unwanted water and smoke - one room air purifier

Great smokeOutQ.
The board of my colleagues
The Op recently amended the House rules to ban smoking in residential shareholders apartments, even if they have lived there for years.
It threatened that people would be deported if they continued to smoke. Is this legal?
Long Island City QueensA.
Take a long time and take a deep smoke: according to real estate lawyer Pierre Debas, it is unlikely that the board will expel your habits simply by changing the rules of the house. (
If they change the proprietary lease that requires shareholder voting, it will be a different story and you may be eliminated if you do not comply. )
But you may want to take this opportunity to make your neighbors public.
Secondhand smoke is known to harm the health of non-smokers.
Depending on the ventilation system, smoke can spread from one unit to another.
"He may think it violates his right to life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness," said Lynn M . "
Tepper is a clinical professor at the Health Sciences campus of Columbia University.
"But you can also understand it as the right for others to stay healthy and smoke --free.
"But if you have to smoke in the face of the new rules, consider designating a room as your nicotine sanctuary.
Invest in air purifiers and air-
Dave Brijlall, an engineer at Rand Engineering and Construction, said sealing the room, except for the vents.
If not
Depending on the structure of the building, it may not-give e-
Try a cigarette. Water WorksQ.
Over the past four years, there have been eight times when water has leaked from my apartment upstairs to my bed.
The landlord told me that this was because the tenant above me did not open the shower curtain and he was not responsible for the damage.
During the last leak, at least three gallons of sewage were dumped into my bed from the live fixture.
So far I have no money to buy new mattresses, carpets and cleaning supplies for a total of about $3,600.
I filed a claim at the New York City Housing Court, but lawyers were my last resort because they were expensive.
I live in the rent.
Stable apartment.
Any suggestions?
Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Your neighbor's energetic bathing habits are not an excuse for sewage in your bed.
Your landlord needs to fix this and should compensate you for the loss.
Bringing the landlord to the House Court is a good first step because it will definitely prompt him to solve the problem, but it will not help you to recover the loss.
For this, you may want to be small-claims court.
A lot of people appear in small-
A court of claims without a lawyer
You can also file a complaint with the Housing and Community Renewal Department.
The city intermediary can directly let the landlord repair and reduce the rent for you.
"This will require a stamp," said Sherwin Belkin, a real estate lawyer . ".
"But this is an administrative, bureaucratic process.
"You can also file a claim on the agency's website.
By the way, it may be a good time to invest in renting insurance.
It will not cover any damage you have suffered, but it will cover any future damage to the items in your apartment. (
But if the insurer knows that this is a recurring problem, it may not compensate for the damage caused by future leaks in the same area. )
According to Jeff Schneider, president of Gotham brokerage, insurance for renting insurance is usually less than $200 a year, and the deductible is usually around $250.
Flood survivors.
In the last 17 years, I have had a neighbor who has experienced 7 floods from a neighbor upstairs.
She finally sued co-
Op board and sponsor, as a neighbor upstairs, 99 years old, not the boss, but the rent r of the original sponsor.
Should she sue the guilty party or is she doing enough?
Forest Hill in Kunta.
Just out of curiosity, what caused these floods?
Does she live under Noah's Ark?
From my advantage on dry ground, she should probably sue everyone, including the neighbors upstairs.
"But if she doesn't, it's not fatal," said real estate attorney Aaron Shmulewitz, noting that sponsors are responsible for the tenant's actions and that in any case, they are likely to turn around and sue the tenant.
But at the end of the day, it's no different for the aggrieved side.
Suing more people doesn't mean she will eventually get more money.
"She won't get an unexpected fortune . "
Said Shmulewitz.
For example, if she suffered damages worth $10,000, she would only be able to receive $10,000, whether she sued one person or five.
Ask Real Estate is a new weekly online column that answers questions from The New York area.
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