The Friday New Product: TGINP!

Bitron Video Intercom

Sept. 5, 2008 — Form follows function, as they say. That's certainly true of video intercoms, some of which look like they hail from The Oscilloscope Age. But if your building's looking for something a bit more space-station-from-2001: A Space Odyssey, then look no further. Bitron Video, of Rivoli, Italy, has a designer model that's molte bella. Read More »

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Featured Articles / Updated Three Times Weekly!

Background Checks Disallowed? When Residents Are at Risk

Sept. 5, 2008 — Life jogs along at a mid-sized co-op with lots of families and kids. A new board was elected a few months ago and has switched over to a new managing agent. One of her first tasks is to get familiar with the dozen or so staff members and their files – a pro forma thing, no big deal. But then she notices no reference letters in those files — in fact, nothing much except the usual tax and insurance documents and the workers' job-application forms. Hmm … can that be right? Read More »

Façade Cleaning: Taking a Shine to Your Building

Sept. 3, 2008 — You live in a stately, prewar brick building with sandstone window trim, a copper cornice, terra-cotta moldings and years of city soot and grime. What cleaning methods are strong enough to remove dirt and stains while safe enough to protect the delicate details? Can you use the same treatments throughout, or is brick cleaned differently than stone and other materials? You're right to be concerned: The wrong treatments can scar the building and permanently harm its finer historical elements. Here's what you should know before hiring a cleaning company or cleaning the building yourself. Read More »

From the Editor: Things That Go Bump in the Night

Welcome to a new monthly column by HABITAT's editorial director.

Sept. 2, 2008 — “The building is overrun by rats,” Ellen Kornfeld, vice president of The Lovett Group, said to me at a recent meeting, and as she was speaking I had a fleeting image of a scene out of Willard or Ben, the rats-are-out-to-get-you horror flicks of the 1970s. “It’s not over yet,” she said, citing an 80-unit Upper West Side building she had recently begun managing. “I’m in the throes of dealing with it.” Read More »

Habitat's Purchasing Primer: News for New Buyers

Apartment Mold and Dampness Update

Sept. 2, 2008: Read a new buyers' article every Monday — When we last visited the issue of whether a plaintiff can claim personal injury as a result of mold or a damp indoor environment (Habitat January 2007, "Apartment Mold and Dampness"), we reported the case of Fraser v. 301-52 Townhouse Corp. Since then, the plaintiffs were unsuccessful in what the legal system calls a "reargument." More significantly, two other cases concerning mold have appeared in New York State courts. Although neither concerns a co‑op or a condominium, a review of them can be instructive for both apartment-buyers and building boards facing this evolving issue. Read More »

Bulletin Board

First Annual FNYHC Conference Set for October

After having hosted seminars on co-op and condo issues, the Federation of New York Housing Cooperatives and Condominiums has now established its first formal conference. The first annual FNYHC Cooperative & Condominium Conference, covering topics of interest to board members, building supers, managing agents and others, takes place Wednesday, October 22, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dinner is included. Read More »

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Tour our special September issue with publisher Carol J. Ott.

 

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We embarked on a project to replace all the old corroded plumbing risers. NYC regulations require abatement of asbestos if more than a certain amount Read More »

It gives me great pleasure to use this forum within which to share my experience as Board President of a 75 unit Brooklyn-based converted co-op. I hope Read More »

 

Learn from your peers by posing questions in the Habitat Board Talk Forums.

Apropos of CIRA, may I suggest some simple rules? Bill S. Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:41AM

We’ve had these rules in place even before the CIRA/AICPA documents were published (I posted this a about two weeks ago elsewhere).

1. President does not sign checks, e.g. not authorized.
2. President does not... more

CIRA booklet Billy Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:24PM

We have the booklet for all our board and after one reads it, one may agree with many points in the posting: http://disc.yourwebapps.com/discussion.cgi?disc=94379;article=10241;title=Habitat%27s%20Board%20Talk

I, and many of our board members, tend to agree with...more

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