transparency??
Please advise.
Can Condominium boards create a rule requiring owners to have email addresses? One of our condo owners does not have a working email and it seems can only be contacted through snail mail. It's hard to imagine functioning these days without an email address. I'm sure someone could help this owner out in creating a working email.
Given everything going on with banking and interest rates, curious where other coops are holding their cash? And what are the interest rates you are getting? Has anyone ever done a portfolio of different duration CDs or other fairly liquid investments?
Is it a conflict of interest for a Porter in our co-op to own a unit?
> Join the conversation Comments (1)We are a mid-sized Bronx cooperative building looking for suggestions for a company to hire to do our annual audit / finanicial report which is the official document required for shareholders, government authorities, etc. We are not satisfied with the company we have hired for many years. Any suggestions with names of firms that you might recommend? Thank you.
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As a fairly new owner of a condo, after settling into my apartment I realized I'd never received or seen minutes from board meetings. I asked about this, and one member said they just chat informally, by email or phone, when issues come up. Is this allowable? Can I request that they meet regularly, take notes, and keep the building informed of what they have been discussing? thx.
I was just elected to my condo board in Brooklyn. About a month ago I returned from a work trip and the hallway leading to my apartment was suddenly 15% narrower. Very surprised since I was never notified beforehand, I spoke with the building manager and he explained that a few units (including the board president) wanted to run mechanicals to the roof for air conditioning and other services and the “bump out” was necessary to accommodate the new service lines. Not only does the new hallway look narrower (more like a tenement than a luxury condo), but it will be much harder to get furniture in and out of my apartment because of the reduced turning radius. It is also much tighter with a baby carriage and groceries.
As a new board member I raised concerns that a portion of the common element was “occupied” for the benefit of specific unit owners. The board president explained that he personally paid for installation of the new wall and that the new “service” space could be used by other units owners in the future if they chose. Also, no fees were paid by the unit owners benefitting from this additional space, it was “gifted” to them. Are Boards allowed to have individual units owners alter the common elements such that the space is no longer usable by al all residents?
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I was on my co-op's board for about 6 years (I later moved to a condo, before the covid pandemic changed the way boards communicate). I can't imagine a board getting away with this, without better informing shareholders. I do not understand how you cannot communicate with your fellow shareholders. Since your building is self-managed and there are only 16 units, can't you knock on your neighbor's doors and express to them your objections? Also, don't you also have access to your neighbors' emails, so that those you don't speak with in person you can communicate with by email? Also assuming when you say "eboard" you mean the actual board of your co-op. I'm sure someone else who has expertise with "e-boards" can better address your issues. Just wanted to share my thoughts. Good luck!
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