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Budget - marym Nov 17, 2023

In preparing our draft 2024 budget, the Treasurer has listed the co-op tax abatement as an expense but not as income. How do other co-ops handle this?

Thank you.

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1) Calculate the *total* dollar amount of the full abatement. Include all abatement components such as R/E tax, STAR credit, and Veterans Credit into this single dollar amount.

2) Divide the total abatement dollar amount by the total number of co-op shares.

3) Board approves a one-time shareholder assessment in the amount of the value calculated in step #2, per share.

No shareholder will receive the exact amount from the abatement that they are being assessed per share. Some will have a net gain and others a net loss.

This is due to the incomparable way the abatements and assessments are calculated. DOF abatements use alchemy and voodoo chants to decide how much each unit (apartment) will receive as an abatement.

On the other hand, the assessment the board authorizes is on a strictly per-share basis. By corporate law, every share in a co-op must be treated equally. Thus each share owned by all the units must be assessed the same amount, to the penny.

For example, lets take Unit 7D which owns 100 shares. The DOF, without any further explanation, sends the managing agent a spreadsheet showing Unit 7D is to receive an abatement total of $900.

After doing the Total-Abatement/Total-Share calculation, the managing agent reports to the board that to break even, an assessment of $10 per share. Doing the calculation:

$10.00 per-share * 100 shares = $1,000 total assessment

we find that Unit 7D will have a net loss of $100 ($1,000 - $900). The owner of Unit 7D's shares will be hopping mad, but there is nothing the board can do. The differential is due to the ways the abatement and the assessment are required to be calculated.

Good luck!

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> Join the conversation Comments (1)

Thank you Steven for this detailed answer. Having served on many BODs over the years, I’m very aware of how the co-op tax assessment can be treated. Some years it was all returned; others we had a special assessment per share. The current BOD is preparing next year’s budget and obviously can’t decide now what to do with the abatement next year. The new Board will decide that.

My question is if the abatement is shown as an expense on an upcoming budget, should it also not be shown as income, balancing each other out.
Thank you.

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> Join the conversation Comments (1)

Hi marym - Thanks for letting me know about your board experience. I tend to assume most members have little board experience.

I checked our most recent audited financials for the answer to your question. Our accountant classifies the abatement as a refund of Real Estate taxes. It is definitely *not* income, which could have tax consequences.

The corresponding shareholder assessment is listed as being used to fund operations.

All of this is handled by our CPA. You might want to check with your co-op attorney to find out how they deal with abatement and assessment

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Engineer & Construction companies working on a project - Pooh Nov 05, 2023

Hello

What do you think of a Board hiring a construction company to work on a project but then they hired a subcontractor? the contractor is overseeing the subcontractor. Why??? To me that doesn’t make sense. Shouldn’t the engineer company oversee the construction company? Why do we need two construction companies unless someone isn’t insured properly. They didn’t hire a huge engineer company so that could be the case. They assessed the damage etc but that’s it. I’m also assuming its also cheaper. The two Construction companies working together are going to agree with anything that’s done but if the engineer company oversees it then it’s fair and a neutral.

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resale policy - EW Nov 03, 2023

The board of directors has changed the resale policy without consulting with the rest of the shareholders and didn't even notify them after changing it. It is now much harder to sell/buy an apartment, because our coop is already an HDFC building, but the board decided to put even more restrictions (for example, the buyer cannot buy the apartment for cash and cannot have more than a certain amount of assets). Is it within the board authority to change the resale policy without the approval of the majority of the shareholders?

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The Board has the legal authority to change the resale policy whenever they feel it's necessary for the good of the co-op. That's within their rights as a Board. Remember that the Board was elected to represent the interests of the shareholders and to make decisions on behalf of the shareholders.

If you are not happy with the Board's decisions and policies, you have every right to ask the Board about them. If you feel that you can do a better job than the current Board as far as making decisions that affect the co-op, then run for the Board and work to help the Board make better decisions.

Having said that, the Board should have notified all shareholders about the change in Resale Policy since it can affect every shareholder. That's a potential issue that you can run on - "I will do a better job than the current Board in communicating with shareholders about important matters like this."

Good luck and keep us posted.

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> Join the conversation Comments (1)

This is an HDFC and the resale provisions should be in the By-Laws. If so, it would take a vote of the shareholders to change the resale policy. Read the By-Laws carefully and see what they say on this subject.

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> Join the conversation Comments (1)

I actually need to change my comment above. What the Board has done is not change the resale policy but probably added provisions to the application process. Therefore, it would have the authority to do this without shareholder approval.

