DoB and my property

Hey all. Pretty simple question. We own a three story building. Next to us a large development company is renovating and adding stories to a building. We of course have been pelted with debris and it’s becoming increasingly contentious, and our efforts to be reasonable, good neighbors are being taken advantage of. A rep from the company says that they can use the DoB to force us to accept scaffolding on our property, without compensation. I say this is wrong. It’s our property and they cannot place anything on our roof, especially without compensation. Who is right?

burpgun

in Dept. of Buildings (DOB) 7 years and 2 months ago

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Guest User | 7 years and 2 months ago

string(1) "3"
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Bedstuyguy – my experience is through work, not personal so it’s a bit of a different ballgame and was done a large firm, not a specialist.

Guest User | 7 years and 2 months ago

string(1) "3"
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Bedstuyguy – my experience is through work, not personal so it’s a bit of a different ballgame and was done a large firm, not a specialist.

Guest User | 7 years and 2 months ago

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can I have his name please ginobuyshouses@gmail.com

workisfun | 7 years and 2 months ago

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We’re still in conflict, so if you post your email, I’ll send you his name that way.

BedStuyGuy | 7 years and 2 months ago

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Hi Maggie O and work is fun, I am in a similar situation and it sounds like you were at one time. Could you please refer me to your construction lawyer?

BKALLDAY | 7 years and 2 months ago

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Ballsy is the fact that they threw that at you like skittles which means they are used to threatening people with their power to rain down DoB on you. Hold your ground. Tell them you want 25K held in an escrow account by your attorney and if they keep their crap up you will document the issue and request the payout. Also you can say well I will call DoB to request a Stop Work order due to your unsafe site.

workisfun | 7 years and 2 months ago

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I second EJR. Also second Maggie O on reimbursement for lawyer fees. We got that because we had to hire a lawyer for one reason – their development.

Guest User | 7 years and 2 months ago

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you could also have the agreement stipulate that they will reimburse your lawyer’s fees. it’s just the nature of working in a tight city with no buffers between buildings that neighboring construction is always going to impact you. in order for them to properly protect your property, which they’re required to do, they need access to it but you shouldn’t have to bear the cost of the legal issues attached to their need.

Guest User | 7 years and 2 months ago

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you could also have the agreement stipulate that they will reimburse your lawyer’s fees. it’s just the nature of working in a tight city with no buffers between buildings that neighboring construction is always going to impact you. in order for them to properly protect your property, which they’re required to do, they need access to it but you shouldn’t have to bear the cost of the legal issues attached to their need.

slopefarm | 7 years and 2 months ago

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LOL, haven’t heard “bundle of sticks” in ages. But yes, basic, first year of law school stuff. What EJR said. But get a lawyer who routinely does these kinds of agreements. Not an expensive proposition if your lawyer does this stuff all the time and isn’t reinventing the wheel. You may find yourself really sorry if you did not protect yourself up front.

EJR | 7 years and 2 months ago

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That Crain’s article is laughable. Just because a neighbor to a development site happens to be an individual, not a company, doesn’t mean that a business transaction is not appropriate for access and inconvenience. To quote every property law professor since the beginning of time, property rights are a bundle of sticks. If they want one of those sticks, in the form of rights of access, they need to pay the owner for it. Not only should you be a named insured on their policy, you should change them a flat fee for a set period of access, with draconian overage charges if they exceed the allotted time. That will either incentivize them to finish and leave or will at least duly compensate you for the continuing inconvenience. They should also be liable to any damage to your property caused by their work, however minimal. As others have said, it’s time to hire a lawyer. Tell them you’re hiring a lawyer and that all future communications should be handled with said lawyer.

burpgun | 7 years and 2 months ago

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Man, having to hire a lawyer to protect myself from a multi-million construction project is a bit of a hard pill to swallow, but things are what they are, I guess. This all started out as a hand shake, honor your word kind of thing. It’s too bad these guys took advantage of the situation. I am sort of surprised how the law treats property rights. I had thought they were pretty sacrosanct, but I guess not.

slopefarm | 7 years and 2 months ago

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Yes, a good construction lawyer knows how to put a proper agreement together for this. I don’t know this area of law, but my lay understanding is that, on one hand, the developer needs your permission for access, on the other, you cannot unreasonably withhold it. Insurance, indemnification, reasonable limits on access are all primary here. Compensation is secondary — you may get some, but only to the extent the market will bear.

Guest User | 7 years and 2 months ago

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you need them to sign a license agreement. that agreement codifies the appropriate insurance protections, the timeline for access, etc. and is put together by a construction lawyer. there are some who frequent this board who should be able to help you.

Guest User | 7 years and 2 months ago

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you need them to sign a license agreement. that agreement codifies the appropriate insurance protections, the timeline for access, etc. and is put together by a construction lawyer. there are some who frequent this board who should be able to help you.

Arkady | 7 years and 2 months ago

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I agree w/ workisfun that you should hire a lawyer. Maybe demand being ‘named insured’ on their policy. Other arcane protections might be available.

workisfun | 7 years and 2 months ago

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Lol! “All neighbors see are dollar signs when they hear the word development.” – says NYC developer. Project much? When we learned our neighbor was developing, we thought health and safety. And in this world, it costs money to ensure both. Sorry, big city developers.

burpgun | 7 years and 2 months ago

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Thanks eman134. I interpret from this the developer is wrong and that he can’t unilaterally have his equipment and workers on our roof without agreement and compensation.

eman134 | 7 years and 2 months ago

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http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20170808/REAL_ESTATE/170809898/neighbors-are-demanding-more-ransom-money-from-developers-in-exchange-for-access