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11/26/2012 06:00 PM

NY1 For You: Condo Owner Shut Out Of His Damaged Manhattan Home For Months

By: Susan Jhun

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While many New Yorkers await repairs for Hurricane Sandy damage so they can return home, other homeowners, like Michael Nip of Downtown Manhattan, know they will not be able to go home for months to come. NY1's Susan Jhun filed the following NY1 For You report.

Condo owner Michael Nip watched as Hurricane Sandy ravaged his building in Downtown Manhattan.

"We saw West Street turn into West River," he says.

Like so many other buildings throughout the city, Nip's sustained serious damage from Sandy. But unlike most, his building is expected to be shut down for another four months.

Nip now questions the actions of his building's management.

"It's very disheartening because at this time it's crunch time now, and you see how other buildings handled this situation whether they have good project management, good resources and we see other buildings being online," says Nip.

NY1 contacted management for Greenwich Club Residences, Cooper Square Realty, and a spokesman told the station a team of experts has been on-site daily working to guide the restoration process.

He went on to say while Cooper Square Realty did not cause this storm, the company is doing everything within its power to return to normal operations as expeditiously as possible.

In the meantime, Nip, who applied and is waiting for FEMA assistance, says he and other families in his building have great challenges ahead if them.

"People who own the condominiums, like myself, have now to face the prospect of renting at the same time as paying a mortgage, which is a huge financial strain," Nip says.

More importantly is the personal toll it has taken on his family. With Halloween and Thanksgiving a washout, Nip expects the same for Christmas.

"It's incredibly difficult to tell your kids, 'Hey we can't go home 'til the spring,'" Nip says.

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