Do tenants have the right to fire their property managem

[hamilton]

Our building has just been sold to a new entity and the new management company is doing a poor job. Is there any law in New York that give tenant s the right to choose their building management company?

[Phil Cohen]

Yes. You can move out.

[TenantNet]

Well, that's not too helpful. Why not explain the difference between landlords and management companies and what options tenants have to deal with problems.

[Phil Cohen]

Well, it is the only answer I could think of. You get what you pay for.

[hamilton]

One clarification. The new mamanegment company is also owned by the new building owner!

[MikeW]

No.

The LL chooses the manager (or manages it themselves). There's really nothing you can do about it directly.

To some extent you can make the LL and managers' live miserable by varions actions (constantly filing complaints and lawsuits), but then again, they can do the same to you.

In the end the choice is to put up with them and try to work out whatever you can, or move.

[Phil Cohen]

It really is a waste of time and energy--and counterproductive--to worry about who the superintendent or managing company is. Frankly it is none of your (the tenant's) business. What IS your business is whether they give you the services to which you are entitled.
It is also a trap to get involved in things that are the landlord's concern. I used to have a landlord who would say, "Oh gee things are terrible in the building because you can't get help anymore."
I forget how I would reply, but the proper response is, "That's your problem." Nobody forces anyone to become a landlord. Your responsibility as a tenant is to pay the rent, in return for which it is the landlord's responsibility to get the building maintained properly. Whether he does that himself, or hires a management company, or gets people from Mars to do it--that is his problem. You're a tenant, not a real estate consultant.
So the bottom line is -- don't worry about who the management company is. Worry about what they do or don't do. If they suck, file appropriate complaints with whomever.

[Cranky Tenant]

I believe under some cicumstances where the LL or management has been "really bad" tenants can request to have a court appointed administrator oversee the building. I think it's called a "7a Administrator:" but maybe someone more knowledgable can explain this further.

Of course there's still no guarantee the admisistrator will be any better than the LL.

Beyond that, I dont know how many times the Management company that oversees my building has tried to give me a number to coordinate repairs, and I've had to explain to them it's their responsibility to set these things up and negotiate with workers. I just make the space available for them.