The building I live in, 18 floors populated with 90 plus units and a very diverse mix of owners and renters (ever increasing), is about to be hit with an increase in monthly condo fees. Not a huge increase, but combined with rising taxes and rising costs of almost everything, it adds up.
A few years ago, the board hired a manager to keep an eye on costs. It’s his job to cut costs where the board decides cost-cutting is needed. Generally, there are open meetings for residents (owner’s only), to rant, rave and praise. When I moved in six years ago, I ranted and raved more than I praised, eventually giving up, because it seems that the condo rules get bent depending on who’s running the show, though, anyone who gives their time over to being a board member is privy to all manner of problems: notes slipped under their respective unit doors, nasty looks on the elevator, etc., etc. It’s a difficult job.
That said, is it really necessary to have our exterior windows washed twice yearly? Our garage floor washed twice yearly? Do we need a “mat service” to haul in and haul out mats positioned in various places? I mean to say, dogs pee on the elevator carpets, so what’s the point of uber-concern about entry mats, window and garage washings? While we’re on the subject of dogs, the rules clearly state that dogs weighing over 60 lbs. are not allowed. But who is weighing the dogs? Do you get my drift? Early on, a board member who had purchased a unit, brought in a huge canine, way over the weight limit. When it was brought up at a board/association meeting, nothing happened. I heard later that the purchaser of said unit (who no longer lives here) had his real estate agent “fix” things so doggie could live here. Doggie died a few years down-the-line, a relief to the smaller condo dogs.
Speaking of our underground garage, the condo rules clearly state that only specific items can be stored in parking spaces, but now we have all manner of stuff stored. The list is too long to detail. So what’s the point of condo rules?
So sue me already. When a gull shits on my window immediately after they’ve been washed by brave guys enduring lake winds while hanging ten on the side of the building, I laugh. I actually know of residents who places post-it notes on their inside window panes, alerting the outside guys to take care of a fly speck they overlooked.
This isn’t suburbia folks. We condo dwellers live stacked on top of each other. Deal with it.
