LIEB BLOG

Legal Analysts

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Real Estate Brokerage Regulatory Updates - 12/14/16 NYS Board of Real Estate meeting summary

On 12/14/16 the NYS Board of Real Estate continued its mission of optimizing the regulation of real estate brokers in our state by holding its meeting. To remind real estate brokers and salespersons, the public is welcome at these meetings where the public can bring comments from the floor. It's encouraged that Lieb School students attend these meetings to have your voices heard. 

"[T]he Board has general authority to promulgate rules and regulations affecting real estate brokers and salespersons in order to administer and effectuate the purposes of Article 12-A of the Real Property Law."

A complete video of the meeting is available on youtube.

In summary, the following was discussed:
  1. The collaboration between the Department of State and the Division of Human Rights in investigating claims of discrimination and enforcing the law. To date, the Department of State has referred 5 complaints to the Division of Human Rights. 
  2. The Department of State's right, even without subpoena, to request documents from a licensee (including to document requests pertaining to documents that are unrelated to the practice of real estate brokerage) and that a licensee's failure to cooperate may result in a license suspension. 
  3. A new licensing requirement of a 1 hour course on licensee safety is being added to curriculum and to make room for such additional hour the property insurance requirement is being reduced from 2 hours to 1 hour.
  4. The comments period for regulatory changes, [to 175.1 (commingling money), 175.7 (disclosure to clients before accepting money), 176.3 (1 hour license safety course), 177.3 (minimum instruction time of 1 hour rather than 3 hours), 177.7 (computation of time being 50 minutes for an hour requirement) and 175.25 (licensee disclosure of license type on business cards)], has expired and such regulations are expected to be effective in mid January 2017. 
  5. Brokerage firms can utilize cloud storage of their records so long as such cloud technology creates an accurate reproduction of paper records and has technology to permit discovery of any alterations of such records.
  6. The Board of Real Estate meeting schedule for 2017 is April 12, 2017, September 13, 2017 and December 6, 2017. 
The next meeting is expected on April 12, 2017. 



Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Real Estate Transactions and Notary Public Exposure

In a real estate practice the act of notarizing documents is a matter of course for attorneys, paralegals and title closers alike. Often the stamps come out without even a first concern or a break for analysis because a real estate transaction is far too often undertaken while the professionals are on autopilot. Typically, a title closer will stamp documents, collect them and file them at the County Clerk’s Office with minimal oversight and scant quality control measures being in place to avoid forgery or the like. The courts remind us, from time-to-time, that this is a bad idea.

Read the full article by Andrew Lieb, Esq. published in The Suffolk Lawyer here. 

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Lieb at Law seeks Associate Attorney for Complex Litigation

Lieb at Law, P.C. is seeking an Associate Attorney who can hit the ground running in a technologically advanced and collaborative environment. Ideal candidate is a top producer with impeccable research and writing skills. 

This role will start off working across all aspects of the firm’s litigation practice inclusive of real estate litigation, contractual litigation, premises liability, ownership disputes, plaintiff personal injury, estate litigation and more. You will draft legal memos, motions, pleading, discovery demands and responses. You will negotiate and prosecute personal injury claims against insurance adjusters. You will also help prepare for depositions, trials, mediations, arbitrations and expert consultations.  

Proven competency quickly leads to more challenging and rewarding litigation opportunities such as oral arguments, depositions, appeals, arbitrations, mediations and trials. Throughout every step you will be mentored. Those that succeed will be charged with developing their own personal niche as their career evolves.

The firm offers an environment that supports personal and professional growth without micromanagement or dogmatic resistance to fresh and innovative ideas.  Competence trumps experience and career growth is limited only by your own ability, ambition and desire to learn, evolve and earn career “wows”. 

This position is located in Center Moriches, which is in Suffolk County within the Riverhead / Westhampton Area. Clients span across Metro New York area.

Compensation: Commensurate with experience, includes full benefits package. 

To apply submit Cover Letter and Resume here. 

