In this week's tip, we turn to a Reddit post we're not even sure is real. But it definitely could be, so it's important to understand the lessons it offers.
In the past, an HOA owner says they've taken revenge on their HOA by installing “little sound emitters in the elevators” that have forced the HOA into frequent expenses for elevator repair people to come identify what's making the beeping noises.
Why? Because the owner is mad over a fine of $1,500 fine for allegedly “bringing a piece of wood” onto an elevator.
As we said, neither we nor our experts are completely sure this situation is real. But our experts certainly see how this could happen in today's tense climate. They've all had situations in which one person's behavior was harming the community.
“This is disappointing,” says Holly Bunch, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Raleigh, N.C.-based regional president of the Carolinas for RealManage, who oversees more than 200 condos and HOAs in North and South Carolina. “There are boards that micromanage their communities and could very well be fining an owner $1,500 for bringing a piece of wood down an elevator. And we do have owners who decide they're going to show
the board who's boss by doing things like this owner is supposedly doing.”
In fact, Bunch is currently overseeing a community in which one board member has been pushing actions that have been making all owners' lives miserable—and it
appears to be coming to a head.
“I've advised the board that their actions are too much and that their actions are backfiring on the board,” she states. “Their covenants are pretty specific on violations, and this board takes things to the
extreme. We advise clients that it's a really good idea to send a courtesy notice of a violation in the beginning. It's a nice notice that says something like, ‘You've probably already fixed this, but if you haven't, it's a violation.'”
That friendly reminder has been eliminated, Bunch says. Now the board goes straight to a violation.