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which court do you initiate a case on board self dealing, fraud, and refusal of shareholders list, etc - escape from yonkers Feb 12, 2012

which court do i initiate the action in? i know i have to subpheana them, i know how to do that, but you would think the Attorney Generals office of co-ops when they tell you that self dealing, fraud, and possible bank fraud is an internal coop problem, ansd tell you to get a lawyer. why not tell tou what curt handles it? i have done small claims. and the law is very straightforward, if i find a lawyer that will seek to get my money back, i would also hope he/she would push to fine the board members, for their actions, plus trying to avoid a embezzlement, i thing all shareholders should receive the bank statements every month, in spreadsheet imported form. in my building the board doesn't know what bank. etc. perfect scenerio for embezzlement

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Unfortunately, as you know, the Attorney Generals office does not handle this type of complaint. There are a couple of bills in both the Senate and Assembly to create an ombudsman committee that would hear complaints of this type. Please,contact your state elected officials and ask them to support these bills. If we the shareholders do not take action,we will never gain the support needed to pass them. As far as the court, supreme court is the one my case regarding an election was heard. Unless you are really well versed in the court system, I would strongly recommend an attorney since these cases require depositions and can be a bit complicated to navigate.

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Dear Dianne, Would you be comfortable giving any details regarding your experience in the court system? Following along with the original post, the court system seems very mysterious to those of us who have only contemplated it from the outside. Any insight from someone who's been there as you have would be greatly appreciated. If you are comfortable discussing it, some possible questions might be: what was the issue litigated, was your lawsuit a shareholder derivative action, how did you find an attorney and what was the cost, was the lawsuit settled or litigated, did you prevail, and, if you prevailed, were you able to recover any legal fees? On another level, did you experience any support or resentment from other shareholders? Anything you care to share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and congratulations on having stood up and taken action.

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When a Resident's Disability Creates Problems - APayne Feb 08, 2012

We have a resident whose parents purchased a unit in our building for their adult son who has a developmental disability, to live independently. For the last few years, we've had no issues, but last weekend, the parents apparently bought the young man a car and he decided he didn't like the 'new car smell' and lit 2 sticks of incense and placed inside the car and went back to his apartment.

Residents, seeing smoke pouring from the unoccupied and parked vehicle- a vehicle that many had never seen before- panicked and called 911 as they thought the car was on fire.

Firefighters, police and EMS arrived on the scene and actually evacuated one of our buildings that was in close proximity to where the car was parked. We later learned that young man with the developmental disability was the owner of the car and had placed the incense in the car.

I feel that his parents (the shareholders) should be made aware of what happened, in light of the fact that the building was evacuated because of this incident. My concern is that if he would place a burning object inside a vehicle and walk away, he might do the same inside his apartment.

I don't want to overreact, but am curious to know if anyone has had a similar situation. And what happens if someone who is disabled who was once deemed "okay to live independently," is showing signs that they are not capable of living alone independently and how do you deal with that without violating the ADA?

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I know plenty of so-called "normal" people who do dumb, potentially dangerous things too. If everyone in NYC was subject to your standards of approval, you and I and just about everyone else would have A LOT of empty apartments in our buildings.

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depending on the wording of your proprietary lease, the son may not be a allowed per proprietary lease par 14 , to occupy the apartment without the shareholder living there. The buying of the apartment for the son should have been nixed by the board at the get go, unless the lease allows it for it , the "and -or" wording is what makes it allowable or not .
i would presume sublease fee's and the occupier/subtenant would have to follow the sublease procedures.
no one should hesitate from calling 911 if they think it is emergency, i could think of many times it would be and has been very deadly to do so. From a cell phone, depending on your location , calling the police or fire preceint directly may be a lot faster,since if you are on the Hudson river, NJ answers in my case and you lose precious time for them to realize your in ny, and routing you to the correct city.

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NYSERDA Energy Consultant Fee - board guy Feb 08, 2012

Have been researching the NYSERDA Multifamily program and am putting together a presentation for the entire board. Am expecting hesitation, though, due to the initial fee for the energy consultant. I know NYSERDA provides $5K toward that fee, but does anyone know a reasonable range for what that total fee might be for a building with 140 units?

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I am awaiting our Board to move forward with accepting an invitation from a NYC, NYSERDA representative to make a presentation at our 247 unit co-op in Long Beach, L.I., N.Y. My understanding is that the Energy assessment fee is almost negated by the reimbursement from another agency's funding. I have met with complete refusal, by our Board president, but I keep on trying. Good luck to you also. I will post as matters change.

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We did the consultant thing with a third party last year. NYSERDA paid in full for the FlexTech Benchmarking Pilot that we completed. Actually, the fee was slightly under the max $3000 NYSERDA amount available.
The consultant prepared the proposal to NYSERDA, got approval for the funding and we moved forward. Nothing out of pocket. They filed our benchmarketing data for 2010 and provided a building survey with recommendations.

