Category: Q&A

Q. As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic spreads, we're trying to keep our building and residents as safe as possible as we practice social distancing and self-quarantine as necessary. To that end, can we ban all non-residents from the build…

Q. If a resident in our building tests positive for COVID-19, or is self-quarantined, should we tell the other residents and staff? A. According to Peter Massa, an attorney with Manhattan-based law firm Armstrong Teasdale, "Residents shoul…

Q. Our building is discriminating against children. The board has just purchased very expensive lobby furniture ($6,000 per chair) with a white rug. It has now passed a rule that children must not play in the lobby. If they are “caught” p…

Q. I’d like to get the opinions of legal experts regarding boards that use the surveillance system to spy on residents they dislike, attempting to “catch” them at some behavior which may be against the building rules. So is it legal to sp…

Q. Our association stated that in compliance with the Radburn Bill, all votes must be read aloud giving the unit number and the vote. Is this mandatory now?                            —Wishing to Remain Silent A. “The Radburn Bill doe…

Q. My upstairs neighbor has a one-year-old toddler who's constantly running at all hours. In fact, he's running around right now and it’s not even 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday. When I come home on weeknights -- whether it's 7:30, 8:30 or 9:30 --…

Q. I live in a condo and my next door neighbor is a hoarder. She constantly leaves the front door open. I complained to the buildings department many times. The smell is awful; she has mice, roaches, and water bugs. What can I do?       …

Q. I am a director on the board of our condo association. We had a budget meeting last night, and the new budget with increased monthly dues was passed by 4 ‘yes’ votes and 3 ‘no’ votes. The meeting was adjourned and meeting minutes were …

Q. I would like to know if it is legal for board members to share personal and financial information regarding our home in the community with other residents (who don’t even serve on the board – and some who don’t even own property here),…

Q. What would it entail to separate two buildings that make up one condo association into two separate condo associations? There are strong differences within our board on how to run the association, and there is a less than zero chance o…