The pandemic's impact on co-op and condo governance continues in 2025, with some properties still feeling the fallout from missed annual meetings in 2020 and 2021. In this conversation Cosmin Ardeljan, senior VP at All Area Realty Services, shares how some of his clients are now meeting the challenges of these missed annual meetings, including one Upper East Side co-op that faced potential legal action from shareholders demanding their voting rights. Habitat's Emily Myers conducts the interview.
Board directors will learn:
• How to handle missed annual meetings, including legal considerations and the importance of consulting counsel before skipping any required meetings
• Strategies for implementing staggered board terms after disrupted election cycles, including how to fairly assign term lengths based on vote counts
• The risks of not following bylaws, particularly regarding board validity and potential shareholder challenges
• Best practices for hybrid meetings as the new normal, including various ways to accommodate remote shareholders
• The importance of proper documentation and legal guidance when deviating from standard procedures during extraordinary circumstances