Does the Building Allow Subletting?

Like knowing building regulations before applying, it’s worth talking to your broker about the “flavor” of the building. And keep this in mind: If your lifestyle is incompatible with that of your neighbors, would you really want to live in that building in the first place? You’ve heard stories about that job applicant who was rejected because of the pictures posted to Facebook, Flickr or (heaven forbid!) MySpace from a college spring-break trip 10 years ago. Well, the major difference between a job interview and a co-op interview is that the co-op interview is more personal. Then, in your application and interview, highlight the points of your lifestyle that fit in with this flavor and downplay those that don’t.

Certainly you can imagine many ways to get rejected by a co-op board, but hopefully these aren’t things you’d actually do — talk about the kickin’ bachelor pad you’ve always wanted or arrive to a morning interview with whiskey on your breath. That’s mostly because co-op boards have the legal right to be rather arbitrary. The 1990 Court of Appeals decision in Levandusky v. One Fifth Ave. Apt. That said, there are many sneakier pitfalls that can hurt your chances of being accepted to the co-op. As long as decisions aren’t discriminatory, the board can deny you for any and every reason it sees fit — in New York City and most other places — without having to explain the basis for this judgment.

While it’s illegal to turn down an applicant based on occupation, the fact that most co-op boards are allowed to keep rejection reasons to themselves can make it extremely difficult to prove that a rejection is due to your job as a pop star or a personal injury lawyer, rather than a more socially appreciated job. But it’s not that easy. If it were just that easy, every co-op applicant would list $20 million in liquid assets, show a credit rating of 810 and have a closet — financial or otherwise — completely devoid of clanking, groaning skeletons.

Nothing’s off limits — including those incriminating pictures. Or just don’t do it (but where’s the fun in that?). But as anyone under the age of 35 seems to understand, the best defense against the black cloud of unwanted social media following you forever is to ensure that before you dance on the bar or otherwise humiliate yourself, you confiscate all surrounding smart phones. Delete or retag photos, cancel outdated social media profiles and update existing ones. You can be sure they will. And if what you find paints you in a light that’s a little less than complimentary, do what you can to clean it up. So do yourself a favor: Before you turn in your co-op application, Google yourself.

And like a judicial ruling, a low selling price sets precedent. Well, the poor seller can be stuck with a unit they can’t move in current market conditions, and buyers can find themselves bullied into paying a price out of whack with the times (or bullied into going elsewhere). It’s worth what someone will pay for it, and if that price is shown to be low, the value of all the units in the building drops. What’s real estate worth? What does a board member have to lose by disallowing lowball sales in economic tough times?