Between 2014 and 2026, Lou Rubino inspected 13 apartments on the Upper West Side. Pre-war co-ops and condos are a different kind of purchase: you are buying a home inside a building whose structure, roof and plant belong to the co-op corporation or the condominium, and the inspection's first job is establishing where your responsibility ends and the building's begins — then checking your side of that line properly.
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Inside the unit, the tools are the same ones Lou brings to a house: a thermal camera across the exterior walls and windows picks out the temperature anomalies that point to air leakage, missing insulation or moisture worth investigating further; accessible fixtures and appliances are operated, representative receptacles get the tester — and anything that could not be checked is documented; and the unit's own panel — sometimes a sub-panel fed from floors below — gets opened and read.
What cannot be observed matters just as much, and New York's rules make it explicit: systems that could not be reached must be listed in the report as not observed, with the reasons. In a co-op, that list — risers behind walls, the building plant, the roof ten floors up — becomes your question sheet for the managing agent and your attorney — exactly the questions you want answered before you commit.
Related: Manhattan co-ops and condos, explained · What an inspection costs · Schedule an inspection.
All three photographs are from Lou's own Upper West Side inspection reports, chosen because they show a building component and nothing that identifies a property or an owner.
A flat roof hides everything from the street: membrane seams, patches, drainage and parapet condition. Patching is normal maintenance — the question a report answers is whether the membrane still has a working life. How roofs are examined and reported.
A boiler's data plate gives its real age; the burn chamber and the piping around it give its real condition. Both go in the report so replacement budgeting is arithmetic, not argument. What an inspection costs against what it finds.
An inspector removes the readily accessible panel covers because New York requires it — most of what matters in a panel is invisible with the cover on. Double-tapped breakers, mixed wire eras and scorched connections are all findings that only appear with the cover off. Why the covers come off.
An inspector removes the readily accessible panel covers because New York requires it — most of what matters in a panel is invisible with the cover on. Double-tapped breakers, mixed wire eras and scorched connections are all findings that only appear with the cover off. Why the covers come off.
A thermal camera reads surface temperature differences — the starting point for finding air leaks, missing insulation and wet materials that warrant a closer look. It is evidence for further investigation, not a verdict by itself. How thermal evidence gets used.
All photographs are from Lou's own inspection reports for jobs in this area, screened so nothing identifies a property or an owner.
Knowledgeable about co-op buildings
“Lou was fantastic. He was thorough, professional, and incredibly knowledgeable about co-op buildings. He explained everything clearly and his report was extremely helpful when making our decision. Highly recommend Lou to anyone buying in a co-op!”
A time-sensitive Manhattan condo inspection
“I contacted Lou this week for a time-sensitive request for a condo inspection in Manhattan. Lou was responsive, professional, personable and thorough. … He has experience with condos, gets the sale process and the concerns that purchasers have before buying.”
Lou crosses into Manhattan regularly from Wantagh — apartments are a scheduled trip, not a favour, and he quotes them individually.
Also nearby: Manhattan co-ops & condos · all 26 towns.
His Upper West Side file goes back to 2014. Yours would not be the first.
Not sure yet? Read what New York requires of your inspector or see a real report.