N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 13, § 18.1
(4) The conversion of an occupied building to two or more condominium units and the conversion of one or more of the condominium units to an apartment corporation (“condo-coop”) is primarily subject to this Part. In addition, the offering plan must comply with the requirements of Part 19 of this Subchapter to the extent necessary to comply with subdivision (b) of this section.
(b) Standard of compliance.
An offering plan must, at a minimum:
(7) not contain any representation or statement which is false, where the sponsor or the person who made such representation or statement:
(iv) did not have knowledge concerning the representation or statement made.
(c) Definitions.
(1) As used in this Part, the word sponsor(s) means any person, partnership, joint venture, corporation, company, trust, association or other entity who makes or takes part in a public offering or sale, in or from the State of New York, of securities consisting primarily of shares or participation interests or investment in real estate, including cooperative interests in realty.
(7) Digital copy means a copy that is identical in content to a paper copy except that it is recorded electronically in read-only .pdf format or other electronic format that the Department of Law determines to be acceptable. Digital copies of the plan shall include all the supporting documents included in Part II of the plan. Digital copies of the exhibits to the plan shall include all documents referenced in section 18.2(c)(4) of this Part, as applicable. Digital copies of the amendment shall include all exhibits, back-up documents, and other supplemental documents annexed to the amendment, as applicable. The Department of Law shall periodically issue a Guidance Document as defined by State Administrative Procedure Act section 102(14), setting forth particular guidelines and procedures for the submission of digital copies. Such Guidance Document will be available on the Department of Law’s website, as required by State Administrative Procedure Act section 202(e).
(d) Service.
(1) Unless otherwise provided by statute or regulation, any document required to be served by this Part shall be served on:
(iv) any other person entitled to service pursuant to local law or regulation (collectively "offerees"), in the following manner:
(2) Service by personal delivery shall be deemed complete upon delivery. Service by mailing shall be presumed complete on the fifth day after the date of mailing. An affidavit of service identifying the offerees served, stating the manner of service and the date of service, shall be a document required to be retained under section 18.3(ff) of this Part. The date of completion of service shall be the latest date on which service upon all offerees is deemed and/or presumed complete.
(e) Notice to tenants and affidavit of service.
(1) Within three business days from the date the proposed offering plan is first submitted to the Department of Law, the sponsor shall serve each offeree, as defined in subdivision (d) of this section, with a copy of the proposed offering plan, together with the following notice:
Date of Notice:
We have submitted to the New York State Department of Law, Real Estate Finance Bureau, a proposed offering plan, commonly known as a “red herring”, for the conversion of (insert address and name of building, if any) to a cooperative. The final offering plan has not yet been filed with the Department of Law. The law requires us to disclose all material information concerning the building and the conversion process in this proposed offering plan. A copy of the proposed offering plan is enclosed for you to comment on and to retain. Additional copies of the proposed offering plan are available for inspection and copying at a reasonable charge, at the office of sponsor (or selling agent) located at (insert address of sponsor or selling agent) and the Department of Law.
The Attorney General strongly urges you to read this proposed offering plan carefully and to consult with an attorney to advise you as to the meaning and consequences of this plan.
The law requires the Department of Law, within not less than 120 days nor more than 180 days from the date of submission of the proposed offering plan, to either file the offering plan or to indicate how the offering plan is deficient. No apartments may be sold or offered for sale, no subscription agreements may be executed, and no downpayments may be accepted unless and until the Department of Law files the final offering plan. A copy of the filed plan will then be served on each tenant. You may send written comments on the proposed offering plan to the New York State Department of Law, Real Estate Finance Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005. You may also send your written comments to (insert name and address of sponsor or selling agent.)
(3) If G.B.L. section 352-eee or 352-eeee is applicable, the notice shall also state:
Tenants or their representatives may physically inspect the premises at any time subsequent to the submission of the plan to the Department of Law, during normal business hours, upon written request made by them to the sponsor or selling agent, provided tenants' representatives are registered architects or professional engineers licensed to practice in the State of NewYork. After a final offering plan is filed with the Department of Law, copies of all postings required by section 352-eee or 352-eeee of the New York General Business Law, which are described in the “Rights of Existing Tenants” section on page __ of the plan, will be made available for inspection and copying at the office of the Department of Law where the submission was made and at the office of the sponsor or selling agent.
(6) If the offering plan is submitted to the Department of Law on or after September 1, 2016 subject to G.B.L. section 352-eee, and the sponsor executed a contract of sale for the building or group of buildings or acquired the building or group of buildings on or after September 1, 2016, the notice shall also state: If you are a senior citizen or disabled tenant as defined by G.B.L. section 352-eee(1)(f) or G.B.L. section 352-eee(1)(g), respectively, you have additional rights and protections, including the right to elect to become a non-purchasing tenant. Senior citizen and disabled tenants are advised to read the section of the offering plan entitled “Rights of Eligible Senior Citizens and Eligible Disabled Persons.” If the offering plan is submitted to the Department of Law on or after July 1, 2016 subject to G.B.L. section 352-eee, and the sponsor executed a contract of sale for the building or group of buildings or acquired the building or group of buildings on or after September 1, 2016, the notice shall also include the eligible senior citizen and eligible disabled person election forms promulgated by the Department of Law, forms SH-5 and SH-2, respectively.
