Exposing Shareholders in Arrears Q. I am a board member and shareholder in a 90-unit co-op in the Bronx. If a shareholder is in arrears on maintenance, can that information be disclosed to all the shareholders without any legal implications? A. There is no law prohibiting the disclosure of information regarding shareholders who are in arrears, said Aaron Shmulewitz, a Manhattan co-op and condominium lawyer. And most proprietary leases contain no such prohibition, either. "In fact," he said, "many boards do disclose such information, in some cases, by posting notices in public areas of the building like elevators and mailrooms, as a way of publicly "shaming" the delinquent shareholder into paying." Boards that adopt that policy, however, need to be careful about the information they disclose. "Publicly posting such notices could theoretically expose the board to potential liability for defamation," he said. For example, if the shareholder is not actually in arrears, or the board's information is mistaken, or the shareholder has a valid defense to the claim of the arrearage, the shareholder may have a legal claim against the board. When Rent Includes Electricity Q. Is electricity included in the rent in New York City apartments? A. Not typically, said Jarred I. Kassenoff, a Manhattan real estate lawyer. Although the owner of an unregulated rental apartment has to equip it properly for the use of electricity, and must maintain electrical outlets and wiring, a landlord is not required to pay for electricity used by the tenant unless it is listed as a condition of the tenancy. "The situation is quite different under rent regulation," Mr. Kassenoff said. "Under rent stabilization and rent control, if the landlord was providing electricity as of a certain "base date," the date when the building became subject to regulation, the service must continue until the state's Division of Housing and Community Renewal approves the conversion of the building from an "electrical inclusion" to an "electrical exclusion" building." Should that occur, he added, the regulated tenants" rent then could be reduced. A schedule describing the criteria and amount of the reduction is on the agency's Web site. Holding Annual Condo Meetings Q. I live in a 16-unit condominium. The bylaws are quite clear that we are to have a yearly meeting. The current board has not called a meeting in several years and seems to do everything in secret. Do we have a right to demand a meeting? A. In addition to scheduling annual meetings, a condominium's board of managers must provide unit owners at least once a year with a financial report detailing the expenses of the condominium association. "The state's Condominium Act imposes upon the board of managers a broad fiduciary obligation to conduct business properly and openly," said Andrew Berkman, a Manhattan co-op and condominium lawyer. Mr. Berkman says the unit owners generally have the right to demand a special meeting of owners. The procedure for doing so is contained in a condominium's bylaws, although it can vary by building. It would not be unusual, he said, for the bylaws to allow unit owners to demand a special meeting by presenting the secretary of the board of managers with a petition signed by those owning at least 25 percent of the common interests in the building. Mr. Berkman said the writer should examine the building's bylaws to determine the specific procedure to be followed for calling a special meeting. Submit your real estate questions to realestateqa@nytimes.com