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When Condo Board Members, Not Pets, Should be Sent to the Dog House!
Condo association legal battles can be emotionally, physically and economically shattering. The typical condo owner embroiled in such a war feels alone, helpless and exhausted - totally unable to anticipate, let alone confront the landmines ahead.
A condo board demand to remove a beloved pet is especially devastating. Fighting back requires a monumental cost in time, money and health. My condo legal battle continued for two years. Career and other priorities were put on-hold in the interim.
Our condo board president dusted off a long-ignored pet rule in order to silence my public warnings about toxic mold in common areas corridors. Toxic mold clean-up was delayed for another 3 years as a result of her misguided efforts.
Instead of paying for sorely needed mold remediation, the board paid high-priced attorneys precious condo owner funds to force me and my beloved pet from our home. The board lost, but the mold spread into numerous units, including my own.
My typical day began at 4:30 am and ended late at night. I spent countless hours researching condo case law and condo case histories across the nation, drafting responses to state agencies and developing witness statements. In effect, I became the paralegal on my own case.
The alternative: The typical homeowners association enforcement battle will likely cost the owner between $30,000 and $150,000 in legal fees, often depleting life-savings in the process. The legal costs for my two-year battle would have exceeded $150,000 if an attorney was hired to handle the case (and perhaps twice that if we lost). One Florida condo owner spent $450,000 in legal fees just to obtain access to his condo documents, which he was entitled to by law!
Few homeowner association members know what to do or where to begin once they receive a legal warning letter from the board.
Failing to pay homeowners association fines, as too many homeowners have become aware, can eventually result in a lean on your home. Fortunately, following our tele-consultation, the condo owner "convinced" his Board that it was in their best interests to remove these fines.
The moral of such stories: Condo Board members often forget that they were elected by association members to serve the community. Serve - not dictate, oppress or tyrannize - is the operative word.
© Copyright 2008 by Dr. Joyce Starr. All Rights Reserved.
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Dr. Joyce Starr is author of Defend Your Condo & Homeowner Rights: What You Must Do When Your Condo Board or HOA Board Turns Your Life Upside Down! She is also publisher of the first Homeowner Defense Kit, a trilogy of books dealing with condo and homeowner rights. She provides homeowner rights and pet owner rights tele-consultations.
Visit her website at: http://www.StarrPublications.com.
Dr. Joyce Starr
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Author - Publisher - Editor
www.StarrPublications.com
Internet Radio Host - Producer
www.RightsRadio.com
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