Joel E. Miller, a tax lawyer in Queens, said one solution is to file a declaration of condominium that legally divides the building into separate parts, with one part containing all the residential units and the other the commercial space.
The "condominium" remained legally in force, as it would until Sudan gained independence, but in practice Egypt now had no say in the administration of Sudan.
Until recently, it was unclear whether condominiums could legally charge flip taxes, but "that question has been answered in the affirmative, so some condominiums are now, late in the game, instituting flip taxes," Mr. Weinstein said.
A "An auction of a condominium apartment is legally possible," said Arthur I. Weinstein, a Manhattan lawyer who is vice president of the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums.
"And the condominium board cannot legally condition a sale on the purchaser's agreeing to put up a deposit against future common charges," Mr. Brill said, adding that in most cases, the only way a condominium can affect a pending sale is to exercise its right of first refusal and buy the unit in the name of the condominium association.
When a building is 15 percent sold — sold here means contracts signed — a tower of steel and glass can legally become a condominium, and deals can start to close.
NOWADAYS, when sponsors convert buildings, the apartments are usually condominiums, rather than co-ops, in which owners, legally speaking, buy shares in the corporation that owns the building and then have the right to occupy their apartment.
If the injured party wins a damage award, he said, the amount awarded is typically paid by the condominium association's insurance, with individual board members being legally insulated from judgments if the insurance coverage is not sufficient to cover the damage award.
A "While a cooperative is legally obligated to treat all of its shareholders equally, it is legal for a cooperative to differentiate between shareholders and nonshareholder renters with regard to newly created amenities and their costs," said Aaron Shmulewitz, a Manhattan co-op and condominium lawyer.
While condominium contracts are similar in many respects to contracts for the sale of a house -- after all, a condominium is legally considered real estate in the same way a house is -- contracts for co-op apartments have their own sets of rules.
