Condo associations, when is it time to notify Building Violations?
When an inactive condo board refuses to make common-area repairs
Being on a condo board can be both time-consuming and tough. While a landlord may only have to deal with one set of tenants (and make a profit from it), condo owner association (COA) boards are listening to the complaints, queries and suggestions from multiple unit owners — for free. While some unit owners may be more interested in living their lives privately and don’t even bother to vote or look at COA alerts or attend COA meetings, other owners may fall somewhere in between the squeaky wheels or the interested investors. Usually, it’s a mix of all three in any COA.
However, there is one duty that all three types of condo unit owners expect a condo board to do — follow the bylaws and Rules and Regulations. While condo bylaws are largely registered with the city, Rules and Regulations can vary each year (and condo board term). This is why following the bylaws is so important. Condo owners pay monthly assessments with the understanding that all legal agreements in the bylaws will be followed. So what should a condo unit owner do when the condo board expects monthly assessments but refuses to follow the bylaws? (This could be a variation of everything from having quarterly meetings, making necessary upgrades and repairs, or properly distributing annual expense lists.)
Recommended Read: “Condo board business: Personal email or group email? ~ Do you need to buy a domain name and business email address for condo board communication?”
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As a member of the condo association, the easiest way to resolve this is to just wait it out until condo board voting comes around for another term. Then vote for someone else. (Condo board elections are usually held on an annual or two-term basis, but it may vary depending on the bylaws and state.) However, for condo unit owners who are observing building funds in disarray or repairs not being made in a timely manner, one other option is to contact building inspectors (i.e., Building Violations department). Here are the pros and cons of doing so.