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Park Slope co-op boards — Brooklynian

Park Slope co-op boards

ed zeppelin
ed zeppelin
edited November -1 in Park Slope
Hi all, I'm in contract for a great co-op in a brownstone building in Park Slope.

I'm ramping up for the dreaded co-op board interview and wonder if anyone who's been through it would share experiences. I have been told Brooklyn boards are more mellow than ones on, say, Park in the 60s and 70s.
At the same time, I don't want to be complacent.

Any guidance/anecdotes deeply appreciated.

Comments

  • anonymous
    anonymous
    I was on a co-op board in Park Slope. It is mellower than Manhattan, but your instincts are right - don't be complacent.

    Dress in a suit, keep calm, speak when spoken to and don't volunteer too much. Be yourself (as long as yourself is not a dog breeding rock star) and prepare. If it is a small co-op, be enthusiastic about helping with the chores such as taking out the garbage, cleaning, etc. You will be asked questions about your job and finances. Be prepared to answer questions about any large credit card balances or other liabilities. Don't lie outright, but of course you don't like loud parties, being awake after 8:00pm, doing construction ever, or even walking in shoes in your place.

    It is a pretty intrusive process, even in Brooklyn, but don't worry. I asked to get my financial data back after the meeting and my co-op board was ok with that.
    Good luck and welcome to the neighborhood.
  • anonymous
    anonymous
    The above poster was me :)
  • jamzer
    jamzer
    :twisted: :twisted: Errrrrr


    I mean it was ME!
  • steveo
    steveo
    Anonymous wrote: Dress in a suit, keep calm, speak when spoken to and don't volunteer too much. Be yourself (as long as yourself is not a dog breeding rock star) and prepare.
    Can you elaborate on what to prepare?
  • anonymous
    anonymous
    I was on a coop board and if they are going to reject you, they safely have to do it BEFORE actually meeting you. A coop can get into trouble rejecting you if your paperwork is in order AFTER they meet you because it could be construed as discrimination. And really, if your paperwork is in order, you are not supposed to be rejected because you MIGHT be annoying in some way. that is why I think coops kind of suck and am so happy to have cashed in on mine.
  • digital_buffalo
    digital_buffalo
    Have any of you been given a hard time by coop boards about the amount of student loans you have?
  • jamzer
    jamzer
    Kensingtonmom is right that a coop board can not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, familial status and national origin, but she is wrong that the rejection can't safely come after the meeting. It happens all the time. How is one to know that the paperwork is in order before the meeting? How would you prove it? In fact - co-ops are not even required to reveal why they rejected an applicant. People are rejected by coop boards all the time and it is very hard to prove discrimination. Anyway - rejections in Park Slope are not that common.

    When I say prepare - I mean just as if you are going to a job interview, but you are applying to be a neighbor. The board can ask you anything and everything. They want to make sure that you can pay the mortgage and the maintenance fees. Having a lot of student loan debt is not necessarily bad, unless you can't afford it. A good board will look at the whole picture.
  • anonymous
    anonymous
    I bombed on three board interviews straight and was really at my wits end. Finally, I decided to do something radical. Right in the middle of my next interview, I just dropped my pants and started masturbating. People were shocked, but ultimately entertained and I was approved!! Not quite how I expected to win approval, but I'll take it anyway I can get it.
  • anonymous
    anonymous
    Jamzer wrote: Kensingtonmom is right that a coop board can not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, familial status and national origin, but she is wrong that the rejection can't safely come after the meeting. It happens all the time. How is one to know that the paperwork is in order before the meeting? How would you prove it? In fact - co-ops are not even required to reveal why they rejected an applicant.
    Not to disagree, I know that people are rejected all the time and the coop board thinks it has the right not to reveal why...but, if someone is rejected, and their paperwork is in order, and the rejected person calls in a lawyer, the rejected person will almost always win the case (so I have read in the NY Times). That is why it is in the best interest of the coop to review all the paperwork ahead of time and reject BEFORE meeting someone so that no issues of discrimination can occur. But I agree, you do need to prepare as you would for a job interview. Plus it sucks because you sit there and everyone has your financials and you know nothing about them. Good luck
  • anonymous
    anonymous
    if someone is rejected, and their paperwork is in order, and the rejected person calls in a lawyer, the rejected person will almost always win the case
    Kensingtonmom - give us one example of a rejected person suing a coop board and winning.
  • anonymous
    anonymous
    Anonymous wrote:
    if someone is rejected, and their paperwork is in order, and the rejected person calls in a lawyer, the rejected person will almost always win the case
    Kensingtonmom - give us one example of a rejected person suing a coop board and winning.
    I can't. But there was a big article in the Times about it over a year ago listing several people who had sued and won and why. When I was on a coop board I used to read The Cooperator which also sited a few cases and then our lawyer also advised us to reject anyone based on their paperwork alone.
  • anonymous
    anonymous
    I've worked with many clients going before coop boards in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Sadly I can say that I've seen people rejected for all kinds of reasons ranging from type of job held, age of children (co-op boards do not like teen age kids because they tend to have loud parties), and marital status (singles get rejected all the time). It certainly happens less often in Brooklyn, but neighborhoods like Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope are not immune.

    As far as the city's anti discrimination laws go - it does not make any difference if the rejection comes before or after the meeting. Boards are at risk if they discriminate, but the fact of the matter is that people who are looking for a place to live usually do not want to tie up their money and time suing a coop board. A few cases come up every year, but this is a big city and they represent a very, very small percentage of rejections. Lawyers don’t like the cases because they take a long time to prosecute, are hard to prove, and often don’t succeed. There is also not a lot of money in it. Fortunately, I've seen very few cases of outright discrimination, but I'm sure it happens.
  • ed zeppelin
    ed zeppelin
    Thanks everyone. Wife and I (no kids) have good incomes, zero debt, stable jobs so I'm feeling fairly sanguine about our prospects, unless "boring" is a problem...
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