C.E. from Maryland writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I manage condos in Maryland and the By-Laws do not allow for people having to clean their dryer vents. Do you have any ideas on how to get residents to do this?
Mister Condo replies:
C.E., dryer vent cleaning is perhaps the single most important thing a condo can do to help prevent household fires. I am actually surprised more municipalities don’t have legal requirements requiring multi-family dwellings and high-density housing like apartments and condos to conduct annual dryer vent cleanings. As the Manager, you can only suggest the association do the right thing and add a rule. I have written articles about this type of rule addition in the past. Kindly review this article for more info on how to adopt the rule: https://askmistercondo.com/new-rule-implementation-on-condo-dryer-vent-cleaning/. The Board shouldn’t require convincing but if they do, show them this article from FEMA: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/clothes_dryers.html. Get the rule on the book and make sure the unit owners comply or, better yet, have the association conduct the dryer vent cleaning. It is a matter of life and death. All the best!