June 2017 - Ask Mister Condo

Condo Maintenance Standards vs. By-Laws

By Mister Condo | June 30, 2017June 20, 2017 by Mister Condo

J.J. from New Haven County writes: Dear Mister Condo, I have heard that maintenance standards overrides the bylaws. If so, what is stopping associations from just putting in what they want rather than changing the bylaws, which is very costly? Mister Condo replies: J.J., maintenance standards are generally enacted to ensure the community association insurance policies will protect the unit owners. Maintenance standards, or rather lack of, makes the association particularly vulnerable to damage caused…

Architectural Compliance Board Condominium Governance

Do All Buildings in a Condo Have to Match?

By Mister Condo | June 29, 2017June 20, 2017 by Mister Condo

M.K. from outside of Connecticut writes: Dear Mister Condo, We are replacing siding, roofs and doing repairs to buildings with structural problems in our condo. In our association, we have condos that face a busy street and others that face a forested area. We all have walls on our deck that will be removed. We were originally told that we would have frosted glass used to replace the walls. We have now been told we will…

Board Condominium Governance Property Management Voting

Condo Cleaning Contractor Petitions Unit Owners

By Mister Condo | June 28, 2017June 20, 2017 by Mister Condo

B.B. from outside of Connecticut writes: Dear Mister Condo, Hello Mister Condo! Our Condo Board has a service contract with a cleaning contractor to provide cleaning services for our condo properties. The service contract has been uncontested for 15 years. One full-time on-site contract employee has been the same person for 15 years, the other part-time employee has not served as long. There has been an increase in complaints about the cleanliness of the properties, and…

Assessments Board Common Fees Condominium Financial Governance Legal Mortgage

No Common Fees Collected on Condo Unit for Six Years!

By Mister Condo | June 27, 2017June 20, 2017 by Mister Condo

J.D. from New York writes: Dear Mister Condo, In New York, is there a statute of limitations applicable to a condominium where the entity claiming to be the holdover of the mortgage note has three times, without success, sought to hold a public sale? Now, more than six years have passed since the last payment was made (to a bank no longer in existence, having been absorbed into another bank, which – in turn –…