The Council of New York Cooperatives & Condominiums (CNYC Inc.) is a not-for-profit membership organization for housing cooperatives and condominiums. Founded in 1975, it serves a growing constituency through its Newsletter and website, its lobbying efforts, its meetings, workshops, and seminars, its studies of aspects of cooperative living, and its affiliation with local, national, and international organizations.

CNYC conducts frequent meetings, making New York cooperators and condominium unit owners aware of legal issues and tax issues affecting their homes, maintenance and energy conservation opportunities, sound management practices, and reasonable policies. CNYC monitors legislation that could affect these home owners. It lobbies for measures of importance, participates in contract negotiations with the building service employees’ union, and compiles records on goods and services. When your cooperative or condominium faces a particular concern, CNYC is ready, with a backlog of experience, to offer the advice and the support that you need.

Each year, CNYC compiles a Comparative Study of Building Operating Costs analyzing the various components of building expenditures. Each year its Cooperative Housing Conference brings together hundreds of cooperators for a day of learning. CNYC's television show, Co-op Roundtable, and this World Wide Web homepage bring CNYC directly to the public.

• CNYC organized strong opposition to a Federal Guideline which would jeopardize loans in buildings with transfer fees.
• CNYC formed the ACTION COMMITTEE for REASONABLE REAL ESTATE TAXES, which led a successful campaign to reduce real estate taxes for homeowners in New York City cooperatives and condominiums. This group continues to seek a fair and reasonable tax structure for New York City (see page 3).
• CNYC helped achieve important modifications to the 80/20 Rule of Section 216 of the Internal Revenue Code.
• CNYC formed the Section 277 Challenge Task Force, which persuaded the I.R.S. to reverse its prior policy and stop taxing housing cooperatives under Section 277.
• CNYC prompted legislation that clarifies the right of housing cooperatives to enact and collect “flip taxes”.
• CNYC helped pass state legislation enabling condominiums to borrow money.
• CNYC spurred passage of laws for greatly expanded J-51 tax incentive opportunities for cooperatives and condominiums on qualifying building improvements.
• CNYC maintains files on goods and services and encourages members to add to these records.
• CNYC works with other organizations in New York City and throughout the nation to further the interests of resident home owners in cooperatives and condominiums.
  

The CNYC offices are located in Manhattan at 250 West 57th Street, Suite 730, New York, NY 10107-0700. Contact CNYC by phone at (212) 496-7400, by fax at (212) 580-7801 or (212) 247-4831, by e-mail at info@cnyc.coop, or on this website.

MEMBERS SUPPORT CNYC ACTIVITIES
Dues paid by more than 2,300 member cooperatives and condominiums fund CNYC activities. Membership entitles a cooperative or condominium to receive all CNYC publications, to participate in special purchases including websites, to attend CNYC functions, to consult CNYC for information and advice, to send one representative to the annual Housing Conference at no additional cost (many more are welcome), and to vote in the election of the Executive Board which sets CNYC policy. Members are asked to share information about their own experiences. The data you supply about your building is entered in CNYC records to help provide answers to questions from other cooperators.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
Only cooperative housing corporations and condominium associations are eligible for membership in the Council of New York Cooperatives & Condominiums. Members pay a registration fee of $5 per unit to a maximum of $150 upon joining CNYC, and an annual membership fee of $75 plus $3 per apartment to a maximum of $1,200. If a member fails to renew annually, registration is due again to bridge a lapsed membership. A membership form is found on this website, or send e-mail to info@cnyc.coop with your name, mailing address and daytime phone number. Individuals cannot become members of CNYC, but they are eligible for professional subscriptions.

PROFESSIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS
Professional Subscribers are individuals offering services to cooperatives and condominiums. Subscribers receive all CNYC publications and invitations to CNYC functions at a cost of $250 a year. Subscribers have no voting rights and cannot serve on the Executive Board of CNYC. Please use the CNYC Professional Subscription Form to apply today, or send e-mail to info@cnyc.coop with your name, mailing address and daytime phone number.

NAHC MEMBERSHIP THROUGH CNYC
The Council of New York Cooperatives & Condominiums enjoys a close affiliation with the National Association of Housing Cooperatives (NAHC). This Washington, D.C.-based organization has a 43-year history of promoting the interests of housing cooperatives throughout the nation. NAHC also prepares publications and training information, and conducts lobbying efforts for national issues of importance to cooperatives. It is the repository for the Cooperative Action Fund, which is used to fund efforts to affirm that Section 277 of the Internal Revenue Code does not apply to cooperatives.

Any housing cooperative can join NAHC individually at an annual cost of $70 plus $3.25 per dwelling unit. Cooperatives affiliated with CNYC can join NAHC at the special rate of $1.75 per unit. Membership in NAHC brings you access to NAHC’s bimonthly Cooperative Housing Bulletin and other member information on the NAHC website, and invitations to NAHC programs at member rates.

NAHC recently held its Annual Meeting and Conference in New Orleans. Its 51st Conference and Annual Meeting will take place in Puerto Rico from November 9 through 12th, 2011. For further information, contact NAHC at 1444 I Street, Suite 799, Washington, DC 20005 – (202) 737-0797 – or visit the NAHC Web site at www.coophousing.org.