I found this on the Department of Finance website. My co-op never gives us this information. It just says Star/Abatement (one amount) on the monthly statement. It would be great to request this type of breakdown especially 60 days in advance.
“Cooperative apartment corporations must provide to each eligible tenant-shareholder a written statement detailing the full amount of the STAR exemption (or STAR-related savings) including information regarding how the amount was calculated, and how the exemption or saving is being credited to the tenant-shareholder. Such a written statement must be mailed to each eligible tenant stockholder within 60 days of the corporation’s receiving the exemption of savings.”
A contractor came to give an estimate on work on our apt. He said-" you do realize I will have to give money (a bribe not a tip) to the Super? To me, this is unacceptable. The super has a big free apt and lots of benefits and this sort of extortion is unethical. What can we do??
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Last year my co-op was late in distributing the Star credits. To make up for this they divided the late credits over the remaining months and applied them in addition to the current years Star credits.
This year, the star credits and Abatement stopped in December 2013.
Some cooperators who were approved for the Enhanced Star program back in March 2013, which runs from July 2013 through June 2014 were expecting an increase in their applied credits, however this did not happen.
Instead the E-Star recipients were told it was their responsibility to contact the Department of Finance and find out what the additional dollar amount would be. Once they received this information they needed to bring it to the manager and the additional credits would be applied to their maintenance statement retroactively.
Some of the cooperators followed these instructions and presented the information they received from the D.O.F. to the manager. They were then told, “It was a mistake”.
The additional credits would be take affect and be retroactive once the city applied them to the co-op.
Now the E-Star recipients were told the star and abatement credits would begin in February 2014, however they would only receive credits from January 2014 through December 2014. There would be no adjustment for the 7 months the Enhanced Star credits were not received.
On the acceptance letter for the Enhanced Star it states the following:
Your property qualified for the following property tax exemptions(s). The exemptions(s) will begin on July 1, 2013
• Enhanced Star
Are Star credits retroactive? Is this ethical?
Just a quick question - we're trying to form a new interviewing committee; however, we want the composition of the committee to be Board members as well as shareholders, to ensure a level of fairness and transparancy in the selection process. Has anyone else in the forum attempted this? If so, how has it worked out for you?
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Hello - seeking advice ASAP. It's been known for years that the previous President of the coop had personally maintained a petty cash account for keys, fobs, and misc. expenses; however, has been reluctant to transfer responsiblities and management of said account to our new management company, due to primarity her stubborn and bully-ish demeanor. The President was ousted at the last annual shareholder's meeting and to this day has yet to relinquish the account, only to give a certified check to the corporation for the supposed amount that was in the account. As the new President, I strongly suspect that the ex-president not only didn't close the supposed account but actually co-mingled any corporate funds into a personal account, since the certified check came from their name, personally.
Has anyone had a similar situation with a previous Board member in relinquishing corporate account information and if so how did you go about ensuring that all documentation, including financial informaiton, was transferred to the new Board. Thanks!
Hi - I wish to add my wife and kids (not adults) to my lease and/or stock certificate. (I bought the apt before marriage.) Our lease states apts may be transfered without any approval (financial or otherwise) to immediate family including adult children. Please note: this is not a full transfer (my name is to remain on the lease) - it is merely adding names to the above documents. Can some tell me how this might work? Thanks
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Is it possible to create a board position for Governance? (i.e. Director - Governance). This is a position that would ensure that the board has and follows proper processes and procedures and governs itself in a professional and ethical manner?
Thank you
Does your coop allow for vertical combinations of apartments owned by shareholders on successive floors of the same building?
> Join the conversationI am a member of a 48 unit co-op where board members have used racial remarks. Recently they tried to discriminate against an applicant. What recourse do I have to protect myself if there is a discriminatory action against the board.
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My wife's father is the shareholder in a co-op in Manhattan. He is 82. He intends for my wife to inherit the share, and she has lived there with him for 10 years. She has been trying to get the management to enter her name on the lease for almost 2 years. Instead they keep asking her for more paperwork. She has submitted stacks of things they've requested only to be asked for more. She often gets overwhelmed and I have to convince her not to give up. But as far as I know she only needs to show that she's lived there for at least 2 years, and that she's her father's daughter. My wife does not make a lot of money and of course the co-op could get more in rent from someone who does, so I don't think it's hard to see what's happening here.
I moved in with my wife and father-in-law almost 3 months ago, and brought my dog, who is allowed under the co-op's pet policy. One night my dog got in a fight with another dog and mildly injured it before I could break it up. I volunteered to pay for the vet bill but the other party preferred to let the co-op deal with me and remain anonymous. Now the co-op is telling me I owe over $900 to cover the other dog's vet bill, won't tell me the name of the other party, and won't provide anything in writing confirming what the money is for. They also insist I get rid of my dog, but again nothing in writing. They periodically send scarey-looking security officers to the door to ask when we'll pay the money and when we'll get rid of the dog. In the co-op's pet policy it merely says that if a dog attacks another dog, he must be kept away from the dog he attacked when on co-op property. I haven't let my dog socialize with *any* dogs since that incident, and have been walking him off the property all together. It also says in their pet policy that if the problem persists (which it hasn't) they can require obedience training, and if that fails, only then does it say they can require that you get rid of the dog.
It's clear to me they are trying to intimidate us, and trying to seriously take advantage of my wife. What's worse is that it seems to be working on my father-in-law and my wife: they think they'll get evicted if they rock the boat, and they're afraid to inquire further about the lease because anytime we contact management about anything, we get another visit from security about the dog the same day! Can anyone provide me with some resources, links, leads, phone numbers, so that we can defend ourselves against these jerks?
Thanks very much to anyone who took the time to read this, I look forward to your response.
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it is customary for someone to tip the super when construction is being done in an apartment. the reason is that renovations bring a super more work - yes it is his job, but it is nice to recognize him at this time. any super that asks a contractor for money or intimates that the job will go more smoothly if he is tipped should be reprimanded.
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