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A HOMEOWNER is calling out their condo’s HOA after being charged thousands to replace their ‘perfect’ windows.
The condo owner said the HOA requires all windows, regardless of condition, to be replaced by September.
The frustrated owner, who called the requirement a “waste of money,” posted on Reddit expressing anger with the condo owners’ association.
“A bunch of other owners can’t afford to do this so it’s going to fall onto the rest of us,” the condo owner wrote.
“And I’m still trying to figure out how to come up with the rest of the money to do so.”
The condo owner said that if the changes aren’t made by September, they’ll be fined $8,000 “to manage the replacements on their behalf.”
Over 150 Redditors flocked to the comments to share similar experiences and help the poster fight against the outrageous fine.
Some questioned whether there were deeper reasons behind the mandate, but the original poster confirmed the changes were “purely cosmetic.”
“Some windows do need to be replaced due to damage and ag, but others like mine have held up and are perfectly reliable,” they wrote.
“They are having everyone replace the windows by themselves unless they don’t do it by September.
“Then they’ll do the windows and change $8000 regardless of how much they actually cost because the board has to do the work.”
A commenter replied to the poster, speculating that one of the board members may have a friend who owns a window business.
“The amount of times hoa/coa’s make decisions based on who someone on the board knows is shockingly High,” another commenter replied.
Others criticized the board’s efficiency, arguing that having each homeowner replace their own windows doesn’t make sense.
“Whether or not each window in your home needs replacing now, it’s incredibly inefficient for every homeowner to handle this individually without some form of standardization,” noted the Reddit contributor.
“It will be more expensive and aesthetically mismatched.”
The condo owner replied to the Reddit user’s criticism, agreeing that it would make more sense for one contractor to do all the work.
“It’s impractical for them to proceed in this manner, yet windows (I need to verify this, but I’m almost certain) fall under the owner’s responsibility, so I doubt a unified effort would be feasible,” the original user commented.
HOA crackdowns in the US
States across the country are working to restrict the power of HOAs.
- In Minnesota, lawmakers introduced a bill that would require HOA boards to create a schedule of fines and fees and distribute it to homeowners; ensure homeowners can contest an HOA fine; provide reasonable time to correct rule violations; and outlaw the practice of charging homeowners for asking questions.
- In Arizona, lawmakers are cracking down on HOA budgets. Under a newly proposed law, HOA boards would have strict guidelines for how they approve expenses.
- In Florida, a bill was passed that restricts the amount of control HOAs have over tenants’ property. It also stops HOAs from fining homeowners for leaving trash cans out and holiday lights up.
- In Atlanta, bipartisan bills were introduced to reign in overly aggressive HOAs to protect homeowners.
- In California, a new bill requires HOA elections to be monitored and the board to comply with certain homeowner requests.
- In Colorado, new HOA rules require greater transparency between HOA board members and tenants.
- And the Federal Fair Housing Act sets housing standards for all homeowners, tenants, and landlords.
The condo owner said the window replacements weren’t required by insurance and “was completely a board decision.”
“I cover my own utility costs, and since mine aren’t extremely high, switching out the windows wouldn’t save me enough to justify the expense,” stated the condo resident.
“Replacing the windows does not save the HOA any money.
“There is no benefit for them to have us replace the windows.”
