Article
Courtesy of The Miami Herald
By
DONNA GEHRKE-WHITE
Published
March 5, 2006
Condo association boards and owners can work
together to improve their complex.
Boards need to tell owners what the association is
responsible for, so there won't be any confusion.
Legally, the board is responsible for the upkeep of all
common elements listed in condo documents, according to the state Department of
Business and Professional Regulation that monitors condos.
Typically, that includes roofs, parking lots, plumbing,
amenities and, of course, the actual structure.
With the help of owners, a board should draw up a
maintenance plan that lists when roofs, parking lots and other big-ticket items
will need replacement. The board should vote on the plan at a public meeting and
make sure all owners get copies of the final approved plan.
Condo communities should maintain reserves adequate to
make the repairs as planned. If the community in the past has voted to waive the
reserves, the board should bring the issue up again for a vote.
The boards should also hire an engineer or architect
periodically to check on the structural soundness of buildings.
Both Miami-Dade and Broward counties now require
inspections for buildings once they turn 40 years old and every 10 years after
that. But damage can still occur when the building is only a few years old.
The boards should keep records of repairs, vendors used
and the money spent. Have this readily available for owners to view.
The
boards should use their community meetings, newsletters or private cable
channels to communicate about repairs and maintenance. Board members should
listen to owners and check into their maintenance or repair complaints. They
should report back to owners what they found and what action, if any, they will
take.
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