NEW YORK CITY

Few things signal the holidays so much as Christmas carols and other songs of the season. As Christmas Eve falls upon us and we prepare to spend time at home and hearth with friends, family and maybe a wee dram of eggnog with a little something in it to ward off the chill, let us gather 'round with our fellows and sing these new carols made just for co-op and condo board members and homeowners. So go deck the halls ... just make sure you've gotten the renovation committee's OK first!

A New York State law that went into effect Dec. 3, requiring all residential leases to contain a notice about the building's sprinkler system, appears to mandate that even co-op proprietary leases must be amended to reflect the language change. The new law also impacts leases offered by condominium homeowners renting their apartments as well as subleases offered by rental tenants and by co-op shareholders.

Even though leaks can be pervasive and costly, savvy condo and co-op boards can get something for nothing. "It's a no-brainer," says Steve Greenbaum, director of property management for Mark Greenberg Real Estate. When MGRE managed Clinton Hill, a 1,200-unit, 12-building complex in Brooklyn, the co-op conducted a water survey. (Clinton Hill is currently managed by AKAM Associates.)

Greenbaum is talking about a long-running but not heavily promoted program simply called the Residential Water Survey. Sponsored by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), it began in 1991 when the state was looking for ways to conserve water and now exists as one of the best (if not the best) un-promoted programs that can save your property money.

The New Year is about new beginnings and making way for all the wonderful presents you got over the holiday. With the New Year, however, come new rules. So before you clean house and finally chuck away that huge dinosaur of a television set that hasn't worked for six months or that fax that's been collecting dust for five years, check out the new recycling rules for 2015.

Co-op and condo boards will have to break the news to all building residents. As of January 2015, it will be considered illegal to throw away the following items in the trash: televisions, monitors, computers, laptops, small servers, printers, scanners, fax machines, mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, MP3 players, VCRs/DVRs/DVD players, cable or satellite boxes, mice, keyboards, and video game consoles.

Here are some recycling options to share with building residents to ensure everyone is in compliance with the law.

A READER ASKS: My fellow board members and I are pretty sure the boiler isn't broken. In fact, we replaced it a few years ago. However, a handful of residents have complained that their apartments aren't getting warm enough. To be honest, I feel like my own apartment is too cold, especially given the fuel that's being consumed. It can't possibly be time to replace the boiler again, can it? We are having someone come look at it again, but do we need to brace for a massive expense again? 

Caroline Bragdon knows a thing or two about rats, as well she should. She's director of neighborhood interventions at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's office of pest control services. Bragdon runs the "Rat Academy," as it's often called. People call to set up a session, and a specially trained outreach staff member is sent to do a walk-through of the area. The program, which began in 2009, also offers informal seminars, as well as intensive three-day programs — the latter of which are geared more toward professional pest-control companies. 

When developers Peebles Corporation and El Ad Group bought the historic 14-story building at 346 Broadway from the city in May, many were afraid that time was running out for the 116-year-old landmarked clock that sits atop it. Early last week, reported DNAinfo.com, the Landmark Preservation Commission gave developers the green light to convert the building into upscale condos — which means the public landmark will become part of a private luxury condo. The good news is that developers promise to keep the clock functioning. And according to the article, the lucky duck who ends up owning the condo will be expected to keep the clock in good working order; officials will be inspecting. The catch? They will electrify the massive clock, "which for decades has been hand-wound by two retired city employees, Marvin Schneider, 75, and Forest Markowitz, 63." You can't make everybody happy all of the time — the Historic Districts Council and the Society for the Architecture of the City certainly aren't and are reportedly considering legal action — but it could be worse. Who would take over the hand-wound crank once Schneider and Markowitz aren't around anymore? At least this way, the clock carries on.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, a group of real estate executives told Gotham magazine earlier this month; it tolls for co-ops. After dismissing co-ops as an endangered species and lavishing all their love on condos, it looks like those execs are going to have to wipe some egg off their faces. The New York Observer reports, "As condo developers continued to build their castles in the sky this past year, betting on an inexhaustible supply of billionaires… the co-op market… quietly reclaimed its mantle with all the hauteur of a scorned socialite." Nobody puts co-ops in the corner. In 2013, the biggest co-op sale didn't even make it to $50 million, says the Observer, adding that this year, nine co-op sales topped that figure. The top two deals were the "$71.27 million sale of the French government’s apartment at 740 Park and the $70 million sale of late billionaire Edgar Bronfman Sr.’s penthouse at 960 Fifth Avenue." What was that about not having a thing going for them at this point? It looks more like this year the co-op proved it's the comeback kid. 

If you're looking to buy a condo, boy does Freddie Mac have some good news for you. Brickunderground.com reports that the mortgage giant's new loan program, called Home Possible Advantage, will let potential condo buyers borrow up to 97 percent of an apartment's value — which means it's beginning to look a lot like a down payment of just 3 percent. Brickunderground.com did the math for you: "to buy a $500,000 apartment, for example, you'd only need $15,000 in the bank instead of a whopping $100,000." Best math ever? Not for potential co-op buyers, unfortunately. The program, which goes into effect March 23, is "only available for condos and single-family houses." Just as well, really, since co-ops often require a 20 percent down payment at least.

A READER ASKS: One of shareholders in my co-op, who happens to be my next-door neighbor, blasts music at all hours. I have asked him nicely to please turn the noise down, and even when he says he will, it continues. This has become increasingly disruptive to my family. My children are in school, my husband works from home, and I often have to bring work home. We can't concentrate, we can't sleep, and we can't even watch TV because his music drowns out the sound. I have read that co-op boards can evict shareholders for being a nuisance — without having to go to court. Is this true? What steps does my board need to take to make this happen as painlessly as possible?