Hi Angela.
This is a tough scenario. You want to help out a well-meaning family and a capable young man. However, the issue is conflict of interest. Anytime a shareholder or family member of the shareholder is directly hired by the building, you risk COI or the appearance of such. Also, any infractions against him would now be subjected to additional questioning and scrutiny, both by the family and other shareholders (for different reasons). Finally, now there is the potential for this family to have access to "inside information" which they may not use nefariously but shareholders will always wonder about.

My advice is to not even consider the headache. Talk to your lawyer as well because there may also be a legal argument. Something similar came up for us and our lawyer was strongly opposed so we never even considered it.

Finally, I have a friend who lives in a small building where a family has pretty much taken controlling stake of the coop. It is so corrupt and most of it stems from COI since one family got too much power. They own about 1/4-1/3 of the units and the building staff are family members. No one else has power. This is the worst case scenario but small steps can open this up.

Sky is the best

I was at a building yesterday, never heard of Sky Laundry, but the President swore by them. I have no skin in this game, just reporting that until yesterday I had never heard of them and now they have come up twice in a day. They're at 718-639-7070 (as per the sticker on the washers).

We're approaching the end of a second contract with HiRise. Our payments are received monthly, the new machines have been pretty reliable and repaired promptly when necessary. Biggest complaint is that the dryers (energy efficient) take a little longer to dry clothes. Be very wary of some of the biggies, some are known to do excellent jobs in presenting refurbished machines as new. You should include a contract clause requiring machine replacement if a machine breaks down more than x times in a given period, and keep track of the service calls - when you called, what was wrong, which machine, how long it took to fix. Specify maximum response time to repair machines. Also, no automatic contract renewal clause, dryer duct cleaning should be done periodically by the vendor. Habitat has had several articles in the past regarding laundry rooms. Overall, we've been happy with HiRise and will likely renew the contract.

Thanks for all of the helpful tips. JG, FYI, we have an airtight contract with the terms you noted but this large (awful) laundry company seems intent to break every rule until they are caught. Also, our current manager does not keep up with things as much as s/he should so it is hard to enforce contract terms (though we have reiterated time and time again the importance of enforcement). Thanks again and we will update you once we make a change.

Hi, so you have a few issues here. The first is that since this leak originated from the ice-maker, this would fall to the shareholder above for responsibility, most likely, according to the Proprietary Lease.

The second issue that you potentially have is that there may be a cover-up on the issue or the leak source. What I would recommend that you do is place your position in writing to the Board of Directors and include as much proof as you can, including pictures and your account of the leak. Once the Board receives that they should investigate the issue and report back their findings.

Different buildings have different policies with regards to working in apartments by the building staff. This is not a plumbing job that would normally require a master plumber, so it's very likely that your building will allow it. If they don't allow work in the apartment, this could be an issue with the board and if the superintendent doesn't carry the proper insurance, it's possible that there can be liability issues when there are damages as a result.

These are all tricky topics, but you really need to dial in to the Board and see what their thought process is on the super's work, subsequent damages that you sustained and the lack of transparency on the cause. The last item that you should speak with them about is proof of a proper repair so it doesn't happen again.

They are comfy. The Super kisses up to them. They turn a blind eye. They are quick to call shareholders who speak the truth trouble makers. No matter how clear the writing on the wall is.
The situation is very difficult They have no idea about the many illegal and unsafe "side jobs" that occur.

Check your agreement with Time Warner first. Did you give them an exclusive right to market internet/TV services within your building? If not, you can ADD Verizon Fios rather than replacing Time Warner. We have both in our building. Verizon will take a week or two to prewire the hallways and install connection boxes in the basement and each hallway. They will also install equipment in the basement and run fiber into the building. They will need to run a piece of fiber cable into each subscribers apartment, install a battery backup and a server (ENT unit?). They will usually try to use the existing coax from Time Warner to feed the tv's and internet router, as well as use existing phone wiring to connect phones, if you opt for phone service. If you opt for higher speed internet (100+mbps) you will probably need to have them install network cabling (cat5/5e), if it doesn't already exist.
Both companies have discounts for package deals and a mix of tv channel options and premium (mostly movie or sports) channels. Most discounts are for 1 or 2 years.
I switched to FiOS a few years ago and noticed my internet connections were consistently faster in the evenings while Time Warner's connection regularly had slowed considerably in the evenings and weekends. I don't know if they have improved that recently or not. If you also use Verizon for cell service, they now double your cell phone data at no charge.
FiOS is not available in all areas, they need to run cables in the streets or on poles to the property, and they are still doing that build-out.

We did not ditch one for another, we offered FIOS in addition to TWC in our building. Some residents stayed with TWC while others made the switch. FIOS installed all new cables, and they did that in a very non-invasive way, without significant dirt or noise. The wait time from when the building signed the contract and Verizon actually installed was long, but that could just be that they installed several buildings on the same block at the same time. We always recommend buildings to install additional amenities, including FIOS, as it increases property values.

We have both in my building, some stayed with TWC as I did, some switched. Never had a problem with TWC so I stayed and they have gotten much better.

Is the toilet that leaked an original fixture that was in place at the time the building became a co-op? Or, did a shareholder replace the original toilet with their own at some point?

The toilet is not original to the unit, the fixture was installed during a remodel by the current shareholder.
I will need to check with the super to confirm if the leak was coming from the toilet itself or plumbing attached to it.
thank you everyone for your thoughts

You need to check the proprietary lease. Generally, the unit owner is responsible for the fixtures - toilets, sinks, faucets, radiators and valves, bathtubs. So, the repair/replacement of the toilet and damages below would be on the unit owner, not the corporation.

