Corrupt Realtor on Co-op Board

[emmie38]

We ought our co-op in White Plains, NY ifrom a women that was moving to another unit in the bldg. She used her friend who is on the board and a realtor to list it and show us the unit. We had to go through her. She has the exclusive on virtually all the units in the bldg. When we viewed the unit in July of 07 we asked the board member realtor about the crumbling casement windows that had rotted wood trim with broken glass and holes where bugs could get in, what was happeing with them and she said to us that she was on the board and that the windows were approved to be replaced with the same style but an energy efficient sytle of casement window as people voted that our tudor bldg should keep its character and they would be replaced that following spring (April 08) This was July of 07. She said the roof was just done and the windows were approved and work starting that next spring. We believed her since she was on the board and bought the place. But now almost 3 years have passed since we moved in and nothing was done. We had no intercom for 4 months and she being on the board for over 20 years with her friends blocked all attempts to fix the intercom system saying to us that 'the bldg is old and this is expected'. Then our windows were leaking into the house and ruined our windowsill, she came up (after we called not her but mgmt) and said we would have to fix it ourselves like the other tenents do. When we moved in we saw that the dining room chandelier was wobbling and when my husband turned it on it sparked. He turned off the electricity and found that it was all rotted out and dangerously hung. This was known when this realtor who is on the board showed us the place and they did not disclose. The light was on when we saw the place so we didnt see it was broken. When we asked for the bldg to fix this, she said it was our problem even though it is clearly inside the walls and the co-ops business to fix . Now almost 3 years later our windows still are rotted, bugs coming in all the time, water leaking (rusty) and broken panes. She is still blocking fixing the windows. My husband recently got on to the board in order to help the progress of the bldgs windows and found everyone wants to start the work on the windows except her and her other 2 girlfriends also on the board 20 plus years. ONe of which is an extreem alcholic and had the police called for fist fighting with another board member pal on our floor. These are her buddies and they are blocking fixing everything because they say the maintenece will go up and the realtor member says that she won't be able to sell if it goes too high. What can we do? We also recently found out that she and the others on her board blocked a disabled women from having a ramp installed for almost 2 years and the woman had to sue to get results and was housebound for over 18 months because they would not allow a ramp to be put in as they said 'it will bring down the value of the bldg' they also blocked for the past 5 years the same disabled women from getting her state approved kitchen remodled to fit her sitting in her wheelchair and she is also paralysed on half her body. They purposefully loose the documents sent to them for signature from Albany and say that the mgmt company has them, then that the attorney has them and he says the board has them and 5 yrs later the woman is still without a kitchen and suffering terribly having to order in and go hungry a lot of the time. She was told by this very board member (realtor) that she could not fix her kitchen because it would bring down the value of the other units she is trying to sell. This realtor board member recently told me that 'we cannot fix the windows because it will cost millions and millions of dollars to fix and the maintenence will go up and we'll never sell another unit' - she meant she would not sell another unit. I argued with her. She has engratiated herself with all the enderly people in the bldg to get their proxy's and also sell their units which she has basically the whole bldg exclusively. People are afraid that if they dont hire her to sell, that she will have their buyers denied by the board. An elderly women who is in her 90s just left to go into a nursing home. This is an original rentor that never bought and we the co-op owns the unit. This board member realtor took control and is trying to force the bldg to rent instead of selling which was discussed as it would add over 300k to our reserves thus allowing us to get our windows done. She is so against the windows being done and working over time to block any attempts to do so. She said it would cost 15k to bring the place up and then she already has a rentor. When we said why would we spend money to rent when we want to renovate and sell so we can proceed with the windows and not put it off another 2 years, she got very obnoxious and rude and we argued. Iwant to know if there is any legal way to get this oportunist off of our board once and for all.

 

[HomeGuru]

We ought our co-op in White Plains, NY ifrom a women that was moving to another unit in the bldg. She used her friend who is on the board and a realtor to list it and show us the unit. We had to go through her. She has the exclusive on virtually all the units in the bldg. When we viewed the unit in July of 07 we asked the board member realtor about the crumbling casement windows that had rotted wood trim with broken glass and holes where bugs could get in, what was happeing with them and she said to us that she was on the board and that the windows were approved to be replaced with the same style but an energy efficient sytle of casement window as people voted that our tudor bldg should keep its character and they would be replaced that following spring (April 08) This was July of 07. She said the roof was just done and the windows were approved and work starting that next spring. We believed her since she was on the board and bought the place. But now almost 3 years have passed since we moved in and nothing was done. We had no intercom for 4 months and she being on the board for over 20 years with her friends blocked all attempts to fix the intercom system saying to us that 'the bldg is old and this is expected'. Then our windows were leaking into the house and ruined our windowsill, she came up (after we called not her but mgmt) and said we would have to fix it ourselves like the other tenents do. When we moved in we saw that the dining room chandelier was wobbling and when my husband turned it on it sparked. He turned off the electricity and found that it was all rotted out and dangerously hung. This was known when this realtor who is on the board showed us the place and they did not disclose. The light was on when we saw the place so we didnt see it was broken. When we asked for the bldg to fix this, she said it was our problem even though it is clearly inside the walls and the co-ops business to fix . Now almost 3 years later our windows still are rotted, bugs coming in all the time, water leaking (rusty) and broken panes. She is still blocking fixing the windows. My husband recently got on to the board in order to help the progress of the bldgs windows and found everyone wants to start the work on the windows except her and her other 2 girlfriends also on the board 20 plus years. ONe of which is an extreem alcholic and had the police called for fist fighting with another board member pal on our floor. These are her buddies and they are blocking fixing everything because they say the maintenece will go up and the realtor member says that she won't be able to sell if it goes too high. What can we do? We also recently found out that she and the others on her board blocked a disabled women from having a ramp installed for almost 2 years and the woman had to sue to get results and was housebound for over 18 months because they would not allow a ramp to be put in as they said 'it will bring down the value of the bldg' they also blocked for the past 5 years the same disabled women from getting her state approved kitchen remodled to fit her sitting in her wheelchair and she is also paralysed on half her body. They purposefully loose the documents sent to them for signature from Albany and say that the mgmt company has them, then that the attorney has them and he says the board has them and 5 yrs later the woman is still without a kitchen and suffering terribly having to order in and go hungry a lot of the time. She was told by this very board member (realtor) that she could not fix her kitchen because it would bring down the value of the other units she is trying to sell. This realtor board member recently told me that 'we cannot fix the windows because it will cost millions and millions of dollars to fix and the maintenence will go up and we'll never sell another unit' - she meant she would not sell another unit. I argued with her. She has engratiated herself with all the enderly people in the bldg to get their proxy's and also sell their units which she has basically the whole bldg exclusively. People are afraid that if they dont hire her to sell, that she will have their buyers denied by the board. An elderly women who is in her 90s just left to go into a nursing home. This is an original rentor that never bought and we the co-op owns the unit. This board member realtor took control and is trying to force the bldg to rent instead of selling which was discussed as it would add over 300k to our reserves thus allowing us to get our windows done. She is so against the windows being done and working over time to block any attempts to do so. She said it would cost 15k to bring the place up and then she already has a rentor. When we said why would we spend money to rent when we want to renovate and sell so we can proceed with the windows and not put it off another 2 years, she got very obnoxious and rude and we argued. Iwant to know if there is any legal way to get this oportunist off of our board once and for all.

**A: consult with an attorney.