New York City Council members feeling the heat from thousands of angry co-op and condo owners are urging state pols to OK tax breaks over a new “green” mandate that could cost more than $20,000 per unit. The City Council had actually approved the mandate, the Climate Mobilization Emissions Law, in 2019 requiring residential buildings […]
Condo owners at 443 Greenwich have been suing developer for years (NY)
Bloomberg had the story this week, and I have since traced it through court records: Since 2021, the “board of managers” (is that what folks call a condo board?) of 443 Greenwich, aka the celebrity dorm between Desbrosses and Vestry, has been in court with its sponsor owners and architect over a laundry list of […]
Property owners group sues City of Newburgh (NY)
Hudson Valley Property Owners Association, Inc. Tuesday filed suit in Supreme Court in Orange County against the City of Newburgh and New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal, challenging the legality of Newburgh’s imposition of rent control through the adoption of the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 1974 (ETPA). Read the article…………………………….
Lawsuit Based on Racketeering Act Seeks Ouster of Fifth Avenue Co-op Board (NY)
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act was designed to help prosecutors go after mobsters. Recently it was used to bring charges against former president Donald Trump and his allies for their efforts to reverse the 2020 election results in Georgia. Now it’ss the basis for a lawsuit in a tony co-op on Manhattan’s […]
In New York, the Trump Brand Is Costing Some Condo Owners (NY)
When Donald J. Trump became president, condominiums in buildings emblazoned with his name began selling for less, according to an analysis. In the world of real estate, Donald J. Trump’s name has long been synonymous with luxury. Read the article…………………………….
Brooklyn Condo Owners Face $90,000 HVAC Repair Bill: A Tale of Legal Accountability and Community Livelihoods (NY)
A Brooklyn condo building’s faulty HVAC system leaves owners facing a $90,000 repair bill. Residents question if the building’s sponsor holds responsibility due to potential design flaws or installation errors. Legal experts advise reviewing offering plans and contracts for potential solutions. Read the article…………………………….
Mayor Adams eyes NYC property tax breaks as co-ops, condos face crunch from ‘green’ mandate
Mayor Eric Adams said he’d consider property tax breaks for middle-class co-op and condo owners who have to pay for pricey building upgrades when a new “green” mandate icks in. Hizzoner said he was open to tax abatements as anxious residents brace for the costs of Local Law 97, which covers 800,000 co-op and condo […]
The big bad board: How do we replace our entire condo board? (NY)
Q: I live in a New York City condo building where over 50 percent of the unit owners have met and decided it is necessary to replace the entire board without consideration of their particular running terms. We know there is a process that needs to be followed. How do we go about replacing the […]
Former NYC Condo Empire Executive Arrested for Larceny, Tax Fraud
A former New York executive facing lawsuits over the collapse of real estate empire HFZ Capital Group has been arrested in Miami, charged with grand larceny and tax fraud. Read the article…………………………….
Several Departments Battle Long Island Condo Fire (NY)
A fire broke out at a Long Island condominium complex, leaving residents displaced, authorities said. Officers and firefighters were able to evacuate residents safely, and no injuries were reported. Read the article…………………………….
Condos lose special street claim (NY)
Two condominiums adjacent to Franklin Place, a mid-block alley in lower Manhattan, asked that Franklin Place be designated as a fire apparatus access road in order to prohibit parking next to condominiums. Read the article………………………………….
New Deadline for Parking Structure Inspections (NY)
The roll-out of the city’s garage inspection program has just been accelerated. The city has posted a new deadline that requires all buildings with garages to complete an initial safety inspection of the structure by b. Read the article………………………………..
Queens man charged with hate crime for vandalizing condo building with threats, slurs targeting various groups (NY)
A Queens man was arraigned on Thursday, the charges accusing him of vandalizing the walls of his Sunnyside condo building with a slew of slurs and hateful messages last month, the Queens District Attorney’s Office said. Read the article………………………………
City Releases FInal Rules on How Co-ops and Condos Can Comply With Local Law 97 (NY)
New York City has released its long-awaited final rules on how buildings owners, including co-op and condo boards, can cut their buildings emissions enough to comply with Local Law 97, which goes into effect less than two weeks from today, on Jan. 1, 2024 Read the article………………………………
Staten Island condo feud’s explosive twist — resident accused of threat to blow up building (NY)
A Staten Island penthouse owner who spent six months behind bars for refusing his condo board’s demand to remove an addition from his home is in hot water again — this time for an email threat that he says someone else fabricated to get him in trouble. Read the article……………………………..
4 Firefighters Hospitalized After 4-Alarm Blaze At Condominiums In Westchester (NY)
Afour-alarm blaze at a condominium complex in Westchester resulted in four firefighters and one civilian being sent to a nearby hospital, fire officials said. Read the article…………………………….
