Handicapped Owner Seeking Permission to Modify Association Pathway

L.H. from outside of Connecticut writes:

Dear Mister Condo,

My wife is handicapped and it is very difficult for her to navigate the path to our back door. We are willing to pay to repave that walkway. Does the condo association have to allow us to do that?

Mister Condo replies:

L.H., I am sorry for your wife’s handicap and the challenge the path to your back door presents. As a general rule, condo associations are not under any obligation to modify their grounds at the request of a unit owner or other resident. That being said, they are under obligation to hear your request and decide if the request is “reasonable” and if the accommodation can be granted. Modifying a pathway may open the association up to other issues and there may not be adequate space to do what you are requesting, even if you are willing to pay for it. That being said, there is no harm in asking and the Board may grant your request. Paying for the modification is likely to be at your expense either way. Also, you may wish to speak with an attorney about local, state, and even federal laws that may be on your side in pursuing this handicapped friendly modification to your back door entrance. If the accommodation can be reasonably granted, I don’t see why the Board wouldn’t want to accommodate you and your wife. Good luck!