HABITAT
Thinking of buying a co-op or condo? Already bought, and not sure how co-op/condo life and rules work? Learn all about purchasing a place and living in your new community. It's not like renting, and its not like owning a house. What's it like? Check out the articles below to learn all you need to know!
SPECIAL: FAQ CHECK Q&As
FAQ Check: Arbitration with Your Condo / Co-op Board
FAQ Check: Co-op Owners' Rights to See Board-Meeting Minutes
FAQ Check: Storage-Room Agreements
FAQ Check: Subletting Your Co-op
FAQ Check: Your Right to a Habitable Co-op / Condo Apartment
ABUSIVE BOARDS
Abusive Co-op Boards: One Shareholder's Story
Common Areas and "Incidental Use": When Boards Go Overboard
How and Why Boards Can Stonewall Your Request to Review Minutes
When a Board Can Disregard Shareholders' Votes — Legally
When Boards Can Defame You — and the Courts Say It's OK
When Boards Raid Your Bank Account: Overstepping on Automatic Payment
When Homeowners Harass and Board Members Bully: Strategies to Stop It
ADMISSIONS
Admission-Interview Questions: What a Board Can't Ask
Bad Boards, Bad Boards, What'cha Gonna Do? Co-op Admission Horror Stories
Buyer Beware: Don't Rely on Board Promises If the Documents Contradict
Getting In: The Admissions Process
How Boards Can Reject Owners Wanting Another Co-op in the Building
REB on the Web: Broker Listings Online
Unmarried Couples and Protection Under Anti-Discrimination Law
ALTERATION / RENOVATION
Alteration Agreements: When Co-op Boards Try to Renege
Combining Apartments? Use Directive 14
Installing Window Air Conditioners in Your Apartment
Limited Common Elements: When Your Patio Isn't Yours
Promises, Promises — Mean Nothing If They're Not in the Proprietary Lease
Read Documents, Ask Questions! A Terrace Horror Story
Testing for Asbestos While Renovating: When It's Required, When It's Not
AMENITIES
Residential Parking Permits: No More Free Street Space?
Storage Room Licensing Agreements: What to Know, What to Expect
CONDO-SPECIFIC
Can a Condo Charge a Flip Tax?
Condo Buyers Beware: Court Rules No Recourse on Developers' Foot-Dragging
Evicting Your Condo Tenants When They Create a Nuisance
DISABILITY
HEALTH & SAFETY
Apartment Mold and Dampness: If You're Allergic, You're Out of Luck
• Apartment Mold and Dampness Update
Bedbugs and Boards: What to Expect If Your Apartment's Infested
Handling Hoarders: What Boards Need to Do with Garbage-Filled Apartments
Lead Paint in Your Apartment: What's the Board's Responsibility — And Your Own?
Testing for Asbestos While Renovating: When It's Required, When It's Not
When Carbon Monoxide Detectors Sound: Who to Call — And Not Call
When Homeowners Harass and Board Members Bully: Strategies to Stop It
HOUSE RULES
House Rules and Building Etiquette for Professional Dog-Walkers
Neighbor vs. Neighbor: When House Rules Slip from Institutional Memory
LAWSUITS
Suing Your Co-op: Lose and You May Have to Pay Its Attorney Fees
Think Before You Sue: The Importance of Getting Basic Facts Straight
QUALITY-OF-LIFE
Newspaper Delivery: Ways to Get All the News Without Throwing a Fit
• Handling Newspaper Thieves in Your Building
Neighborly No More: A Co-op Case Study
PETS
House Rules and Building Etiquette for Professional Dog-Walkers
Kitties 'n' Canines in Co-ops 'n' Condos: Can I Keep My Pet?
SUBLETS
Having Long-Term Guests in Your Co-op: Check Your Lease for Limits
Sublet Loophole: Even When Allowed, Boards Can Refuse … for No Reason
TAX
Co-op Buyers Beware: New State Tax May Add Over $5,000 to Closing Costs
OTHER
Becoming a Board Member Yourself
Brand New Board and Shoddy Construction: A Case Study
Denying Access: When Co-op Boards Can Withhold Your Apartment Key
How to Read the Annual Financial Statement
New Court Ruling: Who Gets the Co-op When You're Divorced ... and Dead?
Renters' Rights in Co-op and Condo Apartment Buildings
Terminating Leases: Boards Must Follow Stringent Procedure in Good Faith
Transferring Co-op Shares after a Death
What NOT to Do When You're Angry with Your Co-op / Condo Board
Board Talk
Engage, enrage, ask questions and give answers with your community of board members. Submit your questions and comments here!
Habitat Week by Week
Co-op and condo board business broken down into bite-sized bits - 2 stories each week. Read now on all digital devices.
Ask the Experts
learn moreLearn all the basics of NYC co-op and condo management, with straight talk from heavy hitters in the field of co-op or condo apartments
Professionals in some of the key fields of co-op and condo board governance and building management answer common questions in their areas of expertise
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