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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »