My term is up this year.

I desperately want to get off the board. Yesterday a resident was so rude to me I almost let her have it (I should have). She waited until I was leaving my condo for lunch. But I fumed about it for the rest of the day. Having people home all the time doesn't help.

If I get off the board, I know that the people who want on the board will pounce. One will be super rude to the residents and insure I don't ever get a maintenance request done again.

Others have massive spending plans, which of course... will translate to costs that I don't need in special assessments and less money for my unit when I sell because of the high fees. We did a survey monkey poll last year where 70% of the residents wanted fees not to go up. I did see someplace there is special assessment insurance that you can buy... I think I might.

Finally it has been a hallmark of my tenure that minutes of the meeting are done, which I think is important for record keeping and for just general everyone know what is going on... but once I get off the board they won't be done. And I will be lost as to know what is going on.

That being said I feel like I have to move. I HATE all of my neighbors. They have turned out to be flat out the most rude people I have ever met. Entitled, nasty. I do not hold out hope for any of them. Plus, frankly they are so poor that they can't move.. one reason they fight so hard. But I can. I feel like I made a mistake. I tried to purchase a home that was "cheaper" to avoid being house poor. But by doing that i ended up with a lower class of neighbor. People who don't know anything, and are base emotional animals. They will never change.

I got my home due to a mass departure of almost everyone on the board.. and now i know why. They had come to the same conclusion.

I think I am going to run anyway, if I am not elected -- then they can't blame me for what they get.. and if I am elected I will just quietly resign and no one will be the wiser.

[Skeezyks]

Living in a similar type of situation I can sympathize with your plight. Fortunately not everyone who lives here, where we live, is an loudmouthed, evil, old moron. But it doesn't take all that many of them to make sitting on the association board an exercise in extreme masochism. My best wishes to you however things work out.

Thanks I know I keep writing about this.

[will19]

I lived in a condo one time. It never interest me to serve on anything. If I did, then people would be coming after me about problems and stuff. I am not a people person.

I didn't like living in such close quarters with other people who are owners. Yes, they feel entitled and felt like they can do anything they want. And I would have no right to tell them that they are disturbing me. I moved out of it and live in a small apartment complex with all renters now. The people's attitudes are better now where I am, but someday I would like to move out of it.

I would like to move to the boonies and not live so close to people like I have for many years. My job is the only reason that's keeping me where I am.

[Goforward]

Dear Emily Fox Seaton,
I purchased a condo because I had the money and I didn't want to pay the exorbitant rent in So. Cal. Honestly I should have rented. My "affordable" condo had poor quality people sharing my rather thin walls. I feel awful calling people poor quality but that's what they were. I had a gang member renting a condo adjacent to mine and he was just a hideous neighbor. I won't get into it here but after two years I sold my condo and left for an apartment. Only in So. Cal can you make money on your home in just two years of ownership but still I loved that condo. I learned so much. I thought I knew a bad neighborhood because I'm a public health nurse and I have "clients" in high crime areas. This was a "two cruiser" neighborhood. I start to sweat thinking about how a renter drove an owner out but that's how it turned out. I totally understand what you are saying.

I am stuck here due to my cat and my job. I also don't want to move because I plan on moving for retirement. 7-10 years.

I feel like I did everything I could here to insure a good neighborhood. But I never could have foreseen the weird attitude and ignorance of people who live here. If I hear one more time "I am one of the original owners" as if that means anything. Last year we got into a spat at the annual meeting where one of my neighbors wanted something done and we told her we disagreed and she just kept acting like she should get it because she put in the request. I told her.. ok then you get on the board (there are open spaces) and she literally acted like a 3 year old going -- I don't have to get on the board. Um yes, apparently you don't understand the things... yes.. you do.

