Section 339-w requires the manager or board of managers to keep detailed, accurate, chronological records of the receipts and expenditures arising from operating the property, and those records, along with the vouchers authorizing the payments, must be available for examination by unit owners at convenient hours of weekdays. On top of that, the board has to render a written report summarizing receipts and expenditures to all unit owners at least once a year, whether or not anyone asks.
Be honest with yourself about the scope here. New York's statutory records right is narrower than a full books-and-records statute covering minutes, vendor contracts, and correspondence — it's specifically the financial receipts-and-expenditures books. But your declaration and the by-laws annexed to it are recorded public instruments under § 339-u, filed with the county recording officer, so you can pull those independent of the board entirely. And § 339-v spells out exactly what has to be in the by-laws, which gives you a checklist for what to ask about even when the statute doesn't guarantee you a copy on demand.
Use the annual report and the recorded documents together
The mandatory annual receipts-and-expenditures report under § 339-w is most useful paired with the recorded declaration and by-laws under §§ 339-u and 339-v. Line up what the board actually spent against what it's authorized to charge, and check whether any new rule, fine, or by-law amendment you've been told about actually went through the 66-2/3 percent vote § 339-v requires and got recorded as an amendment under § 339-u. A charge or rule that skipped that process is worth challenging on paper before you challenge it any other way.
The authority
The statutes behind this
Cited by name as authority, for your own reading. Informational only, not legal advice.
N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 339-w
Requires the board to keep detailed, chronological receipts-and-expenditures records available for owner examination at convenient weekday hours, plus a written annual report to every unit owner.
N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 339-u
Requires the by-laws to be annexed to the recorded declaration, and requires any by-law amendment to be recorded as an amendment to the declaration, making these public documents independent of the board.
N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 339-v
Sets the required contents of the by-laws, including board election, meetings, dues and charges, and rule-making, plus the 66-2/3 percent vote needed to amend them.
Step by step
How to request your condo's financial records in New York
A clean, statute-anchored records request that invokes § 339-w and confirms what your recorded by-laws actually say.
- 01
Put your request in writing
Email or mail a dated request that cites § 339-w by name and asks to examine the receipts-and-expenditures records and the vouchers authorizing payments.
- 02
Ask for a specific weekday appointment
The statute guarantees examination at convenient hours of weekdays, so propose concrete dates and times rather than leaving the request open-ended.
- 03
Request the last annual report
Section 339-w requires a written summary of receipts and expenditures to all unit owners at least once a year. Ask for the most recent one if you never received it.
- 04
Pull the recorded declaration and by-laws independently
Go to the county clerk or register's office where your declaration is filed. These are public record under § 339-u and don't depend on the board's cooperation.
- 05
Compare the two
Check whether spending, charges, and any rule changes match what the recorded by-laws under § 339-v actually authorize, and whether amendments cleared the 66-2/3 percent threshold before taking effect.
Straight answers
Common questions
What financial records can I actually see in a New York condo?
Section 339-w entitles you to examine the board's detailed, chronological records of receipts and expenditures, along with the vouchers authorizing those payments, at convenient weekday hours, plus a written annual summary report.
Does New York law give me the right to see board meeting minutes?
Not under a specific statutory minutes-access right the way § 339-w covers financial records. Minutes and other governance details are set by your by-laws under § 339-v, so check your recorded by-laws for what they promise beyond the statutory floor.
Can I get a copy of the declaration and by-laws even if the board won't send them?
Yes. Under § 339-u the declaration and its annexed by-laws are recorded instruments filed with the county recording officer, so you can obtain them independent of the board.
What if the board just won't schedule an examination?
Document your written request citing § 339-w and the dates you proposed. A flat refusal to allow examination at convenient hours of weekdays is inconsistent with the statute.
How do I know if a fine or rule change was ever properly adopted?
Compare it against the recorded by-laws and any recorded amendments. Section 339-v requires by-law amendments to hit a 66-2/3 percent vote in both number and common interest, and § 339-u requires the amendment to be recorded. A charge that skipped that process is worth challenging.