Great site! Thanks for sharing.

Although I am definitely not an attorney, my reading of this bill is that it is essentially toothless.

Most of the wording in the bill addresses how a co-op can avoid having to pay the fine. It can claim that that it received the STAR abatement list late, that there are errors in the notice, or that it (the co-op) has an action pending in the courts. Good luck in proving otherwise.

I'm not sure how anyone could prove that the co-op "used the credits for other purposes." For abatements like STAR or the Real Estate Tax abatement, no money is actually sent from the Dept of Finance to the co-op. Instead, the co-op receives a list showing the value of each apartment's total abatement. It is then the responsibility of the co-op to disburse funds from its own accounts to the shareholders. In practice, this is usually done via a credit against monthly maintenance. To make up for the lost of maintenance income, co-op boards usually approve a one-time assessment of approximately the same dollar amount as the total for the abatements.

I cannot see any value or purpose for this bill unless the author is trying to win points with her/his constituents. In practicality, shareholders will receive little to no financial value from it.

My experience is that you probably can't do much about the noise from upstairs because it falls under the category of "living." Boys run and make noise. It's what they do.

You'll also have a tough time preventing them from bringing other family members for a visit.

There are usually general co-op rules that state that noise must be kept at "reasonable levels".

You mention 12:30 on a Saturday. If that's the only day of the week that it happens, you're probably out of luck. If it happens during the week when you have to go to work, then that's a different story.

One thing you'll need to do to have any hope of changing things is to note the time and date of when these noises occur. Any type of action to make them change their ways will require detailed documentation on your part to support your claims.

Noise issues are difficult to navigate because different people have different tolerances to noise.

Good luck.

P.S. What did you mean when you said that the apartment building is noisy?

There should by House Rules or provisions in the proprietary lease
on use of premises that forbid behavior that prevents the quiet enjoyment of apartments.

"Quiet enjoyment" is a very difficult balancing act. One practical suggestion is to check your proprietary lease or house rules for mention of the 80% carpet rule. It may also be a Dept of Buildings regulation. It basically says that if a downstairs unit owner complains about noise from the apartment above, the upstairs apartment owner is required to cover 80% of the floors in question with carpeting and a thick under-padding. This usually resolves most noise complaints. Any further noise abatement is the responsibility of the downstairs apartment.

Hi, we are a 150 unit high rise building and we just went with PRC. Our last company was First Service, which I can't recommend. PRC gets along great with our town, the building department can't say enough great things about them. They are located in West Long Branch. Give them a call.

will contact PRC. I have FSR in NYC and am not impressed with their performance.

Hi. I saw this and I work at PRC as a property manager. If you would like to talk 732-222-2000. Jacki

2.5 years sounds like a very short time for mailboxes built to USPS specifications to fail. I would start by contacting the same postal organization that installed them in the first place and asking about repair/replacement responsibility.

Every Co-op is different and has different financial needs. Some have Transfer Fees ("flip tax") and some don't. Some base the amount on a constant, per-share basis, and some base the amount on the gross or net unit sales price. The dollar or percentage amount will vary between co-ops.

The same goes for maintenance increases and assessments. Co-ops with good fiscal management may or may not impose a maintenance increase depending on what their budget projections are for the coming year. Most increases will track at least increases in operating expenses due to inflation. There may be a larger increase if their real estate tax assessment spikes. They may also be proactive and are raising money gradually because they know they have a major capital expense coming up, like a new elevator or a new roof.

Assessments should be used for specific purposes, and not imposed on a regular basis. They are useful if the building is hit with a sudden large expense that may deplete their reserve and/or operating accounts. A building with little in reserve is a building destined for real pain.

The amounts are unique to the needs of the building. There is no rule-of-thumb for how much or how often.

Can you provide any background to your questions? It would help others provide you with a more definitive response.

I'll make this easier for you,
I'm Looking to see if co op share holders have a Flip Tax... and how much when you sell or buy. What %
Also does your board give you a yearly assessment and a yearly maintenance raise? How much a year?
Thank you in advance.

And I can make it much easier for you. Pose all your questions to a member of your co-op board or your managing agent. Since every co-op is unique in it's fiscal requirements, your board or MA will be able to provide you with answers that are specific to *your* co-op.

Now, if your are interested in the specifics of *my* co-op, I'll be happy to oblige.

We have a flip tax, and it is $8/share

We almost always have an annual maintenance increase that covers price increase due to inflation, staff salary increases, and other business factors. For the past few years we needed to have two maintenance increases because our building's assessed valuation increased by such a large amount (even with a tax certiorari reduction), that we would have had a negative cash flow by the end of the year. The rate of r/e tax increase has slowed, so we anticipate only one maintenance increase in CY'19

The only annual assessment we impose is to recover operating funds lost due to the annual Dept of Finance tax abatement. We calculate the assessment so it is as close to the abatement as possible, so the net to our shareholders is minimal. In the past we've imposed assessments for a lobby renovation, but we recently refinanced our underlying mortgage and took out enough cash so we don't anticipate any further assessments for capital improvements.

Please remember that this information is specific to my co-op. Your co-op's financial requirements are probably vastly different.

