reviewing sales applications, what does one include as debt (list the items) and does one include household expenses in either the debt portion or as a part of the debt to income calculation?
Our coop is across the street from a park. There are rats in the park especially around plants/flowers and trash bins. They cross the street and rip into garbage we put out the night before Sanit Dept collection. They also go near our service alley. We have an alley door with a metal sweep so they can't get in but residents see them by our property.
We called the Dept of Parks but they haven't done anything about the rats. Our super wants to put rat poison around our trees and bushes but we're afraid a passer-by's dog may eat it or someone's child might touch the soil then put his hands in his mouth.
We put our garbage bags for pickup in trash bins at the curb. They were stolen (twice).
I thought of large, low, curbside boxes for our garbage bags - like the sheds that people in 1-family homes use to store tools, hoses or gardening supplies in the backyard.
Anyone know of bldgs that use anything like this or have any other ideas? Thanks.
late fee is maximum legal rate which is 1.33% per month and yet our coop charges 5% - what to do ?
I am on the board of a 102 unit brooklyn coop. The board is currently seeking bids for renovations for the walls/ceilings, and floors of the lobby and hallways. Any one know if a good company or companies that can do agood job? we are willing to have separate contractors do each peice separately or at once. please share
thanks
Hello,
There are some people in the building talking about being unhappy with our current Management Company. It seems that when they were chosen by the BOD, the new company disclosed to the BOD that they had "a relationship" with our building's sponsor. Apparently they had to do this due to conflict of interest or some fuzzy reason I'm not sure about. I know the name of the sponsor, and his LLC company under which he owns about 9 apartments, and obviously I know who our management company is, how can I find out what that relationship is, and why it's a concern? Can anyone offer ideas? A couple of us seem to think something fishy (long story) is going on since they came on board, but as I don't serve on the current BOD I can't say for sure. Thoughts?
Anyone else getting offers from Clearview for placement of antennas on the roof?
Just wondered what terms they offered and what they look like
I live in a Westchester co-op (White Plains) and had a pipe in the bathroom wall of the unit above me leak. It flooded me for 2 months straight before the water stopped flowing. A year later my bathroom is still not fixed. A property manager change happened mid way, but now the new property manager and BOD have 7 quotes, the last 2 coming from unlicensed guys the new property manager sent in for quotes.
My question is, in order to take down an entire ceiling in my bathroom, and part of a wall where 80 year old pipes and orig. electric is located (Light, medicine cabinet/vanity all were ruined by 9 weeks of flowing water)...does the contractor performing the work need to be licensed? I'm hearing that because they are hired by the Management Company, that the answer is "no". True? The Wesatchester Dept of Consumer Affairs said I should "check the language of the Priopriatary lease"...I asked our building's attorney but he did not direclty answer the question. Rather he said that if anything goes wrong, the building is responsible.
I'd like someone who is a professional, that is, shows up on time, finishes when he says he will, (It's my only bathroom) won't make a huge mess, etc to do the job, but I get it- I don'at have a say in who does the work and I have to live with that. If I'm not happy with the job, I have no recorse as a consumer because the guy is not licensed. (I doubt he's even a legal resident, to be honest, but I really want my bathroom fixed!)
About 2 months ago I offered to "settle" with them on the lowest quote and then go get my own licensed guy in and pay the difference, under the property manager's supervision, but the BOD refused. So at what point, after a whole year of being yanked around..is this all considered unreasonable? I would love to sue- just for the cost of the lowest quote to get this over with. I don't think anyone should be put through this. They have a fiduciary duty to make me whole.
The last communication from the property manager asked me to ask home depot when the vanity, etc. "might go on sale". For real!
I also learned that 10 other apt.s have been fixed before me- including at least one member of the BOD's apt. Also, I now think this is personal and that they are dragging this out on purpose- they are now lying by saying that I've cancelled appointments for quotes. (Untrue....I have no trouble saying I cancelled something if I did).
Am I weird to not be so happy about a stranger being in my apt. who I have no idea who he is, if he's reputable, etc.? Apparently he did do decent work in the other units, that is what I'm hearing. I'm not worried about the quality of his work...I'm sure it will be fine and sure hope it will work out.
I think I made the BOD & property manager mad by asking to see a copy of his insurance before he starts the job. I don't want to be unreasonable but I just don't believe anything the property manager tells me since he's lied to me, (in writing which is really pretty not bright) twice. I have no say regarding who will do the work, I get that. As long as this is finally fixed, I'm not going to stop anyone from fixing it, licensed or not, axe murder, thief, what have you.. I just wonder....am I being taken for a ride? Guidance is appreciated.
I'm wondering if anyone has heard of provisions in a Proprietary Lease, by-laws etc. that state that a Board of Director must resign if he/she puts his unit on the market?
I'm thinking this might exist, or it's possible to have an amendment/new by law legally written, and probably worth it for us.
We've seen several instances in our co-op history where someone is elected to the BOD and then uses their position to push their agenda- which often involves something that will help them sell their unit- both inside and outside their apt. (ie, painting common areas when other priorities exist or even "fixing" something walls inside their unit before re-pointing, which is the cause of damage, is finished..etc).
It seems to me that having a person on the BOD who also approve the buyer of their unit, would be a conflict of interest.
Bottom line, I think that someone serving on the BOD when their apt. is for sale could be bad news.
Thoughts anyone?
a Shareholder is passing subleasing as roommates and we cant prove shareholder is not residing in apartment
Hi,
My Co-op currently receive draft cash basis financial statements usually on the 2nd or 3rd business day after the end of a month in pdf file format in our emails. While we appreciate this, I am always looking for improvements. Additionally, in the monthly Treasurer packs, we usually receive the bank reconciliation with a one month lag.
Does anyone receive bank reconciliations without the lag? How about accrual basis monthly financial statements?
Thanks!
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Standard debt consists of:
#1 housing expenses
#2 recurring debt
#1 includes mortgage payment, LOC payment, mortgage or hazard insurance, property taxes (if paid separately) and coop, condo or homeowner monthly fees (maintenance charges, running assessments).
#2 includes student loans, car loans, child support, alimony, credit card payments and any other running obligations that won't be paid off in a relatively short period of time (typically 6 to 12 months).
Also, boards sometimes forget to consider if a buyer's income can meet the other expenses we all have: phones, cable TV, utilities, Internet, commuting to work, laundry/dry cleaning, food, OOP medical/dental, even beauty salon/barber, gifts, leisure (dining out, movies), vacations, pet costs (food, medical), clothing. Also consider if the buyer has furniture, etc. that he's bringing from his current home or if he has to buy them (if he comes from his parents' home, a college dorm or was a roommate with someone who had an apt and owned all the furniture).
You can't pinpoint all the expenses someone has, but things add up. Ever take $100 out of an ATM, then wonder three days later why you only have $18 left? Time flies, and so does money!
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