Knowing When to Compromise - NYTimes.com Q. I live in a Mitchell-Lama co-op and have a space in our parking garage for which I pay $60 (though our monthly rates are rising to $100). For almost a year the garage has been undergoing extensive renovations. On three occasions I have had to take my car out of its space for periods from two to three weeks so that various repairs can be made. Everyone who has a car in the garage has had to do this. I don't believe I should have to pay for the days when I am unable to use my space, and I've been deducting these days from my maintenance check and ignoring the past-due charges (now over $100). Renovations are soon to be completed, and I hear everyone will have to sign a new garage agreement and get a new sticker. Apparently those in arrears will not be able to get an agreement/sticker until all past charges are paid; we risk losing our spaces altogether. Is this legal? I don't want to lose my space, but I loathe paying for services I did not receive. What are my rights? Washington Heights, New York A. Did you hear about the $1 million parking space near Union Square? Apparently it can be converted into a duplex, with an elevator for the cars. Manhattan has the most expensive parking in the country, according to Colliers International, which might explain why a parking ticket for not moving the car for street sweeping can cost $65. I can only imagine how eager your neighbors must be at the chance of getting your $100-a-month space. This is not to say that you're in the wrong. Depending on the terms of your lease agreement, you might have every right to withhold rent. But you're risking the loss of a coveted slice of Manhattan real estate just to make a point. The shareholder "might have a case, but you've got to read the fine print," said Steven R. Wagner, a real estate lawyer. You don't want to put yourself in a position where you lose the space just to find out if you're right. Pay the past-due amount. But write "pay under protest" on the back and front of the check, so you can try to recoup the money later. Then read your original agreement, and if it turns out that you are right, take the management to Small Claims Court. You're in a much better position fighting for $100 than you are fighting to reclaim your lost parking spot. Who Needs an Inspection, Anyway? Q. I hear that in the current market, buyers routinely submit bids with no inspection contingency. If I want to be a competitive bidder, is it true that I should waive an inspection contingency? Upper West Side, New York A. Contingencies are like the tide: They rise and fall. If you're in a buyer's market, with sellers who can't give away a Classic 6 on the Upper West Side, then by all means throw every contingency you want into your bid. But in a seller's market, with virtually no inventory, no seller would agree to a contract that leaves room to renegotiate the price. So any contingency in your offer would work against you if there was another more willing buyer waiting in the wings. Paul Zweben, a broker at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, put it this way: "If you put in an offer subject to an inspection, unless it's a townhouse, chances are you're not getting it." If you have the stomach for it, waive the inspection demand. Things could be worse. At least you're not shopping in the suburbs, where inventory is also tight and buyers are also waiving contingencies. For a single-family home, the risks for a buyer who forgoes an inspection demand are much higher: The roof could be shot, or there might be an oil tank buried in the yard. "When you get in a market where there is no supply and you have more people than ever paying cash for a purchase," said Jonathan J. Miller, an appraiser who waived all contingencies for the last two homes he bought for himself, "many of these contingencies are going away. It has nothing to do with whether it's best for the buyer; it has everything to do with if you're going to win the bid. At least with an apartment, the risk is limited: the plumbing or wiring could be bad, but big-ticket items like the roof, the chimney and the boiler aren't solely your problem. Still, if your purchase depends on getting a mortgage, many banks require an inspection - which goes to show, yet again, why the all-cash buyer often wins the bidding war. The Joys of Homeownership Q. If I buy a property that the previous owner renovated without permits, and the Department of Buildings finds out about the renovations, am I liable? A. Welcome to homeownership. If you own a property, you are responsible for all of it, even if you didn't put up that illegal wall. According to the Department of Buildings, if there has been an illegal modification you have two choices. You can legalize it or you can restore it to its original condition. If something seems fishy, call an architect, who can determine whether renovations have been done to code. You or the architect can check city records to see which modifications (if any) have been filed with the city and which ones haven't. Remember: This is more than a question of liability. The building code exists for a reason, and illegal changes can create safety hazards. So you want to make sure that your new home is safe. As Walter C. Maffei, a Brooklyn architect, put it: "If they moved a gas stove, who's doing the plumbing? People die from gas leaks. That is an issue that is of great import.