Many parties to real estate transactions focus not only on the house or the apartment that is involved in the transaction, but also on fixtures and items of personal property. Should a buyer expect that all lighting fixtures are included in the deal? What if a seller wants to take…
New York Real Estate Lawyers Blog
Debts of the Deceased
Every person who dies, whether wealthy or not, will owe money. Whether there is a credit card balance outstanding or estate taxes due to the State of New York, most people will leave this world with a financial obligation of some type. The questions to be addressed in this blog…
Recovery of Attorney’s Fees in Landlord-Tenant Actions in New York
One of the most frequently asked questions when our firm meets with a new client relates to the awarding of attorney’s fees. Many of our landlord-tenant clients ask us whether they can recover their attorney’s fees in Court from the other party in the litigation. The answer to this question…
For Sale By Owner
Our attorneys handle many real estate transactions on behalf of our clients each year. Most clients selling their houses, cooperative or condominium units use the services of a licensed real estate agent. Other sellers chose to sell without the use of such a professional. These transactions are known as for…
Legal Issues Relating to Subtenants in New York State
First, we would like to wish all followers of our blog a happy and healthy 2015. We look forward to continued successful legal outcomes for all of our clients in the New Year. Our copy of Black’s law dictionary defines a subtenant as “one who leases all or part of…
An Estate Dispute Involving the Fine Line between Lent or Gifted Artwork and Bequests Under a Will
Maurice Sendak was a beloved children’s book author and illustrator whose death two years ago has raised multiple issues to be discussed in this blog post. During his life, he had a close professional affiliation with the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia, whereby he lent a vast majority of…
New Court Ruling in New York Relating to Disputes over Religious Institutions
A recent case decided by a New York Appellate Court relates to a dispute over governing and control of a Buddhist Temple. To summarize, the Master of the Temple, Mew Fung Chen, excommunicated 517 members over a dispute relating to control of the Temple, which had locations in both Brooklyn…
How to Stage a Takeover of Your Coop or Condo Board
Board members of cooperative and condominium buildings are hard working volunteers who are subject to what may be undeserved criticism. In other cases, a board may be treating a particular unit owner unfairly or there may be a general sense among neighbors that the board is doing a poor job.…
Happy Halloween: Haunted Houses, Zombie Houses, Ghosts and Other Scary Things
Even Halloween gives rise to legal issues that may pertain to our blog readers. This blog post will address haunted houses, zombie houses, ghosts and other scary situations from a legal perspective. Unfortunately, a crime, suicide or other unpleasant event may have happened in a house prior to sale. Such…
Surrender of Lease Agreements in New York
Quite often, our firm is consulted by both landlords and tenants regarding the termination of a lease prior to its legal end date. For example, a lease may have a term which runs through December 31, 2020. In certain situations, the parties may agree to terminate the lease prior to…