My other favorite is the constant refrain that the slightest thing is going to hurt condo values. I feel like that prior boards didn't know any better but I know for a fact that all the things they claim are going to "hurt values" aren't true. They wanted us to get new decks and it seemed like it might increase values but since that time other condos in the area have gotten new decks and it hasn't done anything for their values. So getting new decks would only be like a 100K capital project that isn't necessary. But there are some people here who like to walk around on their decks in their bare feet. (which you should do anyway) and want new decks because walking around on your bear feet you could get a splinter. Ugh.

So I have decided... I am off the Board. I told my fellow Board member. I am wondering if I should resign the day before the annual meeting so I don't have to go.

And be totally done with it.

I already feel much happier. I honestly got on the board under false pretenses. I told everyone I would not get on the board again unless there were other people who agreed with me to form a voting block. Oh yeh, people got on the Board but they had no intention of agreeing with me at all. I felt like my entire Board existence was trying to make the Board members not make colossal mistakes after that.

I am absolutely NOT getting on the Board again. No way, no how. And unless my roof has collapsed I am not asking for any maintenance request. I am not looking forward to the spendthrifts spending my money left and right but I will be sure to harass them just as much as they have me.

HA HA... today our incompetent property manager forwarded a letter from September 2019 from the insurance company demanding some changes -- idiot never sent it to us.The insurance demanded that we take propane grills off the deck. I knew it was coming from the first day I was living here. Our decks are not allowed to have combustible grills. They are a fire hazard. And against the law. We even talked about it in January 2019 at a meeting but decided to do nothing until someone pressed the issue.

But no one had complained. Personally I didn't like it because I once lived in a condo that had a building burn down because someone used a grill and didn't put it out properly and it caught fire during the night.

However my building -- the best in the condo -- has no one with such a grill.

But we got caught and now everyone will need to remove their propane grills. These are the same people that are such pains in the butt to me about their decks being so "dirty" and "falling down" blah blah blah. They only think that because they are out there every night grilling.

And the best part, I hope, that the vast majority of them, so hopelessly addicted to grilling on their deck, will depart this condo. As they should have years ago.

Haaaa... makes me laugh.

[Skeezyks]

Well... I, for one, am glad to read you're getting off the board. It's been several years now since I was on ours. And I can't foresee any circumstances under which I would volunteer again.

Where I live you don't even have to be elected because there are never enough homeowners who stand for election to fill the vacancies. So if someone volunteers they automatically get on the board. I won't be one of those people (again). I simply take care of my own place & ignore everything, & everyone, else. Then, if there's something obviously in violation of the governing documents, I can complain to the management company or call the city if it's a code violation.

We are fortunate to have an at least marginally effective management company. I've come to the conclusion none of them are really very good. They're mostly just there to make money for themselves at our expense. But the one we have is probably about as good as one would be able to find... better than some.

Originally Posted by Skeezyks

Where I live you don't even have to be elected because there are never enough homeowners who stand for election to fill the vacancies.

Same here. I was actually elected though because it does seem when I get on the board everyone wants to be ON the board because they know I will do the work. So everyone jumped in.

There are some terrible people who get on the board and make it so you feel compelled (won't do maintenance requests -- levy assessments).

Thanks for responding.

So here we are again... June 30th.. the time we have to make an election for insurance for the upcoming year. And my co trustee is no place to be found. This is exactly what happened last year. I was left holding the bag at the last moment. While everyone else was off on "vacation". This year I even sent some e-mails to my co trustee ahead of time mentioning it.. no response. From the start this particular trustee seems unwilling to support me in anyway. He is also beyond slow. He wants to be in charge but doesn't want to do any of the work.

I got in a little tiff with the controller of my management company-- I don't even know why as I wasn't asking for much. And I had to e-mail him to ask him to support me. I mean? He wants to talk about the property manager and I make myself available. He wants to have a meeting and I make myself available. But him. Nope.

