L.C. from New Haven County, Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
If a unit owner is displaced because of a fire in an adjoining unit are they liable for their common charges until they can move back into their unit?
Mister Condo replies:
L.C., unit owners are only liable for their own common charges. In other words, each unit owner, regardless of the reason they cannot inhabit their unit, is responsible for paying their own common charges. There is no transfer of common fee liability as a result of a fire or other disaster that made a neighboring unit uninhabitable. In fact, many insurance policies provide funds for housing while a unit is uninhabitable. In theory, the insurance may provide enough for the displaced unit owner to provide housing and cover the cost of the common fees while the unit is under repair and uninhabitable. I am sorry that unit owners were displaced and I hope for a speedy repair and recovery for all parties. All the best!