Hi Samsaunt,

Before jumping to any conclusions, I would contact the board president to find out if the guest policy was recently changed, and if it was, to what new policy. It is possible the managing agent "misinterpreted" the new policy. You might also ask for a printed copy of the revised house rules.

If the house rules were changed to a no-guest-without-owner policy, check your proprietary lease. If there is anything in the lease about guests, I believe it trumps (i.e. "your fired") the house rules.

If that doesn't work, politely ask the board president for the reason the policy was changed, and explain your situation to her/him. You may find that the rules were changed because of the advent of AirBNB, Craig's List, and the other venues where apartment owners "rent" out their apartments to strangers for very short periods of time to generate income. This is almost certainly against the rules for subletting. I realize this is not your case, but unfortunately the proliferation of these illegal sublets has caused boards to become much more restrictive with their guest policies.

As a board member, I recommend that you approach this with the idea that you and the board will be able to work out a compromise. If you can come up with ways of differentiating your situation from short-term rentals to strangers, propose them to the board. You may have to provide background info about your guests and the board may want to meet with them before the they stay in your apartment for the first time. You might even offer to pay for the managing agent to run a background check on your guests. This is not prying, but the board's way of protecting the safety and security of the other shareholders. I would do this in my building.

I'm sorry you've been caught on the cusp of a policy change, but I do understand your board's perspective. With the explosion of tourism in NYC and the corresponding dramatic increase in hotel room rates, any reasonably-priced accommodation is now very valuable. You need to work with your board to validate your personal relationship with your guests and also to prove to the board that they don't pose a threat to the building or the shareholders.

Good luck with your efforts.