A. from Pinellas County, Florida writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
We have a boat slip but the dock needs repair on the pilings and the hardware. We hired a diver and they said that all of the pilings are eaten by worm burrowers and fungus with splits. How do we get the HOA to do the repair? We have video and reports from a licensed contractor. I know the HOA is going to push us back for this. What is our best route for repair? It does say in our covenants that the HOA is responsible for the repairs. We have a dedicated account for the docks.
Mister Condo replies:
A., since the responsibility for the upkeep on the docks is spelled out in your documents and since there would seem to be enough money in the Reserve account dedicated to the dock repair, I can’t for the life of me figure out why you think the Board would push back at making the repair. They really have no choice in the matter. As the elected representatives of the association, they have been selected to enforce the rules of the association and carry out the business of the association. In this case, that business is the repair of the docks which are now damaged. Ask the Board what their plan is. They should gather information (your licensed contractor report is perfect), prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) and get bids from licensed and insured contractors. They should review those bids and hire the most qualified contractor to perform the work. It really should be that simple. All the best!