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Thanks all for the feedback. I reread the documents, including the By-laws, which clearly states that "The Corporation have entered into or shall enter into a Regulatory Agreement with the City of New York, acting by and through its Department of Housing Preservation and Development ("Regulatory Agreement"). The Regulatory Agreement contains restrictions and requirements concerning, among other things, renting and subletting, right of certain tenants, restrictions on shares of individual units, increases of maintenance charges, assessments, transfer fees, primary residency, management training for directors, and reserve funds. The Regulatory Agreement has been or will be recorded against the building and the Corporation, which will be subject to all the terms and conditions obtained therein."
To me, it sounds like each shareholders should have been given a copy of the Regulatory Agreement (for the record, we were not), since the RA is referenced in the By-laws. And maybe I'm taking it too far in my interpretation, but since we have to abide by that agreement, only the City of New York could change that agreement (including the resale policy). As mentioned the current resale policy was never shared with the shareholders (the board admitted to it when asked during a recent meeting of the shareholders and they didn't want to discuss it, because they claimed that it wasn't the right time, since most shareholders didn't even have a copy of it). And yet, at least one apartment is currently on the market with this new resale policy handed out to perspective buyers.

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Income Cap - Prospective HDFC purchaser Sep 22, 2023

Hi all,

I have found myself in a peculiar situation, and I have no idea where to turn to in order to get some sound advice. I'm hoping you can help!

I recently had an offer accepted on an HDFC co-op. Initially, when I first reached out to the agent listing the property, I was told I made above the income cap so I would not qualify. Later, he got back to me and told me that the income cap had been raised, and I now qualified. This is all in writing.

Fast forward to now and I have already completed a home survey, and my lawyer has gotten me to the point where I am just about to sign the sales contract. Unfortunately, he received communication from the sellers lawyer that neither the seller, the lawyer, the co-op board, or the co-op board president had been told that the income cap had been "raised". The seller's lawyer has said said that if I try to proceed, it will mean that I am negotiating in bad faith. The agent that I have been dealing with has said multiple times that it is fine, and that he has received explicit permission from the board president to allow me to proceed with the purchase. He has suggested that the problem is with the coop board not being able to put anything in writing, and that the sellers lawyer is just being overly cautious. It's all very strange I know, but why would the agent take me so far down this path if he hadn't cleared everything with the co-op board already?

My question is: can an income cap be raised for a purchaser who earns more than what is stated in the co-op policy, or is this figure written in stone.

Thank you.

> Join the conversation Comments (1)

What does your attorney have to say about all of this? Why aren't they handling all the communications and negotiations between you and the seller, the seller's lawyer, the co-op board, and the board's president? S/he has a legal obligation to navigate you through these kinds of last-minute cockups. For the most part, the rest of us are armchair lawyers and the advice we provide is worth what you pay for it.

Good luck!

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Need an up to date article explaining the fiduciary responsibilities of Condo Board members - Elisa Sep 16, 2023

Hello, I'm concerned that my fellow board members do not have a clear understanding of what their responsibilities are as fiduciaries for the condo association. Could someone please provide me with an up-to-date article on the fiduciary responsibilities of board members? These are not explained in our condo by-laws, but as I understand it New York State/ City regulations stipulate that elected Condo and Co-op board members act as fiduciaries for the Condo/ Co-op association. A definition of "fiduciary responsibility" as part of the article would be helpful. (In doing a search I did find a couple of articles, but they were from about 10 years back. I think my colleagues need to see an up-to-date article) Thanks.

> Join the conversation Comments (1)

You're actually using one of the best resources for information about co-op and condo board members - Habitat Magazine. Check the archives for phrases like "co-op board member fiduciary responsibility". I believe they have more current articles than 10 years old.

If this doesn't work contact the Council of New York Coops and Condos (CNYC) at https://www.cnyc.com/. Check through their archives. If you're not already a member, become one.

Narrow your Google search to "NYC coop board member fiduciary responsibility". When I tried it, it returned 425k articles one-year-old or less.

"Fiduciary Responsibility" is a broad category with different meanings in different situations. The fiduciary responsibilities of a co-op board member are much different than an estate executor or of a financial advisor or the trustee of a trust.

I hope someone on here has an article or link that is on point to what you are looking for. If not, you will be exposed to more information than you thought possible but will be eternally grateful you found out about when dealing with your fellow board members. :-)

Good luck!
--- Steve

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> Join the conversation Comments (2)

Here’s a few articles which nicely explain fiduciary responsibility. From 2022: https://www.joindaisy.com/blog/whats-the-fiduciary-responsibility-of-board-members

From 2021: https://www.armstrongteasdale.com/thought-leadership/overview-of-fiduciary-obligations-of-board-members/

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Thank you sooo very much for the information! I was thinking of this, and did not know where to start. But I should have known better! HABITAT HAS EVERYTHING TO KNOW/SUGGEST, OR DIRECT COOP, CONDO BOARDS! THANKS AGAIN HELPED ME ALOT.

