When Renovation Violates a Board's Alteration Agreement
How to deal with a renovation that violates your co-op or condo board's alteration agreement.
Window Maintenance & Replacement: Crucial Building Systems
Windows top the list of most important systems to maintain, but are among the most expensive to replace.
Hiring Building Staff & Professionals: It's About Chemistry
Hiring building staff and professionals often happens through word-of-mouth referrals.
Management Trials & Triumphs: Toughest Job You'll Ever Love
Managers have a sense of self-satisfaction when finishing a job. Mistake? They will hear all about it.
Greener Cleaning: Choosing More Eco-Friendly Products
Green cleaning is better for the environment; healthier for residents, staff, and pets; and often more economical.
Can our co-op ban our super from doing routine jobs?
Whether a super can make a repair depends on your proprietary lease, plus what and where is the repair.
Multifamily Garbage Handling & Disposal: Taking Out the Trash
How we dispose of our trash is a pressing concern in view of climate change and protecting the environment.
Recycle, Reuse, Reduce: How to Help Slow Climate Change
Saving the planet from the effects of climate change is an urgent—and gargantuan—task.
New Board Members: Getting Newcomers Up To Speed
Should there be a formal process? Or should new members first volunteer? Two views.
When Building Repairs Pay Off: Do Multiple Projects at Once
Fixing everything at once may sound expensive, but over time proves the most economical.
Orienting New Owners: Getting Smart in Condo & Co-op Life
Whether from a rental or a single-family home, living in a condo or co-op differs dramatically.
Energy Issues on the Horizon: Local Law 97 Looms
Efforts to reduce energy use in large buildings as per Local Law 97 is a growing burden. Here is an overview.
Co-ops, Condos & Social Media: To Tweet...or Not to Tweet?
Communications to residents runs from traditional paper to digital distribution. Is it time for social media, too?
Communications & Community: Clarity, Transparency & Respect
Open lines of communication between boards, managers, and owners are the nerve system of the community.
Boards, Managers, Landlords: Defining the Difference
Who decides what is the resident's responsibility and what is not? It all depends on whether you own or rent.
Hiring Staff: Finding, Vetting and Retaining Building Employees
For communities like co-ops and condos, hiring and retaining good people is the key to success.
Trends in Multifamily Building Technology: Building Systems Better
Managers of co-ops and condominiums stay up-to-date on advancements in building systems technology, or BMS.
The Bidding Process: Finding the Best People at the Best Price
One truism of home ownership is that there is always something that needs to be fixed or replaced.
Budgeting: Keep it Real to Plan for Future Expenses
To create a working budget, there’s no such thing as too much planning. Reviewing expenditures monthly is standard.
Digital Documents: Balancing Safe Storage with Accessibility
With infinite documents generated by sales, minutes, and more, year after year, how much needs to be kept and for how long?
Bloom Times: The Luxury and Value of Floral Arrangements
“It looks like a photo from a magazine!” is the exclamation many a manager, broker, potential buyer and board president...
Where Does it Go? The Problem of Financial Leakage
Co-ops and condos often find that expenses exceed projections. The question is, are there leaks?
A Day Late, a Dollar Short: The Dangers of Underfunding
In a world where the cost of services and goods are generally rising, even in the absence of any substantive inflation,
Brooklyn Heights Co-op Parks $1 Million on Garage Repairs
Shareholders were not assessed for renovation of the three-level garage in their 32-story co-op.
Things Nobody Tells you About Greenhouses: Costs & Labor
A greenhouse is an expensive perk, and needs approval in New York co-ops and condos.
Multifamily Property Management Takeaways from 2020
During the pandemic, property management changed and continues to evolve.
PPP Loan Application Sparks Confusion
Co-ops are now eligible for loans from the Payroll Protection Program but signing the application has risks, says Dan Wollman, CEO, Gumley Haft.
Management in Crisis: How the Pandemic Changed an Industry
Little could have prepared property managers for Covid19.
What New Board Members Need to Know
How to make sure new board members hit the ground running? Every building has a process.
The Price is...Right? Adjusting for Pandemic's Impact
Even before COVID-19, where real estate values were going was not great.
Can Dog Walkers and Nannies Come into my Co-Op Now?
New York City has begun the slow process of reopening, but reopening does not mean a return to normal.
How to Reopen Building Gyms and Pools?
When it comes to reopening gyms and pools in New York buildings, managers move with extreme caution.
NYC Apartment Renovations in Covid
Anyone in the middle of an apt. renovation in NYC found themselves in a serious jam.
Doormen vs. Security Guards: Who Loves Ya?
When choosing a doorman or a security guard, cost is not the main factor.
The Evolution of Property Management
Property management has changed, but personal contact remains a priority.
Gumley Haft Takes Action for New York Co-ops and Condos
Daniel Wollman, CEO, has solved 1000s of problems for New York residents from uptown to downtown.
Managing Conflict: When Residents Take Sides
Inevitably, conflicts happen between neighbors next door in a co-op or condo.
Co-ops, Condos, & Social Media
Social media is absent from communication in the majority of NY co-ops and condos.
Warranties and Service Agreements
There are no guarantees when it comes to building systems, parts and components.
Minding the Bottom Line: Add Up the Money
Managing the math keeps buildings out of the red. Here, an example.
Carnegie Hill Co-op Powered by Committees
At many NYC co-ops and condos, the board is led by a group of dedicated doers.
Elevators: When It's Time to Consider an Upgrade
Now, boards must consider whether to fully modernize elevators, or just comply.
Hygiene in Shared Amenities
Keeping amenities well maintained retains value and protects those who use them.
Capital Reserve Funds: How Much?
Buildings need adequate capital reserve funds, whether for repairs, replacements or emergencies.
Building Demolition: Minimizing Disruption
When building-a-building happens next door, management gets involved to protect the people, and residence, in their charge.
Coping with Delivery Overload
E-commerce has changed people’s shopping habits, including the way residents receive their deliveries.
A Co-op Forgot to Send the Storage Bill.
If a co-op neglects to send a bill for 8 years, does the shareholder still have to pay?
How to Keep Unwelcome Pigeons at Bay
Tell your superintendent if birds flock at your windows. Removal is not a DIY job.
When a Neighbor is Taking Your Newspaper
Newspaper missing? If a neighbor is swiping it, this could violate house rules.
The Expensive Surprises That Lurk Behind Walls
Leaks caused extensive water damage. How to fix the masonry without removing the windows? Aha!