Surprise! You might be subsidizing your commercial unit owner's expenses. This eye-opening conversation with property management expert Greg Poverelli, senior property manager at Harlem Property Management, reveals a costly mistake that's bleeding money from countless condo buildings across New York City.

Many boards discover too late that their commercial units have been dramatically underpaying common charges for years — sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars The culprit? A dangerous mix-up between offering plans and actual governing documents that lets commercial owners off the hook for their fair share of building expenses. In this episode, Poverelli shares real examples, including one Harlem building that recovered $7,200 in a single special assessment and thousands more in ongoing monthly charges. He explains exactly how to investigate your own building using public records and discusses the possibility of recovering years of underpayments. Habitat’s Paula Chin conducts the interview.

How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

If you're struggling to get enough votes to update your building's outdated governing documents, Mark Levine, principal at EBMG Management, offers a roadmap for success. You'll discover why a West Village co-op needed multiple attempts to ban smoking, and how they finally achieved the crucial two-thirds majority needed for amendment approval.

Levine offers practical strategies for overcoming common obstacles like poor meeting attendance, and shows how effective communication campaigns can turn indifferent residents into engaged voters. Learn why understanding your building's demographics is essential before proposing changes to policies covering everything from current issues like e-bike fire hazards to polarizing topics like flip taxes.

You'll also hear about leveraging technology and hybrid meetings to boost participation, plus how to tap into your management company's experience with similar buildings. Whether you're dealing with quality-of-life complaints or bylaws from the 1980s, this episode provides the tactical insights needed to successfully modernize your building's governing documents. Habitat's Emily Myers conducts the interview.

How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

If your building was suddenly hit with a 400% insurance premium hike, who do you turn to? That was the question facing a Queens co-op after a devastating fire. Vik Shingwani, a property manager at First Management Corporation, reveals how strategic management helped reduce their renewal from $750,000 to $510,000 — still high, but a significant improvement. Shingwani offers practical insights on navigating catastrophic claims, managing affected residents, and implementing preventive measures that insurance companies actually respond to. Habitat’s Paula Chin conducts the interview.

How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos