LL11 + FISP = LOL + OMG!

During a walk-through of the building with a building’s exterior professional engineer, the construction team pointed out that some of the caulking around the windows was failing or about to fail. It was not named in the initial Façade Inspection Safety Program (FISP) report where the building had received a SWARMP, and this was not a safety hazard to anyone outside. READ MORE=>>

Is your building UNSAFE, SWARMP or SAFE

Few people are able to show passion for navigating New York City building compliance. And it’s really no wonder, just saying “FISP” (Facade Inspection Safety Program, formerly Local Law 11) leaves you scratching your head rather than getting excited. But that’s not true for Board President, Diane Drey, who took the time to lead her building’s FISP project and along the way wrote a guide for other Board Members and Property Managers.

We sat down and asked her what inspired this “labor of love”. Read more =>>

What’s the buzz about heat pumps?

You’re on your coop or condo board and you keep hearing about electrifying buildings. What is the buzz about heat pumps and where do you start?

For decades, NYC building owners, property managers and coop and condo boards have been recommended and incentivized to switch from oil to natural gas. The energy efficiency codes are many and have been refined and harshened over the years. READ MORE =>>

Does your building’s board make decisions independently or do you rely on the property manager for decisions, advice, and authority?

Property management is an essential part of most residential buildings.

From day-to-day operations, monthly billing and collections, resident questions, complaints and other administrative tasks, property management is a necessary piece of your functioning puzzle. However, this should not stop a condo or coop board from taking an active, and pro-active, position regarding their building and its operations.

Think of it this way: your coop or condo building is really a business and should be run like a business. You are the part-owner. READ MORE=>>

How to go from wanting to fire the super to making them a hero

So, you want to fire your super, handyman, or doorman? Think again. Coop and condo board members and residents often ask us about their staff. They frequently have a list of opinions ranging from laziness to mistrust, overtime and mismanagement. However, it is not often that they can pinpoint any precise examples. This leads us to ask some follow-up questions, to which most coop and condo owners and boards often do not have an answer.

To turn this around, we put together some ideas that might assist coop and condo boards help the staff, including the super, to run a better building, making them the heroes =>>>

Many of us have been there. Face down after stumbling on an uneven or slippery sidewalk. We are not talking on the way home from a happy hour. We are talking about broad daylight when going to the store or the subway. That begs for the question, who is responsible for the sidewalks? Read HERE=>>

ALL of a coop’s or condo’s policies and procedures should be reviewed every few years. This is to see if they are up to date, or if they have fallen out of compliance either with New York City building regulations or the owner’s wishes and best interests. Here are our tips on what to consider when reviewing or creating a Pet Policy for your building. More=>>>

Local Law 97 Untangled

Have you ever wanted to own and live in a coop or condo building that is green and sustainable? A building that does not have a poor Energy Efficiency Rating, which does not risk being fined as part of NYC’s Local Law 97, also known as the Climate Mobilization Act? More here=>>

Top Tips on Creating a Green Team

Whether you are a Greta Thunberg fan or not, we can all agree that sustainability is a hot topic. Just like politics and religion, some of us prefer that the topic is avoided at the Thanksgiving table. No matter what your opinion is, more and more states are mandating stricter carbon output legislation. This has certainly created an added set of complications for coop and condo boards as well as residents and buyers.

Who decides the staff’s bonuses?

What’s better than the holiday season? It’s the season of joy and the season to give. We all know that the feeling of giving far supersedes the feeling of receiving. It’s an adrenaline rush when we can hand that $100 bill, check, or gift card to someone who did not expect it. Plus, who wants to be a Scrooge? Read our bonus guide here =>>