Cooper Square

Cooper Square Realty’s 200-plus employees are dedicated to providing quality service. Our experienced property managers, who work with boards on a daily basis, are backed by an excellent support staff and senior management.

Our divisions hold weekly meetings to review the management of properties, set goals and schedules for improvements.

Trained, Professional Property Managers

Our responsibility is to manage buildings and everyone in our company, from the president to the support staff, is involved. Our team approach provides every client with both a property manager and a senior executive. This results in better service as at least two levels of expertise are familiar with a building and its operations.

Our philosophy is to hire the best people and give them the support and tools needed to excel in their jobs. We seek people who have talent, energy and integrity, and use the hiring process to learn as much as we can about the candidates. This includes intensive interviewing and carefully checking the candidate’s background, financial stability and all references. A significant investment is made in each employee, and we want it to be long-term.

All agents go through rigorous training utilizing our one-of-a-kind Cooper Square Leaning Center, where they are certified and participate in continuing education programs. Considerable time is spent training our support staff in our procedures and style. We have a formal training program to educate them about our systems and philosophy of professional management. It is undoubtedly the best in the industry.

Timely and Comprehensive Reports

An informed board is an effective board and Cooper Square Realty provides three monthly reports that keep boards current on all matters.

The three reports are:

1. Monthly management report detailing all management-related activities in the building.

2. Comprehensive monthly financial report that is presented on time and monitors compliance with the annual budget so appropriate adjustments can be made.

3. Action report listing projects that we are working on and haven’t completed. We are the only management company with such a report.

All reports are available to board members 24/7 through CooperSquare Connect. We believe our detailed reports are the best in the business and easy-to-understand with detailed, current information.

Supervision of Building’s Staff

The old axiom, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” has significance for us. While Cooper Square has the capabilities to provide quality management for any property, we are dependent on the services of a building’s staff. Therefore, we stringently oversee every employee’s performance and coordinate work assignments. We start by conducting a review of staff members to see how their responsibilities coordinate with the building’s operations.

The Cooper Square Guide to Staff Services is a customized manual for each building with guidelines for workers, work schedules with individual job descriptions AND procedures specific to each property.

Frequent Building Inspections

A manager is most effective when he or she frequently visits the properties they manage. In addition to our visits and walk-throughs, we conduct periodic full-scale inspections, using our VTRAX system to provide photographic documentation and work orders. We assess maintenance programs and make repairs when the job is comparatively small, rather than delaying and having a major construction expense.

Reduced Energy Costs

Cooper Square Realty has always put a premium on reducing energy costs through various programs that emphasize having the systems function at maximum efficiency, monitoring usage and negotiating the best available prices for fuel and electricity. These programs include:

Periodically we produce graphs and charts to track fuel usage, and to monitor the efficiency of the systems and the accuracy of deliveries.
We have agreements with major fuel oil suppliers that obligate them to give our properties the lowest price.
Through our Compliance Department and VTRAX building maintenance program, we make certain all required inspections and periodic maintenance is done. This helps keep the equipment running at maximum efficiency and prolongs the life of systems.
We have entered into demand management programs where we schedule the start up of systems for non-peak demand hours giving the properties we manage a reduction in electric prices.
Electricity is purchased from ESCOs (Energy Service Companies) to save without obligating buildings to long-term contracts.

VTRAX

VTRAX is a computerized building compliance, inspection and work order system that tracks maintenance of building systems, issues work orders with timed, color photos, keeps a history of all activity and reminds managers of items needing follow up. The system records preventive maintenance work, enabling management, the board or the superintendent to electronically access this information quickly to determine activity status.

Resident Alerts

Resident Alert is a telephone communications system for Cooper Square Realty managers to send out immediate and simultaneous alerts to residents about emergencies and possible disruptions in service. It is also available for reminders of community activities, meetings and other information.