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Proper procedures for annual meeting - Elisa Sep 13, 2023

I was elected to my Condo's board, and I'd like to follow proper procedures. A volunteer took notes at the meeting (I was elected at the end of the meeting), and his notes are much too detailed. I served on a board several years back; and recall that notes are not supposed to be extremely detailed. Also, when are the notes supposed to be okayed, and by whom? Any other tips on minutes --for annual meetings, as well as for Board meetings--and for record-keeping, in general? Thanks.

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Making changes to By-Laws in Offering Plan - Elisa Sep 09, 2023

Our condo's original offering plan (written decades ago), including by-laws, specified a certain number of board officers which was an even number. In practice, however, over the last several years, there have only been a small, odd number of board members who have been elected and served. A long-term owner told me that someone, several years back, decided to merge 2 of the roles mentioned in the by-laws into one--but that change is not reflected in any addendum or revision to the offering plan. My question: Wouldn't we formally need to change the by-laws in order for this practice to be kosher? I do know we'd have to pay attorney fees, but wouldn't this fairly slight change be less expensive than others? Thanks for any intel.

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I lived in a co-op , not a condo. Any desired change to the existing by laws required that an amendment to the by laws be put to a vote of the shareholders, and it needed approval by 2/3 of the shareholders in order to pass.

You'd need to check your by laws to see the procedures and percentages required to amend the by laws. I'm sure that these procedures will probably be stated quite clearly in your by laws.

In our co-op, if that didn't happen, then the original by laws remained the law of the co-op.

If your condo was our co-op, then that merging of the 2 roles without a by law amendment would be illegal and invalid. So you definitely need to contact an attorney to find a course of action.

Trust me, if any of the people who illegally changed the by laws are still on the board, they will scream bloody murder at your proposed actions. But, stick to your guns. They will scream because they KNOW that they violated the by laws - and any challenge by you and/or other condo owners will be upheld in court.

Good luck and keep us posted.

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Legal? - Datrik Wass Sep 06, 2023

This is the scenario:
7 Board members total.
4 Board members vote to direct general Coop funds to an elective project that directly and only benefits those 4 board members.
Motion Passes since the vote is 4 yes, 3 no.

Legal?

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I feel the best course of action is for you and all other questioning shareholders to engage your own attorney. You've provided very little information about this scenario (which is understandable). Only a trained attorney can evaluate the facts and offer an opinion regarding the board's fiduciary responsibilities vs. the business judgment rule.

Good Luck.

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How break a tie in Condo board elections? - Elisa Aug 27, 2023

I'm on the board of a small condo, which has an even number of units. Unlike co-ops, our votes are not "weighted' by the number of shares for each apartment since, obviously, condo apartments do not have assigned shares. If just two candidates are running for a board seat, it's possible that there will be a tie (assuming that each unit only has one vote, regardless of the number of residents in the unit). In the event of a tie, how can this be resolved? PS, the original board documents are of no help since they are very poorly written.

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Why don’t you ask your condo attorney? I’m sure they have seen this before and could help and give a fair solution.

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> Join the conversation Comments (1)

While condos do not have shares as in a co-op, there is the % of common elements assigned to each condo. Generally, the vote should be tally by using that aspect, which in essence is like the shares in a co-op. A review of the bylaws should review how the voting should be handled. There should be a rare occurrence of an exact match or tie.

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Maintenance payment options? - Pooh Aug 22, 2023

Does anyone have any thoughts regarding shareholders paying their maintenance?

The best option? Convenient and/or cost?

Portal? Manual check sent out or shareholders filling out a form that a co-op will then deduct the funds from your bank?

If we use a portal is that part of the management company fee or a separate cost?

Portal is the most convenient and up to date while still letting the shareholders have control.
The downside of that would be some seniors maybe not comfortable with that process.

Thank you and would appreciate feedback.

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Set up your account with your bank and they will send payment directly to the Management company, NO FEES. I would send a paper check but at times it went until the last day before they cashed it. This is quick, easy and takes the worry out of paying your maintenance

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Setting up auto-pay with your bank so a check is sent automatically is a very good solution... most of the time.

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[Take II]

Setting up auto-pay with your bank so a check is sent automatically is a very good solution... most of the time.

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[Take III - Discovered the boards don't like emoticons :-( ]

Setting up auto-pay with your bank so a check is sent automatically is a very good solution... most of the time. ;-)

Sometimes the actual amount of the monthly maintenance is different than the regularly scheduled amount. This occurs when there is a one-time assessment or in the month the DoF real estate abatement/assessment takes place. Some MA's have a very hard time dealing with unexpected over or underpayments.

A way around this is if your bank has a means via their portal by which you can change the auto-pay amount for a single month. This is the best of both worlds. Or you can simply have your MA set up an ACH connection to your bank and then pull the exact amount each month. I've used this method for years without any problems.

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