Monday, December 05, 2016

Ben Carson is nominated to be the next HUD Secretary

Media is reporting that Trump's HUD pick, Ben Carson, will undo Obama's fair housing legacy (e.g., Obama's rule on local communities assessing patterns of racial & income discrimination existing in housing, amongst others).


They cite to what Ben Carson wrote in the Washing Times:

These government-engineered attempts to legislate racial equality create consequences that often make matters worse. There are reasonable ways to use housing policy to enhance the opportunities available to lower-income citizens, but based on the history of failed socialist experiments in this country, entrusting the government to get it right can prove downright dangerous.


Yet, remember fair housing is enforced on the local level of government and the federal government provides merely a floor of rights, not a ceiling. As stated in the Fair Housing Act, at 42 USC 3615:

Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to invalidate or limit any law of a State or political subdivision of a State, or of any other jurisdiction in which this subchapter shall be effective, that grants, guarantees, or protects the same rights as are granted by this subchapter; but any law of a State, a political subdivision, or other such jurisdiction that purports to require or permit any action that would be a discriminatory housing practice under this subchapter shall to that extent be invalid.


So, states like New York, who provide additional protections to the federal government, will continue to protect society's most vulnerable irrespective of what the federal government does. As Governor Cuomo said in a speech on February 14, 2016:
This state is about acceptance of all by all; discrimination of none by none. Those are the rules that we live by in this state,  ... if you are looking for the progressive future and you want to know how to deal with tough problems, like racial unrest and cultural diversity, you look to the great state of new york. 

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Top Reasons to Be Thankful For East End Real Estate Brokers

The best listing agents sell property based on substance. Before even marketing the property, these agents understand that they are brokering a specific property that requires a tailored approach. 

From Due Diligence, Negotiations and Fair Housing, top Real Estate Agents continue to impress us. Learn what they do to lead the industry. 

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Condominium Foreclosure for Unpaid Common Charges

In Plotch v. Citibank, decided on May 10, 2016, the Court of Appeals clarified issues of lien priority between a consolidated mortgage and a condominium’s common charge lien pursuant to RPL §399-z. Specifically, the court addressed whether the exception to a common charge lien’s priority for “all sums unpaid on a first mortgage of record,” as set forth in RPL §399-z, applies to a consolidated mortgage recorded prior to the recordation of such common charge lien. The court held that a consolidated mortgage constitutes only one first mortgage of record for purposes of lien priority under the Condominium Act. However, the court limited its holding by emphasizing that the consolidated mortgage was recorded prior to the common charge lien, and therefore the court expounded that “[t]he consolidation agreement […] did not interfere with any rights of the condominium board.” In such, it is envisioned that a subsequently recorded consolidation agreement to a common charge lien will not be given first lien priority pursuant to RPL §399-z.

Read the full article, published in The Suffolk Lawyer by Andrew Lieb, Esq. Here. 

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

The End of Airbnb in NYC

On October 21, 2016 Governor Cuomo signed a bill into law that amends the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law (“NYSMDL”) and the New York City Administrative Code to prohibit the advertising of certain New York City residential rentals with lease terms of less than 30 days. Although many short-term rentals in New York City are already illegal in order to prevent dwelling units from being used as transient hotels in violation of fire and building codes and other regulations, this law makes it clear that the advertising of such rentals is also prohibited. Now that this bill has become law, those who list rentals on Airbnb and other short-term rental websites may face a fine of up to $1,000 for the first violation, $5,000 for the second violation, and $7,500 for the third violation and any subsequent violations.

In 2010, the NYSMDL was amended to ban short-term rentals with terms of less than 30 days for class A multiple dwellings, which are dwellings used as permanent residences where each dwelling is occupied by three or more independent families. A dwelling is considered a permanent residence if it is occupied by the same natural person(s) for a period of 30 consecutive days or more.