This might depend on the exact source of the leak. Is it the toilet bend? Then that is entirely coop responsibility and they should plaster and prime the damaged area below.
What else could it be? - an eternal pipe that attaches to the toilet? An external leak would probably have been evident and there may be a component of neglect here. If it is an original building component then, again, it is likely the coops's responsibly to plater and prime below area (not the final coats of paint.)
If the owner of the apt with the leaking toilet neglected to repair or request repair - for an obvious leak , this it would be his/her responsibility to remedy damages (including a finish coat of paint.)
Really this all depends on the exact source of leak and the circumstance. In any case, no need to notify insurance as the costs are low in such repairs. Plastering and painting a smallish area does not cost that much and it is not worth putting in a claim.
It is most likely the coop should be obligate to restore the area as suggested above.

Hello,
We are currently booking a 1 ½ hour, midtown focus group for co-op board members from Queens, paying $200 cash on Thursday 8/4 @ 5:30 pm. Please respond if you qualify and are interested in participating as we have several spots left to fill. Kindly feel free to forward this email to anyone you think may be interested in participating.
Thank you,
Elisa Della Femina
Della Femina, Corbi & Associates
(212) 404-6233
To register for future focus groups go to:
http://www.money4yourthoughts.com/

Is it the buildings toilet or the shareholders toilet and was the leak caused by the toilet or from the buildings plumbing to the unit?

Hi,
We had a situation where a toilet overflowed and damaged the 4th floor through to the basement in 3 apartments (condo units). It cost over $40,000 worth of damage. Our condo insurance paid for all but the deduction (I think it was $5,000) . We were able to get the deduction paid for by the unit owner's insurance whose toilet overflowed. They also were able to repair their unit with their insurance. We had just finished repairing our buildings from Sandy (hurricane) so we were aware of the dangers of mold and insisted on removing wet debris and drying the basement (worst damage) with fans even before the insurance adjuster assessed the damage. We had to engage in quite a bit of "discussion" with the insurer to make sure they covered all these costs as well. Because this all had an essentially happy ending, we now require all unit owners to have condo insurance. We did end up charging the unit owner for a plumber to repair the toilet so this wouldn't happen again (hopefully).
--Janie (Board President)

Hello,
We are currently booking a 1 ½ hour, midtown focus group for co-op board members from Queens paying $200 cash on Thursday 8/4 @ 5;30 pm. Please respond if you qualify and are interested in participating as we have several spots left to fill. Kindly feel free to forward this email to anyone you think may be interested in participating.
Thank you,
Elisa Della Femina
Della Femina, Corbi & Associates
(212) 404-6233
To register for future focus groups go to:
http://www.money4yourthoughts.com/

what is this crap?

There is a roommate law and the primary resident must be in the apartment with the roommate, as for renting a room for money, people do it though it should not be done, but many people claim it's a guest, friend, relative when in reality it's a way for them to make money. It should not be allowed. The roommate law really should be looked into, it is clearly not used correctly. Also, after 30 days the person can claim they live there and it would be difficult to get them out, but most people play with that rule also.

Your posting does not contain correct facts.

Please explain the misinformation? I don't think so.

Of course the roommate law should be allowed. There are very good reasons for it. Please do not respond further . Thank you. You are ill - informed.

DM - Suggest that you re-read the post from Curious. They are saying that the roommate law in context to the subject matter, "Air BNB" should not be allowed and should be modified. Other than disagreeing (and being rude - "it's an idiotic posting") your responses provide no value to any of us readers. Suggest you read the following article on a recent bill that was passed so that YOU are better informed. https://skift.com/2016/07/18/measuring-the-impact-of-new-yorks-new-short-term-rental-law-on-airbnb/

What are the correct facts

Hello,
We are currently booking a 1 ½ hour, midtown focus group for co-op board members from Queens paying $200 cash on Thursday 8/4 @ 5:30 pm. Please respond if you qualify and are interested in participating as we have several spots left to fill. Kindly feel free to forward this email to anyone you think may be interested in participating.
Thank you,
Elisa Della Femina
Della Femina, Corbi & Associates
(212) 404-6233
To register for future focus groups go to:
http://www.money4yourthoughts.com/

This is a good question. Did the coop neglect a repair they are responsible for? It might depend on that.

I don't currently have this problem but I do want to comment on it. According to US Federal Law, although your board is entitled to ask for supporting materials which document the need for an emotional support animal, federal law does not require the tenant to provide proof of training or certification of the animal. A doctor or therapists letter identifying the need is sufficient "supporting materials". Note that the tenant need not disclose the details of the disability, nor provide a detailed medical history. Nor is it appropriate that an ESA dog wear a service vest; if you had an emotional problem would you want to be "branded" as such? I don't think so. The incident that you refer to of the dog being present in the pool area sounds like a "one-off" and should be treated as such reminding the tenant of the rules and regulations for pets on the premise. For the elevator if a person was severely allergic (or afraid) of dogs, why would they even considering entering an elevator with a dog? To alleviate this type of encounter, you could develop a house rule that makes everyone responsible: if an elevator has a person in it, the dog owner must wait for an empty elevator. Conversely, if an elevator has a dog in it and the person entering has a severe allergy, they need to wait for the next available elevator. Dogs barking, incessantly should be treated as a regular "noise nuisance" complaint.