she;s an ISLAND GIRL......
~Aren't some apartments in New York owned by the tenants?
Yes but I was reading that in my city only 20% own the space in which they reside. (Not sure if island of Manhattan only or the surrounding boroughs as well). [Boroughs are what the city calls the surrounding counties that are actually PART of the city. There are 5 counties /boroughs taht comprise NYC. which is also comprised of three islands and a small part on the mainland.
Condominiums were a legal nightmare here in that NYC (believe it or not) coud not originaly record a deed "vertically". so this was fixed by creating co-operatives.
Here's how it works: An aparmtment buildng goes copperative. The sponsor creates a corporate entity. Each apt (dweller) has the right to purchase so many shares of stock in the corporation. For this you are granted an occupany lease(open-ended) that allows you to inhabitan apartment (and sometimes not even a SPECIFIC aparmtent.) Either one share of stock stock per apt is issued [period], or the location is considered with some worth more and others less of a nubmer is shares.
The corporation riases money by charging a fee each month call "Maintenance charges". This may (or may not) include:
Underlying mortgage for the whole building(s).
Land lease payements. (if land is not woned outright or part of bldg mortgage.
Real-estate taxes
Salaries
Energy costs (fuel oil, common cooking gas and/or common electricity,w ater, hot water, etc.).
Actual maintenance
lawn/garden/ grounds-keeping
snow removal
captial expensidtures and repairs.
Maintenance charges may be on a per share(of stock) basis or may be adjusted by things like extra windows, extra square footage(space) etc.
With a condominium, USUALLY (now that they have FINALLY been allowed in NYC) utitlies are serpately metered, there is no underlying mortgage on the buildng, and unit owners are INDIVIDUALLY billed by the city for real-estate taxes.
Co-ops and Condos are FORMS OF OWNERSHIP and may include what appears to be a private house to a multi-unit mixed-use aparmtent buiding with residences over grounn-level retail-type units.
If you REALLY want to get technical, since co-ops MUST derive I dont know 80% or more of their income from maintenace cahrges, there are also COND-OPS. These are huge apt. buildngs with stores which is broken into a number of condominiums. Fro example ALL The residences are 1 condo, and all the businesses another. Teh rediential condomonium is then legal broken into a co-op. How' that for circumventing the law? *LOL*