Precisely the point I was trying to make.
We had a lax association (and HOAs are totally dependent upon board leadership for good or ill) that allowed too many of the rules to be ignored.
Once we started assessing liens and our management company started charging late fees most (note the qualifier) of the deadbeats, including non-resident owners, straightened up.
Of course, the real key in condos is the owner to renter ratio.
I would also say that associations that resist raising fees end up not keeping up with the maintenance.
With a lot of effort (and expense) we managed to clean up our place but as a result of that experience I will never go condo again – at least until I’m too old to mow and paint myself.
We are 130 some houses (detached SFR’s on .2 acres and up) and 56 attached duplexes. We have a high owner ratio – almost 90% I would say. generally its all very good. Our board has a long history of alienation and we are leining the delinquents. but the basic idea is, we want to cut it loose. No more association. Pay till you’re caught up if you are delinquent and that ends it. I hope that’s what we end up doing.
Cool.
Cow_tipping.
I had one other experience when I lived in Mesa, Arizona that might interest some of you. It was condo, but the units were two story and in clusters of 4-6 units. The association paid for the water and each unit had a separate exterior water main with shut off valve in case of maintenance/emergency.
Since the association was paying the water bill, we were effectively the utility provider. So when you got too far behind on your dues (usually absentee landlords), we had a plumber out to shut off the water by removing a section of the supply line and capping it. In order to have the water turned back on, the owner had to pay back dues and fines PLUS the plumber’s fees to come out twice.
One owner tried to complain to the health department but they agreed that we (the HOA) were acting as the water utility and therefore were justified in shutting off service if the bills were past due.
Let me tell you – that cleared our past due problems up QUICKLY. Tenants won’t pay rent on units with no running water and they get really pissed off when told that their landlord hasn’t been paying his bills but he requires them to pay their rent on time.
