Comments on: Condo & HOA Owner Rights – Overview

By: Beth Grimm

Beth Grimm — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:54:00 +0000

I believe that when an HOA or Condo Association gets a mold report, and the owner is concerned about mold, the board ought to share it. If it does not, and the owner goes out and gets their own report, then it becomes a battle of the experts, and a fight over costs. If there is any litigation or subpena power, I believe an owner would not have a problem getting a copy, unless the lawyer has hired an expert with the idea of testifying and wants to keep the information confidential. Sometimes there is a good reason for doing so if there is a legal battle looming. If the report shows a problem, it ought to be addressed, so why not be transparent about it? That’s my position.

By: Beth Grimm

Beth Grimm — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:50:59 +0000

Sometimes board members do not want to receive personal emails. They are volunteers and may not want to engage in a form of communication where people expect an immediate response. The Board can set some parameters for accepting communications, and if they are too limiting for someone’s taste, in California, there is a law thiat requires boards to allow owners to speak to them at some time during the board meetings. The board can set the time for the “forum time” for this.

By: David Win

David Win — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:23:24 +0000

Our HOA Board President has refused, by return email, to answer my emailed questions regarding HOA confidentiality. I therefore emailed the same questions to other members of the Board. The Board President then emailed me, forbidding me to communicate directly with other Board members and threatening me by implying that I could be found guilty of harassment and violation of privacy if I sent any more emails to other Board members. Can he make himself into the only point of contact? Don’t Owners have the right to communicate with any Board member?

By: Beth Grimm

Beth Grimm — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:05:57 +0000

Owners should present their questions and points to the board or management to transmit to the contractor if the board has taken the position that vendors are not to converse with owners while on the job. The Condo or HOA board will want a record of these kinds of communications anyway as it is important that the board or management know about any issues related to the properties.

By: Linda Lai

Linda Lai — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:26:20 +0000

Hi Beth,
Does a homeowner have the right to contact a vendor directly if they wish to ask questions about their property AND can the association legally refuse to allow this. Can they legally tell vendors to not talk to any of the homeowners even if it’s a “legit” question, such as questions about their roof?
Linda