THE APPROVAL PROCESS

In most cases, your remodeling project will have to be approved by your building’s management company before we can begin work on your project. Whether you live in a co-op or condo, you will have to go through a certain approval process, which can take a few days or several months depending on your building’s rules. Although there are some similarities in obtaining approval, generally this process varies from building to building. Some building management companies are very strict and difficult to deal with, while others are very cooperative, making the approval process that much easier.

MyHome’s Expediting Department is experienced and has processed hundreds of projects for approval. We will help you go through this process, but we recommend that you take the first step. Since you’re the coop share holder or the condo owner, your voice counts more than ours. And without your voice, there’s no reason for them to approve or not approve a project for us. Quite often it is challenging to deal with building management companies, because to them we are only a “nuisance.” However if they care at all about anyone it should be you—the building resident. The best thing you can do to ensure a successful approval is to approach the super or resident manager, tell him about the project and ask what you should do to begin the approval process.

Please keep in mind that the approval process can be very delicate and can change easily from day to day. We may be subject to staff changes, which will lead to different policies, “mood swings,” or any other unexpected matters. Usually management companies do not send us written approval and only verbally communicate a project’s approval status. We can request a written note, but we are, unfortunately, subject to the kindness of resident managers who may or may not wish to cooperate. In otherwords, there’s no special reason for them to help expedite this process unless you give them one. It is important to remember that staying positive when dealing with building management companies makes it easier on everyone.

We readily admit that this whole system is a bit strange, but it’s the reality of New York City apartment remodeling. Even more peculiar is the fact that the “ruling authority” in any approval process or dispute is the building management company and not the New York City Building Department. There are rules and regulations established by the DOB (Department of Buildings), but we have to comply with the building’s rules and not the DOB’s. The building management has the power to let us into a building or deny us access. If they choose to “throw us out” of a building they can do so even during construction. So, the bottom line is that we’re at the mercy of the management companies and as such we’re powerless to do anything but comply with their rules and regulations. However, our experienced workers have learned to steer the course of this strange relationship, opting to be “smart” and not necessarily “right,” because that’s what gets better results.

To better educate you we have prepared the following guidelines to act as your road map in this process. We have also included some important terms and explanations. Keep in mind that these are general definitions, which may change dramatically from building to building.

The Alteration Agreement
The alteration agreement is a package containing all the necessary information for project approval. Most alteration agreements will require the following:

	Processing fee - You must pay the management company for dealing with the approval process; This fee is usually a few hundred dollars.
	Deposit - Most buildings will require a refundable deposit, which is held in case any damage is caused or if you don’t comply with the building rules. The deposit is usually several thousand dollars, which will be refunded to you at the end of the project.
	Timeline - Some buildings will only allow a certain amount of time for construction. You must reserve a time, and if you fail to complete construction by the given deadline, you will be charged a fine for every day beyond that deadline.
	Owner signatures - There will be several places in the alteration agreement where you’ll need to sign. Please check carefully if a notary public signature is required with any of your signatures.
	Contractor signatures - Off course we’ll take care of that part and notarize our signatures. Some buildings even require notarized signatures of all the subcontractors.
	Building rules - All the building rules will be specified in the alteration agreement. Usually it will be written in a much stricter language than neccessary. For example, typical alteration agreement language might ask for building department permits for any type of alteration, however minor, to make sure the building is legally covered. However, quite often in reality you can “get away” with less than what is written in the alteration agreement. We will do as you instruct us, but in most cases if we can expedite the process and start working faster we will. If we can avoid a longer and more expensive approval process we will do our best to make that happen because accommodating your needs comes first to us. If at any point you decide that you prefer that we help you pull a DOB permit please let us know and we’ll do so (See pulling a permit section below).

Building Staff

	Building Superintendent – The Superintentendant, A.K.A: “The Super,” is usually onsite during regular business hours. He’s the one that is most familiar with the building and will either help us during construction or will make our lives very difficult. Some supers run small contracting operations within the building. This can be quite helpful, but if the super feels that we were awarded a contract that he deserved, he may try to give us a hard time. It’s recommended to maintain a friendly relationship with the building, which is what we always try to do.
	Resident Manager - This is the person who is in charge of your building in the management company. Usually a resident manager is in charge of several buildings. He or she is the person who is in charge of the approval process so they’re the one you want to talk to before starting. They can usually help out and “bend the rules” a bit if they like you.
	Building Architect - The building architect is not involved in every project. Some buildings don’t use a building architect at all. However in some other buildings a building architect reviews and approves every request for a renovation. Having an architect involved can be a blessing or a burden. In some cases an architect can help since he knows the building and what can or can’t be done. In some other cases, because an architect is more knowledgeable he might ask for more plans, material specs and other documents until he is satisfied.
	Co-op/ Condo board and the president of the board - In some cases a project must be approved by the board. Sometimes the board is friendly and easy going, and in some other cases they will do everything they can to reject a project approval.

Typical Items Requested

	License - Many buildings request to see a copy of a contractor’s license. Some buildings also request copies of a plumber’s and electrician’s license.
	Insurance - All buildings request to see a certificate of liability insurance. We must produce an insurance certificate made for the specific project, because the management companies request to have the building and the apartment owner additionally insured. In some cases there are as many as 10 different parties to be named as additionally insured on the certificate. Some buildings request a plumber’s and electrician’s liability insurance, worker’s compensation insurance, umbrella coverage and even auto insurance. Usually $ 1 to $ 3 million coverage is sufficient, but some buildings require $ 5 million as a minimum, which MyHome carries.
	Contract and sScope of Work - In many cases we will have to show the contract between MyHome and the owner of the apartment. Sometimes only a scope of work will be sufficient.
	Designs - Depending on the scope, floor plans and elevations will be requested
	Specifications - Although not typical, there are some cases in which product specifications are required. For example a specific building may demand a certain insulating material for flooring or wall construction, or request a certain method of installation. Another example is that most buildings will not allow oil based floor polyurethane.
	More - There may be some other documents requested depending on the building. A recent request, which is becoming more and more common is a lead paint removal certificate, which MyHome holds. So far there has never been a document requested, which we were not able to produce.

Building Permit
If a building permit is required, we will need to have plans drawn and signed by a licensed architect. In addition, we will hire a separate expeditor to pull the permit from the DOB (Most architects don’t get involved in that). The average rate an architect can charge for this service is around $ 5,000. We can refer you to an architect or you can use your own. In case a building department permit is required, we will need to pull plumbing and electrical permits and have plumbing and electrical inspections. The cost of these permits is around $ 2,000. This is the cost that a plumber and electrician will charge. MyHome does not make any profit on these items. We don’t even charge a management or processing fee to take care of it. Pulling a permit is not only an additional expense, but may also delay the project, because it may take up to several months to produce, depending on the scope of the project.