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Welcome to Board Talk, the area of Habitatmag.com where co-op.condo board directors can chat about topics that they face, and have to make choices about. We welcome intelligent and informed discussion to our forum. If you are going to criticize an individual or firm, we ask that you take responsibility for doing so by signing your name and board or company position. Anonymous criticisms are not useful, and are subject to deletion.

Self Management — potp, Fri Jul 3 12:32pm
Our coop has decided not to renew our Management Contract. The majority would like to self manage but I'm not confident that everyone on the board would be that committed, I suggested hiring a property manager and p/t bookkeeper. Are any of you self managing? Have any of you cut out the managing company and just hired ... more
pay for management — Anonymous, Fri Jul 3 11:57am
Can anyone please tell me what the average pay would be for a management company that managers about 80 4 family buildings? Also how much does a maintenance man get? I am new to the board and would like to know what a average pay scale would be. Thanks love this magazine.
Sponsor — Billy Joe, Thu Jul 2 2:54pm
How Long those a sponsor has to liqidate his share in a co-op. Plus sponsor has a mortage on the poroverty he states that his retirement money.
Any experiences with First Rate Exterminators? — Jack in Brooklyn, Thu Jul 2 11:37am
We have a reported infestation of bed bugs in one of our apts and are looking into one of the exterminators that use freezing to get rid of them and First Rate had decent prices and uses both Steam, on furniture and mattresses and Cryonite on TVs and computers and will do an inspection with a dog
Homeowners Insurance — jbm, Mon Jun 29 11:38am
Any suggestions on minimum amounts of damage/liability coverage we should require sharehoders to have in a NYC co-op building
Co-op listed in Will — jbm, Mon Jun 29 11:33am
Does anyone know the proper way to list/leave shares in the co-op to heirs in a will or to the estate?
Non-Compliance with House Rules — JBM, Mon Jun 29 11:29am
Does anyone have a house rule that spells out the procedures to follow to address non-compliance with other house rules to include fines?
Playground noise, harassment — Kate, Wed Jun 24 9:15pm
behind my building is another building's playground. the children there are unsupervised and because of that they are loud, use profane language, at times threaten each other (once one had a crowbar threatening another child). They have thrown toys, garbage and such onto our property (we have a garden in the back)... more
Sample of Web Sites — Cynosure, Wed Jun 24 11:49am
Can you please share your wonderful COOP/CONDO website for sample use only for viewing. I thank you for your attention.
Project costs - need advice — BP, Wed Jun 24 8:06am
We have major projects ahead and our board thinks that, due to the economic downturn, we can get "great prices" now on projects like new elevators, lobby reno or roof replacement because consultants/vendors need the work and will probably lower their costs significantly to get more contracts. Have any of you found... more
Ridding of the UNION — Vertiginous, Wed Jun 24 7:03am
This is a small CO OP with 2 union staff Super and parttime doorman (4hrs) Mon-Fri. The cost of living rising so much the CO OP cannot afford "The UNION" Does anybody have advise on how to go about ridding the building of the UNION the monetary cost etc.. I know we will be seeking the advise of a Lawyer but I want to... more
Investment Policy — Alex S., Tue Jun 23 9:35am
Does your board have an investment policy / guideline for your reserve fund? If so, what is a sample of such a policy / guideline?
Selling Units While Board Litigation — gluegirl, Sun Jun 21 12:32pm
Our board has litigation going on with a shareholder that could go on for years, we're told. Some shareholders have asked me about whether they can sell their units while this is going on--the Corp has accrued massive legal fees due to this awful situation and if we lose, there will be large assessments levied on... more
UNSOL D SHARES — ET, Sun Jun 21 9:56am
iN OUR BUILDING THE SPONSOR DEFAULTED THE UNSOLD SHARES WERE AUCTIONED. NOW THERE IS AN INVESTOR WHO CLAIMS HE IS HOLDER OF UNSOLD SHARES WE DO NOT KNOW WHO HE IS,HE ONLY IDENTIFIES HIMSEL AS INITIAL LETTERS. CAN HE SELL WITHOUT THE NEW BOARD KNOW WHO HE IS .ARE WE ALLOW TO ASK FOR DOCUMENTS SHOWING HIS STATUS AND... more
Co-op reverse mortgages — Richard Russell, Sat Jun 20 9:11pm
who does co-op reverse mortgages --under 417K and what is the dollar limit on these loans !! Richard Russell
Backyard Storage — Anonymous, Thu Jun 18 12:06pm
We have a large backyard paved with concrete. Are there any city regulations which would prevent us from installing one or two large sheds for shareholder storage? How about 20 smaller rubbermaid type personal storage units?
CELL PHONE TOWER INFO — AB, Thu Jun 18 11:52am
I am currently on the board of directors in a COOP in Brooklyn. If any one has information on companies that help with Cell Phone Towers and WIFI please post it. I have already contacted US Cellular and 3G solutions. I know this is great way to raise money for a CO-OP. thanks
Super & Porter gets OT pay working at 40hrs — POTP, Wed Jun 17 11:12pm
My Bronx 45-unit building recently went coop. We have 1 super and 1 porter. We just received the payroll report from our managing company, and notice the following pattern: Each week an employee call out sick. If the Super or Porter calls out sick or leave early due to sickness, the one that is still working, is paid... more
Pigeons — CDT, Tue Jun 16 6:57pm
Despite copious amounts of Bird-B-Gone anti-pigeon spikes on our windowsills, we're still getting complaints from shareholders about pigeon droppings. How have other buildings dealt with this problem? Is there some person or some company you would recommend as a consultant? We're interested in talking with a... more
Pay Real Estate Tax Early? — Steve, Tue Jun 16 3:10pm
OK – I have a question for the forum; From our annual Real Estate Tax notice (BBL 2171,012 Manhattan), it looks like we can save $2,596.16 on our property taxes if we pay in full on 7/1/2009 (or 1.5% of our Annual Property Tax of $173,078). This looks like a great opportunity for us as we can only purchase CD's at... more