I hope this answers your questions,
--- Steve

more than 70% of nyc co-ops now have a transfer fee... it is supported by the lion's share of managing agents and real estate attorneys. i support it in my building which is trying to pass one. according to a seminar i went to, 2% of the gross sale price is the 'right amount.' assessments and maintenance increases are based upon multiple factors - assessments typically are needed for capital improvements while maintenance increases are related to building expenses and real estate taxes.

I should also note that the imposition of a share transfer fee (flip tax) must be authorized in one of the co-op governing documents like the Proprietary Lease. It was not included in the PL template used during most co-op conversions from the early 1980's. Failure to have the enabling language in the PL before the fee is voted on by the board can cause major headaches if an astute purchaser or attorney questions the fee. Check the Habitat Magazine archives for articles about this, or better, ask your co-op's attorney.

I'm in an HDFC where 5 shareholders got their units for next to nothing. Our flip tax is 30% of profit, meaning:

Sale price
-purchase price
- improvements

It does discourage turnover & limits sales to people who intend to stick around which works for us.

Our HDFC has a 50% flip tax. Yes, it discourages some buyers but they are not the type of people we want anyway since they don't plan on being here for the long term. We get no tax breaks (unlike most HDFCs) so the flip tax gives us a healthy reserve fund. We installed a new roof, new boiler, new windows and are about to have the entire façade re-done which will cost about $200,000. Our maintenance is very low. A good deal all around.

The first thing you need to do is educate yourself about debt and credit. Check out this link: https://studentloanhero.com/featured/do-student-loans-affect-credit/

1) Find out what the interest rate(s) is(are) for your student loans. You MUST know what it is in order to make better choices about repaying your debt.

2) Loans can hurt OR help your credit score. Any kind of loan (debt) affects your credit report. If you don't pay the required minimum monthly payment on your loan(s), your credit score will be hurt. If you do pay the required minimum monthly payment on your loan(s), your credit score will be helped.

3) In my opinion (take it for what you paid for it, as Steven424 would say), forget about the house until you pay down a large chunk of your student loan(s). I doubt if you can even get a mortgage if you have a sizeable outstanding student loan.

4) Use your future income to repay as much of your loan(s) as possible as soon as possible. By doing this, you'll reduce your debt, improve your credit score, build positive financial habits, and reach your goal of buying a home as fast as possible.

This won't be easy. As Dave Ramsey likes to say, you may not be able to see the inside of a restaurant for 2 years. But, you have lots of debt and have to make the needed sacrifices. That's life.

One thing that might help if you find that you can't afford the agreed upon monthly loan repayment amount is to renegotiate with the lender. Remember that all the lender wants is to be repaid.

For example, if you're supposed to repay a loan at $400/month, but you find that's too much to afford, call the lender, explain the situation, and tell them how much you can afford to repay each month ($100, 150, 200, etc).

Believe me, the lender will appreciate that you didn't renege, and that you were honest and are making an effort to repay. Of course, you'll have to repay the loan for a longer period of time than the original agreement since you're now paying less than the original agreed amount, but this may be a better fit for your life.

Good luck to you and educate yourself as much as possible. Your financial life depends on it.

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I don't know why 311 said that they won't get involved since you own your apartment. HPD treats co-ops the same as rentals when it comes to violations. We had a number of violations, including mold, called in by a shareholder who wouldn't let us in to remedy the situation. The City eventually sent their own contractor and billed us for the cost.

I find it very sad that many problems within co ops and condos are ignored this important issue. I would call 311 again tell them you want to report a mold problem in your apt. and your managing agent refuses to act on it. Document your health issues and give it to your lawyer, he/she will advise you on how to proceed. Your lawyer won't charge you for a consultation, most likely the lawyer will proceed further. Best of Luck

I also own a co-op on Westchester and have a problem with mold and leaking into my ceiling. The management company told me that if the toilet in apartment above me is leaking it is my problem to work it out with that shareholder even though they are fully aware he refuses to repair the leak. Now my ceiling is bubbled, and growing mold. I know that NYC has 311 to complain but I can't find an answer as to who can help in Westchester and whether a co-op has responsibility to repair the leak. I know I can get my insurance to cover my ceiling repairs but the leak the shareholder above refuses to repair is the real problem.

emkharts , it soundalike you have a problem & no one wants to help. You need to contact your insurance co. who will send someone to look at your problem. They will repair and sue your neighbor and his/her insurance co. to pay for your deductible & damage. The insurance co. will also determined if you need to go to a hotel and pay for your stay. So call ASAP this will damage your lungs if not taken care of. It happened to my cousin, Good Luck.

Thank you people's choice. I am calling my insurance.

call 311 and see if a supervisor can help you . do you have coop insurance? i am not sure if mold is excluded , or an extra rider on these policies. Check your policy and if covered get relocation until it is fixed.

I find that some boards are not addressing these areas seriously. This is where shareholders have to do their due diligence so they can work together. Board members along with management companies need to educate their employees about these areas. Preventive measures and ongoing communication to shareholders about safety is warranted.

Thank you.

You should be talking to your board members, not the management company. I would put the issue in writing and mail it to the board members. If they dont respond contact the disability rights people , they may put pressure on the board members. I doubt they are indemnified for discrimination