Three exceptions exist to the 30-day restriction for class A multiple dwellings rentals. First, occupants who cohabitate with boarders or lodgers are exempt because they are sharing the space in a license scenario rather than granting exclusive occupancy in a lease, which is a prerequisite  to the applicability of the prohibition on short-term rentals. Next, where the occupants live in the class A dwelling for less than 30 days, but do not pay the permanent occupants for their stay, the restriction is also inapplicable. This situation occurs frequently when friends or family members stay at the residence when the owner is not home. Finally, class A multiple dwellings explicitly do not include hotels, rooming houses, boarding houses, club houses, and school dormitories.

There are also exemptions for some Class A dwelling units that are grandfathered from the prior law. This grandfathering occurred where a Class A dwelling was constructed before a specific date and was historically and continuously used for purposes other than as permanent residences. These units were allowed to convert to Class B (which is a class that includes, but is not limited to, hotels, rooming houses, boarding houses, club houses, and college dormitories) within 2 years after the effective date of the 2010 law if the owners could obtain a Class B certificate of occupancy and complied with all of the conditions and requirements within this 2-year conversion period. However, since these conditions and requirements were quite stringent, many such dwellings did not qualify for this conversion. Furthermore, those that did not convert to Class B by 2012 have missed their opportunity.  

Despite the 2010 law, short-term rental websites such as Airbnb have proliferated, each allowing individuals to list their apartments on these websites for short periods which inherently violate the NYSMDL. Under this new law, New York legislators have stopped the proliferation of these advertisements in their tracks.

The NYSMDL only applies to cities with populations of 325,000 or more. Realistically, this means that NYSMDL only applies to New York City, since it is the only city in the state with  a population of 325,000 or more. This new law essentially marks the end of short-term listings on Airbnb in New York City. In the war against short-term rentals that operate as illegal hotels, New York legislators has won its latest battle.


Monday, October 10, 2016

Litigation Associate | Career Opportunity | Lieb at Law, P.C. is Hiring

*NYC Attorneys that want to relocate to suffolk county / hamptons*


We are looking to hire an attorney who is a sharp and dynamic leader to join our litigation practice group. We are a collaborative firm that leverages cutting edge technology and tangible fact-driven support to win cases. The ideal attorney has a fresh approach, thinks outside-the-box and does not cut corners. Our firm motto is 'no case; no statute; no talk'. This means that fluff will not get anyone very far at Lieb at Law. Specific practice field experience is not as relevant to us as finding the best match for our team (i.e., ambition and competence surpasses years in the industry).

Depending on the level of expertise, the role will either support or lead cases inclusive of real estate litigation, real estate brokerage litigation, title disputes, contractual litigation, premises liability, ownership disputes, personal injury, fair housing / discrimination, estate litigation and more. Seasoned attorneys will engage in oral arguments, depositions, arbitrations, mediations, trials, and appeals.

Our clients span across the New York Metro area and the Hamptons inclusive of major corporate accounts, high net worth individuals, small businesses, and more.

The firm offers an environment that supports personal and professional growth without micromanagement or dogmatic resistance to fresh and innovative ideas. Driven attorneys who prove their competency are quickly rewarded with increased responsibilities and opportunities beyond that offered for similarly experienced attorneys at larger firms. Competence trumps experience and career growth is limited only by an attorney’s own ability, ambition and desire to learn, evolve and earn career "wows".  Partner Track is preferred.

Compensation is commensurate with competency. (benefits included)


Cover Letter and Resumes to careers@liebatlaw.com or  http://tinyurl.com/liebatlawjob

--------------------------------------------

About Lieb at Law, P.C.

Lieb at Law, P.C. services the New York Metro area inclusive of the Hamptons and NYC with a practice focus on real estate and corporate litigation and compliance. Lieb attorneys train and write articles on the latest case law, statutes and industry practices affecting real estate professionals. The firm also offers legal services in related fields like real estate brokerage, fair housing / discrimination, mortgage foreclosure, business / entrepreneurship, ownership disputes and more. Lieb at Law also provides a full range of legal services for landlords such as: Ownership Entity Structuring; Lease Drafting & Negotiation; Fair Housing and Discrimination Training & Litigation Defense; Pet Policies & House Rules; Evictions; Property Damage Litigation & Security Deposit Disputes; Rental Permits & Municipal Compliance; Land Use and Development; and Property Management Training & Operations Structuring.

