December 20, 2016 By Adam Leitman Bailey and John M. Desiderio In their Condominium Law column, Adam Leitman Bailey and John Desiderio discuss the recent First Department case ‘Pomerance v. McGrath,’ in which the court has clarified the rights of condominium owners to inspect management books and records. In its 2013 decision in Pomerance v. Full Article…
Seven Secrets to Drafting An Effective Commercial Lease Default Lease
An effective commercial lease will dictate the future relationship between a commercial landlord and tenant. The more clauses forcing the commercial tenant to comply with its obligations, the better chance the landlord will have in not only have a successful relationship but also ensuring that the rent is paid and the tenant behaves. Below are Full Article…
Understanding Single-Room Occupancy Laws – Part II
By Adam Leitman Bailey and Dov Treiman Part II Certificate of No Harassment The obtainment of a certificate of no harassment is the gateway into turning a highly regulated, alteration-prohibited building into a free-market class A multiple dwelling. It should be noted that even after a certificate is granted, any current tenants retain their rent-regulated Full Article…
Understanding Single-Room Occupancy Laws
February 3, 2016 Single-room occupancy housing, or more commonly called SROs, exist throughout New York City. When purchasing such a dwelling without the proper paperwork, you will not be able to obtain a permit to do renovations, a buyer cannot evict the residents who are rent-regulated tenants, and the owner may be required to maintain Full Article…
How to Revise Governing Documents
November 2015 The board had decided to revise its bylaws and proprietary lease. Now what? It is a familiar story: the co-op corporation’s bylaws and proprietary lease were antiquated. Both documents were poorly drafted, rife with internal inconsistencies and conflicts with current law. There were no longer relevant provisions regarding the original sponsor, and they Full Article…
The State of Cooperative and Condominium Law in 2015
December 30, 2015 By Adam Leitman Bailey and Dov Treiman The greatest changes in cooperative and condominium law this past year did not come from the Legislature or from the courts but from the New York Attorney General’s office (NYAG). This article will review some of those changes and the most significant appellate cases affecting Full Article…
Principal Of A Sponsor May Be Held Separately Liable Where It Executes The Certification
New York Law Journal March 18th, 2015 By Scott E. Mollen Condominiums—Alleged Construction Defects -Since Sponsor Made Repeated Repairs, There Was A Triable Issue of Fact As to Whether and to What Extent Sponsor Waived the Offering Plan’s Written Notice Requirement A CONDOMINIUM Board of Managers (board) commenced an action against a sponsor-developer (sponsor) of Full Article…
Fair-Market Tenants and Condominium Conversions
A recent newspaper article reports that between 2009 and 2012, a total of 117 rental buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn were converted to cooperative or condominium ownership.1 Many of the units contained therein were deregulated. This article explores what rights tenants of these units have vis-à-vis rent-regulated tenants when a building is being converted, if and Full Article…