Once you have a schedule you
will know how much you need to save to pay for future work, he
says.
State law requires condo associations to
maintain reserve funds for three items: painting, parking and
roofs.
But many condo associations vote to opt out
and don't save any money for future maintenance. And, Raphan
added, many don't consider that they will need money for
additional expensive repairs, such as the inevitable concrete
corrosion work.
Elderly homeowners on a fixed income are
often reluctant to pay higher maintenance fees to provide funds
for future repairs.
In Lauderdale Lakes, Howard Carter, property
manager for the Lauderdale Oaks condos for 55-plus residents, says
many in his community were reluctant to pay for clubhouse repairs.
They had already been hit with a series of special assessments to
repair their own condo buildings. But Carter convinced them they
had to: The clubhouse is part of their property and they have a
responsibility to keep it up.
The alternative is to let a building fall
into disrepair -- and even collapse.
In
2005, Sunny Isles Beach inspectors forced the evacuation of some
residents in the 172-unit oceanfront |
|
Owners
at the Castle Beach Club, above, were closed out for 15 months after Miami
Beach inspectors found bad wiring and other consequences of deferred
maintenance. The building has now been repaired.
|
Sea
Shore Club after concrete corrosion led to the collapse of a second-floor
walkway.
Over time, buildings, especially near the
beach, can suffer from exposure to salt and moisture. That can eat away
concrete, exposing steel, wood and electrical wiring.
INSPECTION REQUIRED
Both Miami-Dade and Broward counties
require licensed architects or engineers to inspect older
structures for corrosion as well as faulty wiring and other
deficiencies. The first inspection occurs when the building
turns 40, with checks occurring every 10 years after that.
But, ''You shouldn't wait for the
40-year inspection. You should be on top of it,'' says Key
Biscayne's chief building official, Eugenio Santiago, an
engineer.
The
Castle Beach Club in Miami Beach was only 39 years old when
city inspectors shut it down, forcing |
|
'The
state can't protect you against your own stupidity,' says Dale
Humphrey, Fernwood president.
|
owners
of its 534 condominium units out for 15 months. Inspectors had repeatedly
cited the building for various deficiencies, including defective wiring. In
appointing a receiver to oversee repairs until a new board could be elected,
Miami-Dade Judge Marc Schumacher said the condo's board members had shown
''inexcusable neglect'' in not making repairs.
Older buildings require more care, says
Michael Goolsby, chief of Miami-Dade code compliance.
A condo board should be planning to
retrofit any building constructed before tougher building codes took effect
in 1994, Goolsby adds.
''The old codes were not as strict as
now,'' Goolsby says. "Codes then were much weaker.''
Making regular repairs is just as
important. A properly maintained building can help keep you safe from
hurricanes. Throughout South Florida, dozens of old, dilapidated condo roofs
flew off during Wilma in 2005.
''A lot of people lost everything,''
Raphan says.
Inspectors found that older buildings
suffered more damage from Wilma than those built under the tougher codes,
Goolsby says. ''The newer the buildings, the better they did,'' he says.
KEEPING UP
Still, older buildings can fare well if
their owners keep up with repairs.
The owners of the Biltmore II in Coral
Gables are committed to making sure their 13-floor condo is in top shape.
Although the Biltmore II is only 30 years
old, owners agreed to a $6 million special assessment -- an average of
nearly $26,000 for each of the 232 units -- for concrete restoration.
They've had engineers checking their
walls and balconies. When there was evidence of corrosion, the condo board
and then the owners voted to fix it now.
''It's not inexpensive, but it's the
right thing to do,'' says condo association manager Charles Larsen. Doing
the work now "is easier and will nip the problem in the bud.''
He added, "I'm a firm believer in
preventive maintenance.''
SEIZING OPPORTUNITY
In Sunny Isles Beach, the owners of the
158-unit LeCartier Condominiums are just as committed.
After insurance helped pay for one
damaged roof, the owners decided to replace two other aging roofs in the
seven-building complex. The complex has plans to replace the others.
The LeCartier owners opted to pay more
for a company, WeatherTight Roofing, to install a relatively new type of
roof using spray polyurethane foam rather than do the traditional gravel or
asphalt roofs. The foam hardens into a surface that better resists
hurricane-force winds.
''The service was perfect,'' says
property manager Micheline Desroches. "It's true we haven't had a
hurricane but we've had big rains. We've had no leaks.''
It paid off, she adds, to do a lot of
research before hiring a roofer.
''There's a difference in the quality of
work,'' she says.