Lieb at Law's mission is to serve as an indispensable strategic advisor to our clients, helping to minimize risk while maximizing profitability, and aggressively litigate with leading solutions. The firms transactional team ensures that contractual language is driven by qualitative data from the litigation field. Lieb at Laws work product is a derivative of embracing education and technology. Lieb at Law is fully committed to our technology-based collaborative approach and believes that this operational model drives our success.

Beyond utilizing legal research platforms to enable immediate access to the most recent case law and publications, the firm's systems include cloud-based file and time management software with additional proprietary programs. As a result, Lieb Attorneys have instantaneous access to client records anywhere, even on their smartphones in court and at closings.

This profile is attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome

Wednesday, October 05, 2016

Andrew Lieb Esq. and Dennis Valet, Esq. have been named NY Metro Rising Stars 2016 from Super Lawyers

Lieb at Law, P.C.  is thrilled to announce that Andrew Lieb, Esq. and Dennis Valet Esq. have been named NY Metro Rising Stars 2016 from Super Lawyers.

They are featured in The Annual List of Top Attorneys from Super Lawyers. 


Summer’s Over: How to Prepare Your Home for Next Year

With the summer season over, East End landlords are in the process of retaking possession of their homes. Beyond perhaps a few beach trips, it’s the time of year when landlords need to assess the extent that their tenants damaged their summer homes and to hire contractors to make the requisite repairs and improvements to those properties in order for them to be ready for next year’s crop of tenants. However, the damage is not the end of the headache.
Instead, incident to getting those repairs done many landlords will end up fighting with contractors over fees, which can be an all-consuming experience because of the ever-present threat of a mechanics’ lien. Pursuant to the New York State Lien Law, a mechanics’ lien is a type of security instrument in real estate available to a “[a] contractor, subcontractor, laborer, materialman, landscape gardener, nurseryman … who performs labor or furnishes materials for the improvement of real property with the consent or at the request of the owner,” which must be filed within 4 months (8 months in commercial) of the last date such labor or materials were provided at a residential project. 
Andrew Lieb, Esq. shares the top 5 facts about mechanics’ liens that every homeowner should understand on Dan's Papers. Click here to read the full article. 

Monday, October 03, 2016

Continuing Education Requirements for New York Licensed Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons

New York Real Estate Salespersons and Brokers are regulated by the Department of State, New York (DOS) and are required to complete 22.5 Continuing Education credits within a 2 year license renewal period.  License renewal dates can be found on the New York State Real Estate License (look for license expiration date). 

As of 01/01/2017, Licensed NY Real Estate Salespersons and Brokers must take the following Continuing Education courses in their renewal cycle:

  • 3 Hours of instruction pertaining to Fair Housing and/or Discrimination in the sale or rental of real property or an interest of real property
  • 2 Hours of Agency Disclosure for the initial two-year licensing term and at least 1 hour of Agency Disclosure in subsequent renewal cycles. 
If you are grandfathered in, the new continuing education requirements do not apply.  

  • Draw your attention to this paragraph "The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any licensed real estate broker who is engaged full time in the real estate business  and who has been licensed under this article prior to July first, two thousand eight for at least fifteen consecutive years immediately preceding such renewal."

In addition to the New York State Continuing Education requirements, member's of the National Association of REALTORS® are required to complete ethics training of not less than 2 hours, 30 minutes of instructional time within four-year cycles. The training must meet specific learning objectives and criteria established by the National Association of REALTORS®. The current cycle will end Dec. 31, 2016. 

Lieb School offers a license renewal package that satisfies ALL of the requirements above. 

