By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities
One of the common complaints about living in an Association-Governed Community: “we keep paying our assessments, but nothing ever seems to get done!”
So today let’s look at two real life examples.
First, indoor maintenance issues can become a serious problem in condominiums, especially units that remain vacant for extended periods of time. In Vestavia Hills, Alabama, one unit in the Montreat Condominium Owners Association has been vacant for three years.
Katie Burrows, a tenant at Montreat, has been sick for months, and believes her illness is caused by mold in the neighboring vacant unit. Burrowes took photographs of mold growing inside, and reported the problem to the Condo Association and the local Health Department. Neither took action, however, still waiting for the owner of the unit to clean it up.
Burrowes is tired of being sick, and has decided to relocate.
However, the condo owner now has to deal with a vacant unit. And who will want to sign a lease, given the mold problem?
Woman says vacant condo has made her sick
Second, outdoor maintenance – or lack of it – is a problem at Briarwood Hearth Townhouse HOA in Chesterfield County, Virginia. CBS 6 Problem Solvers video reveals a sad-looking tennis court and crumbling speed bumps.
Dead trees in the wooded lots surrounding these mature town houses are an ongoing problem.
But the worst problem is severe erosion of red clay soil from uphill, apparently the result of poor stormwater control. Children cannot play outdoors, and portions of the parking lot are unusable.
Homeowners and residents want these safety issues take care of sooner rather than later. They say their repeated calls to management seem to go unanswered.
According to a recent real estate listing, HOA fees are about $260 per month, including heat and hot water, and homes sell for less than $125,000.
http://wtvr.com/2016/05/20/neighbors-says-homeowners-association-not-fixing-communitys-problems/