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Whoever you used for the benchmarking sounds like the company that everyone should be looking to. If you find a firm that can navigate and execute in manner that makes you think, "these guys have done this before," then they should be recommended to everyone.

For the record: My firm does NOT do benchmarking as a direct service. We leave that to the guys whose business model focuses entirely on this venture.

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Payroll txes 2011 - Emily T Feb 01, 2012

Does anyone know if these were less in 2011 and what the percentage might be? Thanks

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UPDATE ON LIDO TOWERS - Peg Meerkatz Jan 31, 2012

Lido Towers COMPLETED (?) their renovations to the tune of ALMOST $30 MILLION - how much was spent on handicapped accessibility - MAYBE $100 if that. There are flimsy ramp like things in all the door ways so yes if you can manuver a wheelchair and open the door YES YOU CAN NOW GET IN. They spent an untold amount of money returning the building to its original Pink color (it was formally known as "The Pink Lady").

One of the MOST INSANE THINGS they did was REPLACE ALL THE CONCRETE WALK-WAYS WTIH BRICK PAVERS - has anyone ever tried to walk on pavers with a walker or navigate a wheelchair it is lots of fun (not) when you have SERIOUSLY BALANCE PROBLEMS. The AUTOMATIC DOOR I wrote about previously? THEY DID INSTALL IT AT THIER EXPENSE. They istalled it on the MAIN ENTRANCE DOOR - the ONLY PROBLEM is that once inside the automatic doors if you have MOBILITY PROBLEMS - YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE because just inside the doors is a HUGE FLIGHT OF STAIRS - NO OTHER WAY INTO THE BUILDING FROM THAT ENTRANCE EXCEPT UP THE STAIRS.

When my mom moved in there was 1 dog here. Lido let her keep the dog when they became a "no pets" building but in order to bring the dog to & from her condo she had to transport it in a doggie stroller (no joke). When I moved in this woman was here and 1 other dog owner that I know of. SINCE I MOVED IN 2 YEARS AGO THE DOG POPULATION HAS GROWN 10 FOLD. It seems every other unit has a dog. People that moved here believing this was a "NO PETS" building are UP IN ARMS. Now that Management IGNORED THE PROBLEM & let it get OUT OF CONTROL FOR 2 YEARS they are PUTTING THEIR FOOT DOWN. Dog owners MUST PAY $100 A YEAR to have their dog here, provide YEARLY PROOF of its SERVICE DOG STATUS, PROOF OF VACINATIONS, YADA, YADA YADA. There is only ONE FACT that Sharri Morse overlooked in her 2 page rant about this issue - ACCORDING TO THE LAW MY DOG IS NOT A PET. And BY LAW even if Sharri charges PET OWNERS $100 a year she CANNOT charge me as a Service Dog Owner.

BTW: My dog is the ONLY ONE I ever saw wearing a Service Dog Vest and I have been approached by at least 6 dog owners here asking "Where can I get one of those vests for my dog?" (Smell somethng fishy?)

Anyway, Nassau County Office of Physically Challanged and Federal Housing Complaints is INVESTIGATING - believe me this drama will continue.

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united spinal was eastern paralyzed veterans association. they know all the laws and ada requirement that new construction must have.They know exactly how long a ramp must be and the height of rails and the flat stop areas. probably know much better than anyone else, they have been around a long time.

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Contractors - VPMC Jan 30, 2012

Can anyone please provide feedback on any of these contracting companies?:

L&Z
Upgrade
Adelphi

We are in the selection process for an extensive project and I would appreciate any help with this. Thank you.

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STAR tax abatements - newbie Jan 27, 2012

Only a small percentage of the shareholders in my coop get STAR tax abatements. I'm wondering why it is so low. What are the qualifications for getting one?

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The coop abatements are automatic, but you have to apply for STAR.
Application is available via the NYC.GOV website.

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Do i have to be under/over certain age limit to fill out the Star Abatement form?
what are hidden impacts (loss/gain) if i sign up for Star Abatement. (being an owner of the co-op).

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Deadline was March 15 for next year. You get a tax rebate which usually gets credited to your maintenance account. In general, it should be declared on your income taxes as income, being a reduction in taxes paid.
Various other credits are available for seniors and veterans, some tied to income levels. You can see the forms and get more info on the NYC.gov website, just search for 'star'. Info for all the credits will show up.

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You need to be a resident of the apartment.

You need to declare the STAR portion, which they may wish not wish to reduce from their IRS tax return.

They are wealthy enough not to care to get money ahead of time.

They are ignorant.

Make your own reason. It does not affect the co-op as it has to pay the tax and STAR credit to residents no matter what!

AdC





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Like yourself, they are probably unaware of it. There are no qualifications that I know of... you just have to be proactive and get the form, unless your management company has provided one for you. For the STAR abatement, shareholders have to submit their own applications. It's a simple form available on nyc.gov website (google STAR abatement NYC), but you have to include a copy of your entire 1040 from last year. The deadline this year is MARCH 15! Also, you can get additional Senior Citizens, or Veterans, etc. if you qualify in those categories.