Or you can purchase individual courses here:





Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Defaults in Foreclosure are a Thing of the Past

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law an amendment to CPLR Rule 3408, which, at new subsection (m) thereof, effectively eliminates defaults in foreclosure actions as currently understood. Interestingly, the amendment is made to CPLR Rule 3408, which is the CPLR Rule titled “Mandatory settlement conference in residential foreclosure actions,” and not to CPLR Rule 320, which is the CPLR Rule titled “ Defendant’s appearance,” or to CPLR Rule 5015, which is the CPLR Rule titled “Relief from judgment or order,” or to CPLR §3012(d), which is the CPLR subsection titled “Extension of time to appear or plead.” This choice of placement raises questions about how the amendment will be effective in practice. Further questions are raised because the amendment includes superfluous language in expressly stating that the “default shall be deemed vacated” while also referencing the “reasonable excuse” language from both CPLR Rule 5015 and CPLR §3012(d). Still further, the new subsection does not eliminate the need for a defendant to formally answer, but only extends the time to answer, which presumptively will remain a problem for a foreclosure defendant to accomplish at a later date. These question marks need to be ironed out by practitioners and the courts after new subsection (m)’s effective date of December 20, 2016.

Read the full article published in The Suffolk Lawyer by Andrew Lieb, Esq. and Jay Sheryll, Esq. here. 

Monday, September 26, 2016

Career Opportunity | Attorney | Litigation | Lieb at Law, P.C.

Lieb at Law, P.C., is seeking a Litigation Attorney.


We are looking to hire an associate attorney who is a sharp and dynamic leader (and/or potential leader) to join our litigation practice group in Center Moriches. We are a collaborative firm that leverages cutting edge technology and tangible fact-driven support to win cases. The ideal attorney has a fresh approach, thinks outside-the-box and does not cut corners. Our firm motto is 'no case; no statute; no talk'. This means that fluff will not get anyone very far at Lieb at Law. Specific practice field experience is not as relevant to us as finding the best cultural match (i.e., ambition and competence surpasses years in the industry). 

Depending on the level of expertise, the role will either support or lead cases inclusive of real estate litigation, real estate brokerage litigation, title disputes, contractual litigation, premises liability, ownership disputes, estate litigation and more. For more junior litigators, the role will start off drafting legal memorandums, pleadings, discovery demands and responses, motions, settlement negotiations, and more. Seasoned attorneys will engage in oral arguments, depositions, arbitrations, mediations, trials, and appeals. 

Our clients span across the New York Metro area and the Hamptons inclusive of major corporate accounts, high net worth individuals, small businesses, and more. 

The firm offers an environment that supports personal and professional growth without micromanagement or dogmatic resistance to fresh and innovative ideas. Driven attorneys who prove their competency are quickly rewarded with increased responsibilities and opportunities beyond that offered for similarly experienced attorneys at larger firms. Competence trumps experience and career growth is limited only by an attorney’s own ability, ambition and desire to learn, evolve and earn career "wows". 


Compensation is commensurate with competency. 

**TO APPLY** Email Cover Letter & Resume to careers@liebatlaw.com 

Friday, September 23, 2016

Lieb School Launches 22.5 CE License Renewal Course Package | Online Video Classes | $99.00

NY Real Estate Continuing Education 22.5 Credit 

License Renewal Course Package 

(click for online classes preview - turn sound on)
Anywhere and anytime you can finish all 22.5 hours of real estate continuing education as long as you have internet access. Lieb School’s online license renewal package includes video, audio and interactivity to get the job done without making you want to gouge your eyeballs out. Satisfies Department of State, New York Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements for License Renewal.

Courses include:

  • Deal Killers (3 CE Credits)
  • Conflicts of Interest (3 CE Credits)
  • Agency Disclosure (8 CE Credits)
  • Divorce Deals (4.5 CE Credits)
  • Fair Housing Act (4 CE Credits)
The first course in this package is Deal Killers, where you will learn how to comprehensively negotiate a deal with substance and understand how to lock in your commission through creating a paper trail proving that you addressed substantially all of the essential terms of the transaction while negotiating the deal. Next, Conflicts of Interest will teach you the role of each player in a transaction and how to avoid an ethical claim that can otherwise ruin your career. Following, you will learn the whole enchilada about agency disclosure including an easy to follow 12 scenario explanation of which form to give and when. After you have mastered how to fill out the agency disclosure forms, Divorce Deals will show you how to navigate through all of the complexities of selling a marital residence and share with you interesting insights of what your clients are going through during their divorce process. Last but certainly not least, after completing the Fair Housing Act course, you will learn the nationwide standard for anti-discrimination laws in residential housing and how to perform your job while avoiding lawsuits, which New York State is actively pursuing against real estate brokers today.

