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April 7, 2007
construction/permit/anal board members/HELP
i have just finished some construction on my condo and now my neighbors want me to file permits. they are really bullying up on me and i have no idea what my options/rights are...i have spoken with top architects, engineers and lawyers in Brooklyn and they have all said that it is not necessary to file permits for the work i did...BUT i could have. I do not have the time and the 5,000$+ to deal with these permits...all the work is done already! a few things that they have threatned me so far with have turned out to be groundless...So what do these other condo board members legally have the right to enforce..what should i be prepared for etc! thank you
Comments
Don't blame the board. You should have approached them first and apprised them of your scope of work. They would then have the building's consulting architect or engineer make the determination as to whether the work should be filed. The fault is yours.
Posted by: Anonymous at April 7, 2007 12:42 PM
welcome to community ownership. if you wish to go your own way buy a house.
Posted by: Anonymous at April 7, 2007 1:25 PM
Why not make a $$$ "contibution" to one of the common areas... say buying some fine art for the laundry room. They will forget all about the lap pool you had installed in the middle of your living room.
Posted by: issues at April 7, 2007 1:40 PM
I had to help someone out with this recently in Queens. Can you list what work it was that you did so we can properly validate the boards claims and whether you have a 'case'?
Making a "contribution" is not going to help. BTW, your condo or co-op by-laws should clearly state that before ANY work is done, it must be approved by the board first. They are punshing you for not following the rules, regardless of whether it should have been filed or not.
Posted by: Alex at April 7, 2007 2:41 PM
Accuse the co-op board of being terrorists and blow up the whole building, that's what GW Bush would do.
Posted by: Desk Sgt. at April 7, 2007 3:40 PM
Alex at 2:41 is the only one who has anything worth saying here. He/she is right. It sounds like it was work that didn't need permits, but the board is irked you didn't get permission first. But that shouldn't be surprising. It's also common courtesy to give fellow owners in a building a heads-up any time you're getting work done. We would send an email or give a note saying "sorry in advance for any inconvenience" even if it were minor work being done.
Posted by: Anonymous at April 7, 2007 5:10 PM
The regs will depend entirely on the building. Not all buildings will tell you to approve all work through the board and have a consulting engineer review every little thing. Structural work or changes that might impact other owners, yes. Non-structural work, it very much depends on the building and the exact nature of the work. But when I had a co-op I'd err on the side of caution notificationwise.
Me I'd apologize and politely ask them to show me documentation on what specific regulations I've broken - whether city regs or building regs. Good luck!
Posted by: John at April 8, 2007 11:56 AM
btw, it shouldn't cost you $5,000 for permits. $1,500 for an expediter and $1,500 for an architect, plus the filing fees (maybe $500, depending on the value of the work you performed) and $500 for the Asbestoes inspection. Should be around $4,000.
Posted by: Alex at April 8, 2007 1:48 PM
Well as someone said, maybe you should have informed the BoM first. However that point is rendered moot. The simple answer to you problem is get these top architects and lawyers to write a letter stating that no permit was required for the work you performed. The BoM would then have no recourse. Any further action on their part could be considered harassment.
Posted by: Anonymous at April 11, 2007 5:04 PM
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