Hello,
I am a social worker planning to buy a coop hoping to also see a few clients for psychotherapy. Is anybody familiar with how the boards regulate this? What are the restrictions or conditions to do this? Should I discuss this upfront with my broker before entering negotiations or could this hinder my negotiation process? Thank you!

I'm constanly amazed by the number of "can I gt away with..." "should I lie about..." questions. Why is being honest so difficult? Be honest about how you plan to live/use your place.

Find a building where that use is approved by other shareholders/owners. Don't lie, then get upset when you run into trouble later.

Is that so difficult?

The standard proprietary-lease language is "The lessee shall not use the apartment for any purpose other than a private dwelling for the lessee and members of the lessee's family." That's been held to mean no patients or clients.

Some buildings have ground-floor office-apartments where your kind of practice is specifically allowed.

As 10003 said, it's best to ask the selling broker or the building's managing agent.

Keep in mind that even if a lease provision isn't currently enforced in an easy-going building, a single episode can trigger a change.

Perhaps a condo is a better choice in your case. As NWT aptly points out boards can at any time decide to enforce previously overlooked bylaws and can also implement new rules. Typically co-ops do not like businesses operating out of shareholders' apartments, especially businesses that involve traffic. Have you considered renting or co-renting a small commercial space for your business instead?

Thank you all.
Bramstar, Yes, I am considering all options though residential/office space is more cost efficient...

I completely understand a coop outlawing a person buying a coop unit to use as an office. But if it's your HOME and you want your patients to visit you there then I think it's absolutely ridiculous to forbid that. As long as the patients aren't making trouble, how can a coop regulate GUEST THAT COME TO YOUR HOME??? If it's really a situation in which you will run your business out of your full time home, I don't think the coop should be stopping your guests.

No idea why anybody would ever buy a coop. Condos are so much better - no annoying coop boards sticking their noses in your business.

Lower price/sf. Less capital deployed.

Don't plan on being able to do it in a condo, either. The by-laws and other governing docs control use of residential units there, too.

saiyar, do you want to live across the hall from someone who is counseling drug addicts or ex-cons in their apartment? Would you be comfortable with a "wait and see" approach to seee if they make trouble?

OP, how many patients, how many times per week, and how do they appear? If it's five suburban mom types one time per week each, I think you can get away with it. If you start having multiple visitors show up on the same day in succession, or if the people showing up are clearly not friends, someone is going to notice and talk -- big building or small.