S.B. from Middlesex County, Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I belong to a 7-unit commercial condominium association with only 2 board members. These two men set me up by having one of their tenants file a bogus complaint against my tenant. This led to her eviction and me being fined $6500. The board members refuse any of my requests to see the financial reports. They only maintain their units. They refuse to pay my flood insurance premiums even though an Attorney told them to reimburse me. They are getting away with murder but I am the one paying the price. I have called 26 attorneys for representation but they are either too busy, have a conflict of interest, don’t bother responding, or want a $15k retainer. These problems started at the same time my self-employed husband took ill. We had no income for seven months. I was forced to sell the unit my tenant vacated. I cannot find anyone to advise me. Please help me!
Mister Condo replies:
S.B., I am truly sorry for your problems. Commercial condominiums, by their nature, are far more business-oriented and far less consumer-oriented than a traditional residential condominium. Still, you have rights, but, as you have seen, it will cost a good deal of money to enforce your rights. The two-man Board is clearly not going to help you. Without access to cash for the retainer (which is just the beginning of the cash you will need to bring a lawsuit), I would think your best move would be to sell your unit and look for a more consumer-friendly place to live, namely a single-family home, apartment, or condominium. If you stay and don’t sue, the abuses are likely to continue. I would think that selling and starting over is the only practical solution. Even if you stayed, sued, and won, you might not ever get the money back it would cost to litigate. Middlesex County offers many lovely residential condominium communities. Why not find one that is right for you and end this ugly chapter dealing with unscrupulous people. Unless you are looking for a fight, I’d get out sooner rather than later. Good luck!