Preliminary Co-op Board Qualification Analysis

Manhattan co-op boards underwrite far more conservatively than banks: 25–29% DTI ceilings (banks accept 43–50%); a dual liquidity test — 24 months of post-close housing carry at easier boards, 36+ months plus liquid assets of at least 1.25× the purchase price at tier-one boards, with retirement assets excluded entirely (banks ask for 2 months and count retirement); a four-tier financing structure — all-cash-only at the most select Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Central Park West prewars, 50% down minimum across plenty of the trophy tier, 70–75% maximum at most standard co-ops, narrow inventory above 75% (banks accept 80–95%); and structural rules — primary-residence intent, individual ownership, no LLCs — that have no equivalent in mortgage underwriting. This calculator models your transaction against typical Manhattan co-op board thresholds and flags the specific factors most likely to draw scrutiny. It is preliminary analysis only, not approval prediction.