Teri Karush Rogers

Q.  I'm renovating my condo and putting in central air, which requires cutting through the exterior wall. The board has approved the work, but my building is in the process of being landmarked, and cutting through the walls would not be an option if it were already landmarked.  My question is, what if the landmark approval process is completed after the work on the exterior walls but before my Certificate of Occupancy is issued? Could I potentially have to undo the work?

Say you've fallen in love with a co-op apartment, but there's some approaching thunder in the form of undetermined assessments coming down the pike.  Is it possible, or even advisable, to negotiate some protection?

That's the question under debate in a StreetEasy.com discussion.  Opinions vary about whether protection is possible or even advisable:

It's no secret that ever since the credit crisis, banks are highly squeamish about financing purchases in condo and co-op buildings that have low owner-occupancy rates.  But as a discussion on StreetEasy.com reminds us, the elephant in the room also extends the renters next door.

Somewhat muffled by the legalization of same-sex marriage bill on Friday, the New York State legislature also, as expected, passed new rules on rent-stabilization.  The new rules raise the threshold for removing apartments from rent stabilization to $2,500 a month, up from $2,000.  And tenants who earn up to $200,000 a year can rent a stabilized apartment, up from $175,000.  What does this really mean?

A SoHo condo board has not only severely restricted the elevator privileges of a high-profile penthouse owner who owes over $125,000 in common charges, it also apparently upped the ante by hanging the equivalent of a Wanted poster in the lobby.  

Condo board attorney Robert Braverman confirms that the board recently erected an 8.5x11 framed poster in the lobby of 95 Greene Street bearing a photograph of the unit owner, Ken Nahoum, and his companion wearing superhero outfits at a costume party.