T.M. from New Haven County writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Can the condo board/property management company charge $350.00 dollars when you either rent or sell your unit? I can understand a certain fee for documents but that seems quite high. One owner said it was $100.00 for administrative fees and $350.00 for conveyance fees for renting a unit. What rights do owners have about these additional fees?
Mister Condo replies:
T.M., boards are free to charge whatever they choose with regards to rental and transfer of title fees. Many associations discourage renting and keep the fees quite high for doing so as a discouragement. If you refuse to pay these fees, the association could take collection actions against you, which could be quite costly. You are free to petition the board to ask them to consider lowering or revising their fee schedule for such transaction but as long as they are uniformly applied, I cannot see any reason for them to do so. I know of some states where fees are much higher than what you have described here. There are some current legislative actions under way to change them (in Colorado, for instance) but to date, these efforts have failed. So unless new legislation is passed here in Connecticut, the only way you can avoid these fees is to choose not to purchase into the community. Good luck to you!
Condo Conveyance and Rental Fees: http://t.co/3lmk4Osprg
Condo Conveyance and Rental Fees: http://t.co/w3vtUJpqXe
In North Carolina, HOA’s cannot charge any such “administrative” or other fees unless they are specifically authorized in the Declaration of Condominium. Thus, the answer may vary by state, and what your governing documents say about such fees.
Right you are, Mike. This question came from Connecticut where the law is silent on the subject. I have some friends in Colorado who are lobbying hard to get the laws there changed. I heard a story from there of a $2500 conveyance fee! I hope they get the laws they need to protect unit owners. Thanks for the comment!