Reply to Signs of a dysfunctional condo association [DC]

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Every building should conduct reserve studies. These aren't cheap surveys, but essentially an engineering company will assess the state of the building and identify the state of each of the major systems (roof, plumbing, windows, facade, etc.) and outline the reserve requirements for a 30 year window. That's really the most important thing - if the building does not have a sufficiently detailed reserve study (or does not have reserves to cover the expected costs) then I would say the building is poorly managed. Having intentionally low fees is a pretty slimey thing to do, where basically each owner is hoping to pass the issues on to the next owner.

I would say ask for the most recent reserve study, details of the current state of reserves, and inquire about the dates and details of the most recent renovation projects.  Additionally, small details like a well maintained garden, clean trash areas, lack of trash/bulk items in the common areas, and a clean lobby can proxy for a board that at least attempts to care a little bit.

That said, 4-6 units is tough, because one or two people can really throw the building either in one direction or the other.  With a building that small, I would hope that there is at least one owner that is there 'long-term' or has been there some time and has knowledge of the history and details of the building.[/quote]

OP here: thank you, however I am surprised that people who are living in the building short term care less about it- after all they have to sell it soon and it is them who should be concerned about its appearance - or if they know their neighbor is about to sell- it is in everyone's interest that the unit sells well and fast [/quote]

That's true, appearances can perhaps be deceiving.  My experience is with a slightly larger building (20 units), where those external appearances are just indicative of a more proactive board.  But as you mentioned, with shared buildings it's really all about incentives. If you intend to own for, say, 6 years, it's probably in your best interest to get into a building with super low fees and pass the deferred maintenance of major systems onto the next set of owners.  But that carries the inherent risk of being the set of owners who gets hit with the special assessment because your boiler fails and you have no reserves to cover that cost.

Putting aside financial dysfunction, there's also the interpersonal aspect. I am super happy in my current building, mostly because we're financially prudent and responsible but not super strict with the rules and regulations. If I have to store something in a common area overnight or whatever, that's fine, because we're neighbors.  Nothing gets left their for months, because again, we're all neighbors.  It's all about finding that happy balance between strict responsibility and reasonableness.

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