No Solicitors, Please!

E.B. from New Haven County, Connecticut writes:

Dear Mister Condo,

Who can we stop solicitors at our condo?

Mister Condo replies:

E.B., condominiums and apartments are often targets for solicitors because they can generally find large groups of people in a relatively small area. On more than one occasion I have asked unwanted solicitors to leave the grounds of my condo complex. We welcome visitors with invitations but have posted signs that soliciting is not allowed. Still, against our rules and wishes, some solicitors continue to knock on doors and ring doorbells disturbing residents and pushing their wares.

I think you should take a few easy steps to control the unwanted solicitors. If you don’t already have signs posted stating “No Solicitors”, you should definitely ask the Board to get some and install them prominently. A few well-placed signs will keep the majority away. You should also ask your local community law enforcement officer what the city’s policy is on unwanted solicitors. You very likely have legal rights to keep these unwanted guests off of your private property. Reporting the solicitors and the companies they represent to local law enforcement is a simple strategy. If they are fined or arrested for trespassing, they are likely to stop bothering you.

I have also found that solicitors stop trying to solicit if they know that they cannot sell anything on your property. It is incumbent on you and your Board to instruct residents to NEVER buy anything from an uninvited solicitor. No sales for them means they will need to go elsewhere to make some money. Good luck!