After trying Lieb School’s ONLINE classes, you will never want online education from any other provider. Lieb School’s leading distance education combines the latest interactive technology, license law education and continuing edutainment.

Each course includes a video from a live classroom setting that was instructed by premiere lecturer Andrew Lieb, Esq. Content is thereafter broken down in order to simplify the learning experience so that students can absorb our field’s complex materials without being overwhelmed.

*Prices Subject to change
** Must complete the courses 6 months from the date you registered


CLICK HERE TO REGISTER






Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Real Estate Brokerage Regulatory Updates - 9/20/16 NYS Board of Real Estate meeting summary


On 9/20/16 the NYS Board of Real Estate continued its mission of optimizing the regulation of real estate brokers in our state by holding its meeting in NYC and Albany. To remind real estate brokers and salespersons, the public is welcome at these meetings where the public can bring comments from the floor. It's encouraged that Lieb School students attend these meetings to have your voices heard. 

"[T]he Board has general authority to promulgate rules and regulations affecting real estate brokers and salespersons in order to administer and effectuate the purposes of Article 12-A of the Real Property Law."

A complete video of the meeting is available on youtube.

In summary, the following was discussed:
  1. The partnership between the Department of State and the Division of Human Rights to enforce fair housing laws; 
  2. The new agency disclosure continuing education requirements as signed by the Governor into law earlier this month; 
  3. Diversity being an approved topic for continuing education;
  4. Notice of regulatory changes for the following topics will appear on the state register for 45 day comment period on 9/28/16: 19 NYCRR 175.1 (escrow and how much time can be held before deposited), 19 NYCRR 175.7 (consent of parties), 19 NYCRR 176.3 (license safety course and reduction in hours to property insurance course), 19 NYCRR 177.3 (allows training modules to be 1 hour rather than 3), 19 NYCRR 177.7 (allows the computating the computation from 60 to 50 minutes), and 19 NYCRR 175.25 (advertisements of business cards that license type be listed as a clarification); and
  5. Changing point allocation for acting as listing agent and selling agent.
Of note, no quorum existed so no votes were taken. The next meeting is expected in January 2017. 


Real Estate Brokerage - Major Change to Continuing Education Requirements - Agency Disclosure REQUIRED

On September 9, 2016 Governor Cuomo signed into law a major change to the continuing education requirements for real estate brokers, associate real estate brokers and real estate salespersons.

The new requirement reads as follows:
"[A]t least one hour of instruction pertaining to the law of agency except in the case of the initial two-year licensing term for real estate salespersons, two hours of agency related instruction must be completed"

This act takes effect on January 1, 2017.

The stated purpose of the Bill is:
"The bill amends the real property law to require two hours of agency related coursework in the licensee's initial two-year licensing term as part of the 22 1/2 hours of continuing education required for renewal of a real estate license in New York. In subsequent license terms one hour of agency related coursework will be required."

The justification for the Bill is:
"Understanding the agency relationship created between buyers/sellers, landlords/tenants and the real estate professional representing them during the real estate transaction is essential.

There are many real estate professionals and consumers who are often confused by the agency relationships created during the real estate transaction. At various points in time there may be several different agency relationships created, terminated or changed from first encounter to the closing table. Understanding what fiduciary duties are owed, the proper use of the agency disclosure form, and the ability to successfully represent clients in various forms of agency relationships such as buyer/tenant agency, seller/landlord agency and dual agency are critical for consumer protection."

Fulfill the requirement at Lieb School with our Agency Disclosure ONLINE course TODAY