All Forum Posts by: Tamara R.

The hinge pin door stops work well with solid doors. But they put a hole through the surface of one of our wood hollow core doors. So I take that into consideration now when choosing to use them.

I have been of driving age for almost 30 years and have only owned 2 cars.  My latest ride is a 1997 Honda CRV that just hit 199,000 miles.  It is very no frills and the luxury I care most about is air conditioning--when that goes the car goes:)  My husband's 2008 luxury vehicle has been in the shop more than it's been in the driveway.  I have only spent a total of $3000 in car repairs in 17.5 years.  In fact, I recently had part of the exhaust system replaced and the mechanic was dumbfounded when he realized it was original to the car.  Gotta love Honda!

I'm on the condo board where I live, and we do our best to work with the residents. Are you dealing with a management company or actual board member(s)? We keep records and document all communication, via our management company. My husband and I also own condos in Florida, and one of the complexes is run by what we call "condo commandos". They actually have people walking around looking for violations....not the best use of our maintenance fees. 

After the 2nd or 3rd notice to my tenants to stop doing something that they (or I) had no idea was not allowed, I started calling the board president and asking for documentation for each violation. Once they realized they had to spend time to look things up, make copies for me, and in some cases, explain that it wasn't an actual violation, things have calmed down. The next board election will reflect my feelings about this.

I would suggest you document everything, every date, and the names of anyone you speak to, and let the board know you will be copying your attorney if they're not able to provide you with specifics. Most reasonable boards will not want to spend the money on attorney's fees. You may also consider either running for the board, or voting out those that do not have the owner's best interests in mind.

I would simply send a professional letter to them that you are in compliance according to Section X, Paragraph Y of the HOA manual and state that you have already been flexible and spent over $100 to make them happy. If they still harass you, simply state that you will provide them with your lawyer's information and you can speak with him/her.

Yes, as @Andy Collins said, sometimes you have to pick your battles, but you've already tried to appease them and they won't stand down. They have no written proof that you're out of compliance. You've spent money for them. They said nothing of this during another inspection when you first bought the place. I wouldn't give in on this. It sounds like you have the upper hand.

Also, I doubt it'd actually go as far as really needing a lawyer. Sometimes you just say you have one and things get dropped. This is because people like to push people around until they finally find their limit. If for some crazy reason this does go that far, I bet you'd not really pay a lot for a lawyer. Plenty of them give free consultations. Lots of them will even write a letter to the problem people for you for either free or a low fee. Call around if needed. Chat with several attorneys.
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I think I will try writing them a letter mentioning the things you have pointed out and mentioning that will seek legal counsel if this goes any further.  I like that idea.