2 Firefighters Injured In White Plains Condo Blaze (NY)
Two firefighters were sent to the hospital after battling a three-alarm fire in White Plains Thursday. The blaze at Chateau Condominiums on North Broadway impacted nine apartments, Read the article……………………………
Sunset Park Fire Sale Fails, Leaving Condo Owners and and Tenants Empty-Handed (NY)
A hoped-for auction failed last week for a charred husk of a Brooklyn building, in the latest misfortune for former residents scattered to the winds while still paying mortgages and taxes. Read the article……………………………
Op-ed: The better path to environmental sustainability for co-op, condo owners (NY)
Climate change is real and we must take aggressive proactive steps to address it, but we can’t bankrupt working and middle class co-op and condo homeowners in our efforts to make change. The proposed New York City Local Law 97, with its unforgiving timelines and heavy fines endanger the housing security of working and middle-class […]
My Home Community Is Forcing Inspections. Can They Do That?
A homeowner’s association is a democracy, but living in one involves subjecting yourself to some intrusion. It’s all in the bylaws. Read the article……………………………
Gramercy Park Co-op Board Gives Cold Shoulder to Heating Law (NY)
A co-op in the pricey Gramercy Park neighborhood in Manhattan is very chill — in the wrong way. Shareholders complain that there has been no heat after 10 p.m. this year. That the heat comes on late in the morning. That windows are drafty — but the shareholders voted down building-wide window replacements, and the […]
In some states, it’s ‘nearly impossible’ to buy a home that isn’t part of a homeowners association, expert says
Homeowners associations, also known as HOAs, are self-governing organizations that implement rules for homeowners and renters within common-interest communities. A board of directors, made up of volunteer homeowners in the community, run the HOA. The board may choose to hire a management company, many of which are for-profit, to help run day-to-day operations. Read the […]
Co-op and Condo Monthly Charges Rising at Triple the Inflation Rate (NY)
Monthly charges for residents of New York City co-ops and condos are rising three times as fast as inflation, The Straits Times reports, reigniting fears that the middle class will soon be priced out of this increasingly costly city. Read the article……………………………….
Tenants at Harlem condo find solution to bird collision concerns (NY)
Bright glass buildings in New York City have become death traps for birds that are killed by the impact of flying straight into the windows. As a result, residents at a condo building in Harlem are stepping up to make their building safer for birds. Read the article…………………………….
White Plains condo challenges city OK of DISH antennas (NY)
A White Plains condominium claims that city officials abused their discretion when they approved plans by DISH Wireless to install wireless telecommunication antennas on a rooftop near the condo. Read the article…………………………………
Luxury Condo Feels the Sting of Fannie Mae’s New Guidelines (NY)
When buyers at 75 Wall St., a luxury condo in Manhattan’s Financial District, were denied residential mortgages earlier this year, it became clear the building was a casualty of stricter enforcement of Fannie Mae’s new lending guidelines. Read the article……………………………..
Introducing a new Brick Underground resource for co-op and condo board members (NY)
Brick Underground is kicking off in a new direction today and launching a dedicated section for board members, aimed at helping those looking out for their biggest financial investment to make the most informed decisions. Read the article…………………………..
There’s a Dangerous Dog in My Building. What Can I Do About It?
Laws about dangerous dogs are designed to protect you, but before you involve the authorities, your condo has a duty to protect its unit owners. Read the Q&A……………………………..
WarHorse CEO suing Halfmoon neighbors for $600K (NY)
The CEO of a prominent Saratoga Springs nonprofit for veterans, who has posted signs outside her home threatening to shoot trespassers. is now suing her neighbors for $600,000 over claims of antisemitism. Read the article………………………………
Co-op Board Hit With $3.5 Million Lawsuit Over Brown Water (NY)
Brown water coming out of is a common sight in New York City, especially after a water shutdown. Usually it’s caused by sediment in the ancient lines that bring water down from upstate reservoirs. One solution is to install a water filtration system, which can cost as much as $80,000. Read the article………………………..
Zoning Changes Will Help Co-op and Condo Boards Install Green Retrofits (NY)
Co-op and condo boards struggling to reduce their buildings’ carbon emissions just got some good news. The City Planning Commission (CPC) advanced a sweeping rewrite of New York’s zoning law Monday that would eliminate bureaucratic barriers to climate-friendly building projects. The zoning changes will now be aired at a public hearing, Crain’s reports, then voted […]
Citywide Crackdown on Illegal Short-Term Rentals Begins Today (NY)
In a move loudly applauded by co-op and condo boards, the city today begins its long-awaited crackdown on illegal short-term apartment rentals by such platforms as Airbnb, VRBO and Booking.com, The New York Times reports. Read the article………………………..
One woman dead after fire in Irondequoit (NY)
Several witnesses tell officials that they could see flames shooting out from a nearby window air-conditioning unit and after that, the condo was fully engulfed in flames. Fire crews were able to pull a 59-year-old woman from the condo. She was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital where she died from her injuries. Read the article………………………..
Retailer Sues Condo Board for $10 Million Over Lost Rent (NY)
The landlord of the storefronts at 2373 Broadway, a full-block, mixed-use building whose retail spaces have been dark for years, has sued the cond-op board representing the upstairs residents for $10 million for supposedly killing a pair of retail deals by delaying approval of new ventilation equipment, Crain’s reports. Read the article………………………..
