D.C. from Suffolk County, New York writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Who is responsible to pay for the dryer vent kit installed by the Condo Maintenance staff. As the dryer vent kit would be attached to the side on the dyer that is located inside the homeowner’s unit, and not in the common area, as defined in the Insurance policies, homeowner is responsible for anything walls in. Wouldn’t the homeowner have to pay for this kit and installation? Thank you
Mister Condo replies:
D.C., it depends. While the definition of the unit may be from the “walls in”, responsibility for items that service the unit can be assigned to the association or the unit owner, as is the case with the dryer vent. There is no hard and fast rule on this and many association governing documents are silent on the subject, relying on either state law or the wisdom of the Board to determine who is responsible for what. The Board can certainly take on the installation and maintenance expense of the dryer vents but I would suggest that they at least consult with their attorney before committing the association to the ongoing cost of maintenance and future replacement of the improvement. All the best!