Q: I own an apartment in a 75-unit condominium building in Harlem, where the management company and the board have a serious problem with transparency. The building’s most pressing and costly financial issues are two lawsuits and rising property taxes. Some owners learned that the building had settled one of the lawsuits, but management won’t share details until the next owners’ meeting, which is months away. When we asked about a challenge to our property tax assessment, we were told that it was unsuccessful, but again, management refuses to share any documents. What are we entitled to see?

A: In New York, condominium owners are usually entitled to financial and legal documents, so your managing agent and board probably should not be withholding them from you.

The state’s condominium act is clear that the condominium’s board or managing agent must maintain an accurate record of receipts and expenses, and that it must make them available for owners to inspect during convenient hours on weekdays.

These records include budgets, financial statements, redacted legal invoices, other invoices, “and all materials reflecting the financial condition and operation of the condominium,” said Jennifer Karnes, a lawyer who practices real estate law at Becker. Documents related to a challenge to your property assessment should be included, too.

If management is not responsive, keep in mind that these kinds of documents are often publicly available. In addition to financial records, courts have found that unit owners may see many legal records, including settlement agreements and all documents that underlie those settlements, Ms. Karnes said. You can find documents related to a lawsuit through the court in which it was filed, and those related to property assessment challenges through the city’s Department of Finance.

Check your condo’s bylaws to see if there is a procedure for requesting records. When making your request, you can also ask for a town hall meeting where management will explain the records. Also, write a letter to your board and managing agent reminding them that you know your rights as they relate to building information, and keep all correspondence with them.

In fairness to your board members, there could be confidentiality provisions in the lawsuit settlement that concern them. Also, some tax challenges can take awhile before they are successful, said William D. McCracken, a partner at Moritt Hock & Hamroff.

Even still, Mr. McCracken said, “as long as you confirm in writing that you seek the documents in good faith for a proper purpose, and sign a confidentiality agreement if requested, you should feel confident a judge would order those documents turned over.”