Pre-School Sues Condo Board Over Sidewalk Shed (NY)
There’s no shortage of reasons why New Yorkers loathe the protective sheds that cover 400 miles of city sidewalks. They’re ugly. They’re dirty. They’re magnets for sketchy characters. They stay in place way too long. Now here’s a new one to add to the list: they’re also bad for school enrollment. Read the article………………………..
DOB Goes to Court Over Dilapidated, Decade-Old SIdewalk Shed (NY)
A lawsuit in Brooklyn might be the long-awaited signal that the city is finally getting tough about removing ancient sidewalk sheds. Read the article………………………..
Co-op and Condo Residents Join Protests Over Migrant Shelters (NY)
More than 200 angry New Yorkers, many of them residents of co-op and condos, rallied outside a shuttered Staten Island nursing home on Sunday to protest its proposed conversion to a migrant shelter, The New York Post reports. Read the article………………………..
Trump Org’s sweet deal in Turtle Bay approved by judge (NY)
Apartment owners at Trump World Tower who opposed leasing the Trump Organization’s commercial unit there suffered a loss in court Friday. A Manhattan judge ruled that the sponsor of the Turtle Bay building, a company affiliated with the Trump Organization, can renovate the 2,500-square-foot space it owns and bill the $1.75 million construction cost to […]
Riverhead appeals court ruling that Oak Hills roads were made ‘public highways’ by 2015 Town Board resolutions (NY)
Riverhead’s fight with a Baiting Hollow community over road maintenance and repairs continues. The Town Board last month authorized outside counsel to appeal a trial court judgment in favor of the Oak Hills Association earlier this year in costly litigation dating back to 2016. Read the article………………………..
City Seeks to Tighten Garage Inspections After Deadly Collapse
One good turn deserves another. As the first round of the city’s new six-year cycle of mandatory garage inspections draws to a close, the city council is considering even tighter rules — in response to the parking garage collapse in April in Lower Manhattan that killed one and injured five. Read the article………………………..
Roofing Contractor in $3.7M Stalemate with Suburban NYC Condo Complex
A 157-unit condominium complex in Westchester County, NY, is fighting with the roofing contractor firm hired for a reroof of its 15 buildings in the hamlet of Hartsdale, located in Greenburgh, a commuter suburb of New York City, at a cost of $3.7 million. Read the article………………………..
Western Queens co-op/condo owners learn about costs of new climate law at town hall event (NY)
More than 150 concerned western Queens residents attended a town hall event in Sunnyside on Wednesday, July 26, to learn about a new climate law that is likely to impose hefty costs on the owners of older co-op and condo buildings — and how to rally against its implementation. Read the article………………………..
Some relief available for NYC co-ops and condos as they approach year-end deadline for climate law upgrades (NY)
Time is running out for New York City co-op and condo owners to upgrade inefficient, fossil fuel-burning heating and cooling systems as mandated under city Local Law 97 — or face stiff penalties. Read the article………………………..
My 55+ Community Is Discriminating Against Me. What Power Do I Have? (NY)
Q: My husband and I own a condo in a 55-plus community on Long Island. He likes to golf, while I like to use the complex’s outdoor pool. Our homeowners association just made a rule that single owners can bring a guest to the pool, but married couples have to bring their spouse, or no […]
NYC co-op and condo owners face expensive dilemma in upgrading buildings to meet new climate law
New York City condo owners and co-op managers may soon learn that there are other major costs to climate change beyond hotter summers, stronger storms, flash floods and apocalyptic smoke. Read the article………………………..
Co-op and Condo Boards Are Getting the Jump on Garage Inspections (NY)
When a poorly maintained, century-old parking garage collapsed in Lower Manhattan on April 18, killing one person and injuring five others, alarms sounded in co-op and condo board rooms across the city. “That was definitely a wake-up call,” says Eric Cowley, principal at Cowley Engineering and one of 52 city-approved inspectors of parking structures. “We […]
Looming Climate Law Has Co-op and Condo Owners Fretting About Funds to Retrofit Buildings (NY)
Property owners with lower or fixed incomes are scrambling to fund renovations to comply with a city climate law that requires buildings to reduce their carbon emissions. They say the city has not provided viable financing options, or explained what mitigating factors could ease potential noncompliance penalties for the law that’s set to take effect […]
Queens lawmaker’s bills aimed at preserving affordability for NYC co-op, condo homeowners passes state legislature (NY)
Two bills sponsored by Assemblyman Edward Braunstein to provide tax relief to middle-class New York City cooperative and condominium owners have been passed in the Assembly and Senate. Read the article………………………..
State Funds to Help Disadvantaged Co-ops Cut Their Carbon Emissions (NY)
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is making $10 million available to advance carbon-neutral building projects and economic development in disadvantaged communities throughout the state, Crain’s reports. Read the article………………………..
Airbnb Files Suit Over Law Curbing Short-Term Rentals (NY)
Co-op and condo boards applauded earlier this year when the city enacted Local Law 18, which was designed to cut down on the scourge of illegal short-term apartment rentals in their buildings. Read the article………………………..