Articles

Cooperative Housing organizations and their management companies are often faced with requests from guests to bring dogs and other animals onto the premises when visiting members. What should the cooperatives response be to these requests? In most cases the response will depend on the type of animal or dog involved. Not all animals are created equal according to the law. There are emotional support animals, service animals, and pets. What’s the difference?

The spring, summer and fall often bring Cooperative members out into common hallways, areas, and outdoors. With this activity brings the potential for member conflict.

The Management Agreement between an association and a management agent outlines the contractual obligations and expectations between the association and the management agent. These contractual obligations define the duties and responsibilities of the management agent for the management and operation of the association. They also provide for the duties and responsibilities of the association, as effectuated through its Board of Directors. Equally as important to the management duties and operational provisions in the Management Agreement, so too are the insurance and indemnification provisions.

We have all bore witness to the breakdown of the professional relationship between an association and its management agent. Once the management agreement is terminated and a new management agent is selected, the next step for the association is to begin the transition process from the prior management agent to the newly selected management agent. It is expected that the transition process be seamless and professional, and many times the association’s board of directors leaves the professional transition to its hired professionals. While many times transitions go smoothly, what happens when it doesn’t?

Our Cooperative maintains its own insurance policy covering the buildings, exteriors and common areas. After some recent requests for replacements and repairs, and instances of units suffering damages, our Board of Directors is concerned with finding ways to trim costs in paying for damages that occur within the dwelling units, while ensuring that adequate insurance policies cover both the exterior buildings and common areas, but also everything within the units. Are there any ways that the Cooperative can save on having to go out of pocket to cover damages that would otherwise be covered in a traditional homeowner’s insurance policy?

The use of Zoom and other digital, web-based or video conferencing technology has become widespread throughout courts in the United States, since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. With glaring uncertainty on when courts will revert to conducting hearings and trials in-person, it is important to highlight some basic tips and best practices for our readers who may participate in Zoom hearings.

Most co-ops offer different types and sizes of units including 1 to 3 bedrooms with various floor plans and square footage combinations. As is often the case, members desire to move from one unit to another. There may be many different reasons for moving such as an increase in family size or a unit with a better view or access to green space or parking. But in some cases members will want to move from their unit to another unit for accessibility purposes or because they have a disability and another unit will better enable them to enjoy the privileges of cooperative living than their current unit.

In the past, many cooperative housing providers prohibited pets. This policy resonated with its members who were tired of living next door to other members with barking dogs or caterwauling cats. Yet, federal and state law now require cooperative housing providers allow assistance animals. Assistance animals are animals which a disabled member may keep in a cooperative housing situation, as long as a medical provider is persuaded that the member needs the animal in order to overcome a specific disability and that the animal will ameliorate that disability.

A large number of cooperatives are contemplating refinancing their existing mortgages. Several reasons exist for this. First, interest rates are at an uncommonly low level which makes it rather advantageous to take out a loan. While the existing mortgages are typically low, the rates now are extremely attractive and may not last much longer. Thus, there is a window open now to get great interest rates. Second, many cooperatives have experienced HUD being more burdensome in its demands than in the past. They seek to either eliminate or reduce HUD oversight by eliminating the mortgage which HUD insured or subsidized. A third and most common reason is the need to amass a sufficient sum of money to undertake repairs, renovations and enhancements of the property. Many cooperatives would prefer to complete these tasks in the near future to properly maintain the property rather than make improvements over an extended number of years.