It's Getting Harder to Rent Condos in New York

Feb. 3, 2015 — It used to be that co-ops got the bum rap for requiring potential buyers and renters to fill out extensive applications, but it looks like condos are starting to follow suit. Just ask a condo owner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who writes to Ronda Kaysen in the latest "Ask Real Estate" column in The New York Times. "The board has instituted a process for renting out units that involves a lengthy application and significant fees. The board says the process is allowed under its right of first refusal, which allows the board to rent a unit under the same terms that the unit is offered." The condo owner wants to know whether the board can use its right of first refusal in this manner and whether it can be stopped. Kaysen explains that a "building’s bylaws determine whether a board can require an application and fees for renting out a unit." If it's in the bylaws, there's not much this condo unit can do to challenge. And if it's not in the bylaws? Well, it's a case of knowing when to pick your battles. The condo owner can ask the board to review its procedures but any legal action would probably cost more than the application fee.