A One-of-a-Kind Program

In recent years, numerous laws have been adopted for the safety of residents of multi-family buildings. Many of the regulations involve building systems and are handled by the property manager or our Compliance Department.

Three regulations require notification, and, in some cases, responses from residents. These are regulations concerning window guards, lead paint and smoke detector alarms.

Cooper Square Realty has created a unique automated system to ensure accurate and permanent record keeping and simplify responses from residents. Each year, residents in Cooper Square-managed properties receive a booklet with the required safety notices. Included is a bar-coded postcard for the residents to fill out and return. The cards are scanned creating a permanent record of compliance that is accurate and easily retrievable.

Efficient Monthly Collections

We understand the importance of cash flow and the need for timely collection of monthly charges. Proactive steps are taken to reduce arrears, including coordinating legal action. However, we follow the policies set by the board in this area and are sensitive to hardship cases. We make telephone calls as a friendly reminder to those who are late with their monthly payments. We also make recommendations to improve collections.

Cooper Square Realty is capable of accepting payments by automatic deduction, on-line or by check. Receipts are processed daily and are updated in real time.

Cooper Square Realty has developed a computerized system to track leases and sublets, which notifies parties well in advance of the expiration of the lease to avoid confusion and possible conflict. The system also tracks all fees due and contains a record of all resident accounts.

Effective Purchasing Policies

We adhere to strict purchasing policies, maintaining comprehensive records of all expenditures and utilizing cost comparisons with a variety of vendors to ensure the best quality at the best price.

A Dedicated Compliance Department

Failure to comply with ever-changing government regulations and laws can create significant problems for properties. That’s why at Cooper Square Realty we have a dedicated Compliance Department to assure that every property complies. The Compliance Department knows the regulations and our automated compliance alert system helps ensure that all buildings we manage file the proper certifications and have necessary inspections on time. We have developed a one-of-a-kind program to assist residents’ compliance with several city regulations.

Long-term Planning is Important

Cooper Square believes in long-term planning. It’s an excellent warning system and an important component in having a professional approach to managing a property.

“Properties need long-term plans so estimates can be made for repairs and capital improvements and a payment program can be established,” says David Kuperberg, Cooper Square president. “The plans also help improve maintenance and repair procedures and prolong the life of equipment.”

“It sounds elementary,” Kuperberg continues, “yet, surprisingly few of the thousands of co-ops and condos in the metropolitan area have such plans. Most exist on what we call a ‘one-and-pray’ basis. They plan for one year and pray they avoid major problems. Sound financial planning can’t depend on luck.”

The program involves a complete inspection of the physical plant, which is analyzed in conjunction with the cost of maintaining, repairing and replacing the existing components over five years. This valuable blueprint allows the board and agent to look at repairs and replacements in context and to set priorities. A budget is established for the work over the five years and funding sources are identified.

Security and Fire Safety

Cooper Square Realty takes an active role to establish security and fire safety procedures and to educate residents. We inspect for security breaches and fire hazards and make recommendations for necessary changes. With Resident Alert we can quickly and simultaneously telephone all residents in the event of an emergency or building announcement.

It is established company policy to encourage residents to know what to do in case of a fire. Included in the information we prepare and distribute to residents and staff of each building we manage is a fire safety plan with specific instructions for residents and staff in the event of a fire. These instructions take into account the building's size, age and layout.

Cost-effective Insurance Programs for Associations

Cooper Square Realty is a leader in developing innovative insurance programs. We have an insurance coordinator on staff who manages our centralized insurance procurement and we maintain our own $100,000,000 umbrella liability policy that enables our managed properties to save significant costs on coverage.

Our Learning Center provides risk management instruction and certification to our managers and we are able to obtain credits from major insurance carriers for our properties.

Insurance specialists evaluate each property’s insurance portfolio and claims procedures seeking improvements in coverage and/or premium reductions. Property managers are trained to look for potential liabilities and risks during their building inspections to help eliminate dangerous situation.