(f) No excessive long-term vacancies.
If G.B.L. section 352-eee or 352-eeee is applicable to the offering, within three business days following completion of service on all offerees, as defined in subdivision (d) of this section, of a proposed offering plan, sponsor shall submit an affidavit stating:
(6) the following information with respect to any tenant who is the sponsor, or the selling agent, or is related to the sponsor, the selling agent or any principal of the sponsor or selling agent by blood, marriage or adoption or as a business associate, an employee, a shareholder or a limited partner:
(vi) whether or not the tenant has been counted as a bona fide tenant by the sponsor for the purposes of this affidavit.
The Department of Law, in its discretion, may require such further proof as it deems necessary to establish that there were no excessive long-term vacancies.
(g) Time of review.
After submission of the proposed offering plan for filing, the Department of Law shall issue a letter to the sponsor or sponsor's attorney stating that the plan is filed, or indicating deficiencies. The Department of Law shall issue such a letter for an offering plan subject to this Part no sooner than 120 days and no later than 180 days after the date of submission of the proposed offering plan. The Department of Law may issue a deficiency letter whenever it appears: (1) that the department cannot make any finding mandated by law, or (2) that the proposed offering plan is deficient in one or more respects. The Department of Law may, in its discretion, deem an offering plan as not submitted if the proposed offering plan and exhibits are incomplete and therefore do not meet the requirements of section 18.2 of this Part, Procedure for Submission.
(h) Revisions.
Following submission of a proposed offering plan, revisions must be made to reflect any material change of fact or circumstances pertaining to the proposed offering, the offerors, the property involved, the condition of the premises, or the costs of ownership and operation of the property, so that the offering plan may continue to comply with subdivision (b) of this section. Such revisions shall be submitted to the attorney assigned by the Department of Law to review the proposed offering plan. The Department of Law may issue a deficiency letter and/or require resubmission of a new offering plan if the revisions reflect matters of fact or circumstances which were known or should have been known to the sponsor at the time of original submission, or substantially change the nature or terms of the offering, or if the plan as revised comes within the grounds stated in subdivision (g) of this section. After the offering plan is filed the plan must be amended periodically as required by section 18.5 of this Part.
(i) Statutory compliance.
Unless expressly provided herein, nothing contained in this Part shall be construed as limiting the requirements set forth in article 23-A of the G.B.L.
(j) Out-of-state cooperatives.
A sponsor of a cooperative located outside of New York, who makes or takes part in a public offering or sale in or from the State of New York of cooperative interests in realty interest must file an offering plan with the Department of Law that provides the full and fair disclosure required by law, including this Part. The Department of Law, in its discretion, may allow the sponsor to comply with any requirement of this Part which would require a departure from the offering plan approved by or filed with the state where the cooperative is located by employing an addendum at the end of the offering plan containing the information required.
(k) Exemptions.
Upon written application of the sponsor or sponsor's attorney, the Department of Law, in its discretion, may by ruling exempt a plan from the application of any provision of this Part, where it is found that enforcement of the provision is not necessary to effectuate the purposes of the G.B.L. or to protect the public interest. The application shall:
(3) be signed by sponsor or the sponsor's attorney.
The transmittal letter and certifications required by section 18.4 of this Part shall be in the form required by this Part, without modification, and shall be based on the assumption that any exemption sought pursuant to this section has been granted. In the event that the Department of Law denies the application for exemption, the Department of Law shall issue a deficiency letter as provided in subdivision (g) of this section. No additional fee is required for an exemption application.
(l) Exemption from G.B.L. section 359-e.
An apartment corporation whose shares are to be sold pursuant to an offering plan filed with the Department of Law is deemed exempted from the registration requirements of G.B.L. section 359-e, provided that all offering activities are made exclusively by persons duly registered under the filing requirements of such section. No application for exemption need be filed by an apartment corporation exempted under this subdivision.
(m) Transition.
Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in this Part, the following provisions apply to any proposed offering plan which:
(3) meets the requirements of subdivision (a) of this section.
(iv) The requirement in subdivision (e) of this section that a copy of the proposed offering plan and a notice be served on offerees does not apply to a resubmitted offering plan. If the resubmitted plan contains any material change in the terms of the proposed offering plan as first submitted to the Department of Law, the sponsor must serve a copy of the resubmitted plan and the following notice on each offeree. The transmittal letter required by section 18.2(c)(1) of this Part must state whether and in what respects the resubmitted plan materially changes the terms of the proposed offering plan first submitted to the Department of Law. A resubmitted plan that does not materially change the terms of the proposed offering plan first submitted to the Department of Law must be made available to tenants at the office of sponsor or selling agent for inspection and copying.