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Paying maintenance with credit card / paypal. - steve Jan 26, 2012

I am wondering if anyone is in a co-op or condo where you can pay your maintenance by credit card or paypal?

If yes how do you take in to account the merchant fee?

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We allow PayPal and the fee that PayPal charges to us gets added to the invoice once they inform us that they want to pay that way.

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It's because of merchant fees that hardly any co-op or condo accepts charges. But if you were to it would only be fair to have the owner making the charge pay the fee.

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management co - village vp Jan 25, 2012

We're a 50-unit West Village co-op unhappy with our management co. Anyone have a co. to recommend?

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Hi VVP,

I am a president of an 111 unit co-op in Manhattan. We like Blue Woods Management Group. One of their offices in near you in the Fashion District.

Good luck with your search!

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I'm a regular contributor to this site as well as the owner of a management company, Excel Bradshaw Management Group, LLC, with a healthy portfolio in the city. (www.ebmg.com).

We'd be happy to talk to you.

mblevine@ebmg.com

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We are an 1800 unit upscale co op complete with 18 hole golf course, tennis courts, country club,movie theater and lots of ofher "goodies" We have been using Charles Greenthal and can report that our Manager thinks he is Hitler reborn. He believes he has the final say on everything and unfortunately, he has convinced our board that he is correct. Some of the employees of the company are very nice, but it is the manager who sets the tone. I would be very careful before using this company.

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Again, interesting, because we'd been considering them. I appreciate the advice!

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We'll get in touch; I'll identify myself when we do. (It'll be awhile, next board meeting's not for a month.)

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Thanks! Will call them.

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They do not make an extra effort and they do not help with costs at all -

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who doesn't make an effort or help with costs? that's 2 of the 3 things you pay them for, isn't it?

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Good to know -- we'd been considering them. Thanks.

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call John Belanich, or Eric Belanich and John Vetere at Bell Realty Management Co. 516-829-7300. I have been working with Bell since 1986 when they bought our building for conversion. Family operation, very straight up, very honest, very capable. They own property and manage quite a bit. almost all their relationships are very long term, for the right reasons.

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Thanks! Will call them.

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Becareful management company we had terminated leave us finance ruin.

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Be careful because the management company we had left us financially ruined at Parsons Plaza.

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Habitat Magazyne should have a website that talks about management companies that are corrupted or have selective force of rules and regulations; and have many complaints filed against them to the attorney general. By doing this, board members could have a right to choose a good management company not these companies that look good but steal peoples monies, lies, forged documents and leave buildings in financial ruins.

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Call Impact Real Estate Management
718-898-0190 Ask for Stuart Halper he is an owner of the company
Great people

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Thanks! Will call them.

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I own Pronto Property Management, Inc.
We offer property management services to Condos and Coops in the NYC and Long Island areas.
We also provide cleaning services for commercial and residential clients, as well as, construction cleaning services.
Please contact me at 516-455-5831 to discuss any needs or questions that you may have for us. You can also visit our website at www.prontopropertymanagement.com

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private sellers responsibility concerning true owner/occupied ratio - escapefromyonkers Jan 24, 2012

most of the few owner occupiers that are left in this co-op, are planning to sell and move on, hoping the buyer doesn't find out what the true owner occupied ratio is, before the sale is complete. i know a real estate agent or even company can lose their license for not disclosing the correct number.
Is there much chance that the buyer can go after the seller , once they find out that they have been scammed, and they paid way to much for a co-op in an almost majority rental building.
The managing agent tells people it is 90%, even though i gave the president a copy of the case-law concerning par 14 in the proprietary lease, that the NYS law journal had the recent decisions on the right to occupy( not wall street). cases in. . One of you fine people had given it to me.
The MA also told the one board member that wasn't a puppet that the prop lease stated differently and the BOD didn't do his due diligence and find it and read it . however i posted it prominently above the mailboxes.so he could read it.
So i am sure that when people call up when trying to sell they ask what the ratio of owner/occupied is, and i know he has said 90% in the past, even though i brought it up at the annual meeting 3 years ago , but they never put that in the minutes. This year i wrote to reject the minutes since so much was missing, plus i found out that there is a specific time frame for writing in your objection and non acceptance. All this stuff that is nowhere to be found, in one place , as it should be. The AG should at least have this time frame in there. Back to the original question, can the new owner go after the seller,especially since the value was based on 90%.not 50% owner occupied. The value is huge, and unbless the price was really low, as in a fire sale, no one would buy,nevermind the mortgagepapers being filerd out fraudently. The Managing Company owner is on the board of the bank we got our mortgage through, and of course our president is an investor in that bank also. They still say that if the father owns but doesnt live there , it is still owner /occupied,despite the law. Plenty more fraud too

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