Condo Board Decides to Replace Decks That May Not Need Replacing!

S.D. from outside of Connecticut writes:

Dear Mister Condo,

The board wants to replace porches that were built 11 years ago according to City Code. I hired an architect and discussed this with the city and they agree that they are not dangerous. Yes, codes have changed but this would be grandfathered in.

I keep asking the board why we are doing this and the only answer is that there are code violations but refuse to be specific. This venture will be paid for by 3 years of special assessments probably in the $50,000 – $70,000 range. They cite the porch contractors as the source of information.

Mister Condo replies:

S.D., taking a proactive approach to safety or unit owners and guests is a Board responsibility. Making this decision may be at the Board’s discretion if that is what your governance documents call for. If the Board’s only source of safety information is coming from the contractor who has a vested interest in being awarded this project, they are not being all that prudent with the association’s funds or, as is the case here, with the association’s lack of funds which will lead to a special assessment. I am not an engineer and offer no advice here on the safety or lack thereof of these decks but it would seem to me that before the Board spends a significant amount of money rebuilding an association asset that may be in perfectly good working order, they should likely have a neutral third party (like you did) offer a professional engineering opinion.

If you follow my column on a regular basis, you probably know what I’m going to say next. The Board members are volunteers from within your community. They are democratically elected by you and the other unit owners within the condo. If they aren’t doing a good job protecting the association’s assets, it may be time to look for new volunteers. Perhaps you would consider serving on the Board, S.D.. It would seem to me that you already understand the concept of stewardship and financial prudence that would benefit your association. Good luck!