NOTICE
As you know, on __ (insert date) we submitted to the New York State Department of Law a proposed offering plan for the conversion of (insert address or name of building) to cooperative ownership. This letter is to notify you of a recent change in law that may affect the timetable of the conversion process.
The amended law requires the Department of Law, within not less than 120 days nor more than 180 days from the date of submission of the proposed offering plan, either to file the offering plan or to indicate how the proposed offering plan is deficient. The Department of Law recently issued regulations that interpret the amendment to the law for buildings currently being converted.
As applied to (insert address or name of building), the Department of Law may file the plan or indicate how it is deficient after (insert date that is 120 days after the date the proposed offering plan was first submitted to the Department of Law) and must do so before (insert date that is 181 days after the date the plan was revised and resubmitted pursuant to these regulations).
We have materially changed the proposed offering plan that you received in (insert month and year in which the plan was first served on tenants). A copy of the revised plan is enclosed for you to comment on and to retain. You will receive a copy of the filed plan if and when the plan is filed with the Department of Law.
No apartments may be sold or offered for sale, no subscription agreements may be executed, and no downpayments may be accepted unless and until the Department of Law files the offering plan. A copy of the filed plan will be served on each tenant.
You may send written comments on the proposed offering plan to the New York State Department of Law, Real Estate Finance Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005. You may also send your written comments to (insert name and address of sponsor or selling agent).
(viii) Section 18.3(j) of this Part concerning certified operating statements for the building need not be complied with on the date the offering plan is resubmitted to the Department of Law. The certified operating statements required by section 18.3(j) of this Part may be included in the resubmitted offering plan before it is filed with the Department of Law or, if the plan so states, included in an amendment to the resubmitted offering plan after it is filed but before the plan is declared effective.
(n) Effectiveness of regulations.
(7) This Part, as revised by revisions filed with the Secretary of State on March 5, 1984, is effective immediately for all offering plans, regardless of when such plan was submitted, that:
(8) Sections 18.1(p) and 18.3(r) of this Part, as revised on March 5, 1984, are effective immediately for all offering plans, regardless of when such plan was submitted, that:
(iii) were not accepted for filing prior to June 30, 1983.
(o) Abandonments, terminations and withdrawals.
If the offering plan is withdrawn or terminated prior to filing, or is abandoned after filing, the sponsor shall execute and file form RS-3 promulgated by the Attorney General within five business days thereafter. If subscription payments have been received, an accounting of the disposition of all funds received shall be included in form RS-3. The sponsor shall concurrently send written notice as to the withdrawal, termination, or abandonment to all offerees as defined in these regulations.
(p) Postings of subscription percentages.
(1) If G.B.L., section 352-eee or 352-eeee, is applicable, on the 30th, 60th, 88th and 90th day after the date of presentation of the offering plan and at least once every 30 days until the plan is declared effective or is abandoned, and on the 10th and 2nd day before the expiration of any exclusive purchase period provided in an amendment to the plan, the sponsor shall post before noon, in a prominent place accessible to all tenants in the building, a statement under oath listing the percentage(s) of bona fide tenants in occupancy on the filing date who have signed subscription agreements as of a specified time on the date of the statement. Such statement shall remain posted until the next statement must be posted. The percentage(s) shall be computed in the same manner as the sponsor must compute the minimum percentage(s) needed to declare the plan effective. The statement also shall be filed with the Department of Law. The Department of Law may issue model forms, which are recommended for use by sponsors, for posting statements. The statement shall include the following:
(x) If the plan is an eviction plan subject to G.B.L., section 352-eee, also give the percentage obtained by dividing:
(b) the number of tenants or units counted in the base given in subparagraph (viii) of this paragraph, plus the eligible senior citizens and eligible disabled persons who were bona fide tenants in occupancy on the filing date and had been subtracted from the base in subparagraph (viii).
(q) Disclaimers.
The requirements set forth in section 18.3 of this Part apply to the offering plan generally and shall not be negated or contradicted by inconsistent provisions in other portions of the offering plan, or by provisions purporting to discharge liability or to terminate the continuing effect of representations in the offering plan upon an event such as the closing or the delivery of shares with the proprietary lease. Disclaimer provisions, either direct, or indirect through stated reliance on an expert with respect to factual matters required to be represented or set forth in the offering plan, may not be included except as and to the extent permitted in this Part.
(a) Applicability.
The offering statement or “offering plan” required by section 352-e of the General Business Law (“G.B.L.”) for a cooperative that meets the requirements set forth below is subject to this Part. Except as provided in paragraph (4) of this subdivision, offerings subject to this Part are not subject to any other Part.