He is ridiculous as well. Last month a resident reported a bird in her attic. The property management company came out and got the bird out.. then talked to the resident and noted there was a hole in the dormer. The resident put in a request to have it fixed but went into some detail about what the property management company had said. I immediately gave permission to have it fixed. DUH a hole in an attic should be immediately fixed. This guy gets upset because the property management company talked to the unit owner. Huh? And also he requested a "report" from the employee before we get it fixed. Are you kidding? We have bats here. Of course like a moron I supported him.

This is the same crap that got me on the board in the first place. When a woman puts in a request (even if her request comes from a man) it is immediately questioned by a man. Not to mention that I wasn't endorsing what the resident wrote -- no duh -- I was endorsing fixing the hole. This same resident has requested that the board fix some issues in her attic the board refused. I have tried in vain to just explain to her the reason why. The rest of the board refuses to tell her. I do not get it. There is no reason NOT to tell her.

Last month we got a letter from insurance stating that we needed to remove the gas grills on our decks. He has a gas grill. I do not. He said he would talk to the person who sent the letter. He comes back to me and tells me all we need to do is recommend to the residents that they remove the grills. I wanted to clarify with him that the insurance guy said we only need to recommend that the grills get removed. Because honestly I don't buy that. If we have a fire after receiving a letter that said they must be removed and then ORALLY they say a recommendation is sufficient... obviously the insurance won't pay when we have a fire.

He fails to answer the question and states.. IN his opinion it would be negligence by the board if we didn't recommend it and put it in writing? Way to duck the question. SO fine since he knows all.. I said, why don't you draft the letter. 30 days later.. no draft. If we got a new insurance company this whole issue might go away but, he is no place to be found.

I want the gills gone. There is no need to take the risk. Electric grills are allowed.

So he actually did it.. he blew us off for so long I had to have the property manager call him. Not only that.. the day, the very day that insurance was due... he was out in the parking long talking to someone (probably a vendor) and I had taken a break for lunch. He approaches me in the parking to and says... do you have a minute... I had to say.. no, no I don't. I could not believe that. If you want to get a quote or something you need to tell me and also, ask if I am available more than one minutes notice. He acted like I had rudely rebuffed him. There is no point in doing any vendor if the condo lets the insurance lapse!!

In his response to my e-mail he said something like, I am also very busy. OMG I am soooo tired of people not understanding that my job IS more important. He is a salesman... plus he appears to be like 71+ so I am wondering why he isn't retired. Some of my things that I do on a daily basis make international news. I doubt his business is anything the same. I remember a few years back when I was on the board with different people I knew something was happening the next day that would make news and I told them. They didn't get it. Then the next day it was front page news and all over the press and they go.. was that you? Yes, you idiots... yes.. that was me -- and maybe they finally got it a little.

In the same e-mail he talked about his vacation. Literally there will be no vacation for me.I am so far behind I will likely spend 1/2 of the weekend on work.

30 days in and no draft of the letter about the insurance. How typical. I have the minutes of the meeting done usually in 24 hours after the meeting.

I just hope I can make it on the board to the annual meeting. We have been talking about canceling it due to covid but I don't want to do that. I have zoom, I don't see any reason why we can't use zoom - only 20 people live in the condo. IMHO, he and the property manager just don't want to have the annual meeting. But the condo docs require it.

[spencersims]

Thank you for letting us know, I also knew about it

So I survived another meeting.. only two more to go.

Me and my fellow trustee got into it last night. It comes over gas grills. The insurance said we could have gas grills as long as they were 10 feet from the building in any direction. However, I feel that is a non starter for the condo. 10 feet from the building is simply not really possible -- we have forest all around (except for his building) -- and I do not want people dragging their grills on the grass... or other places. (and potentially leaving them there) I also don't like the idea of them being stored under the decks. That would seem to be an even greater way to cause a fire than on the deck. But my fellow trustee wants to grill. I really don't care. He asked me if I grilled and I said no and acted as if then I shouldn't have a say.. I told him I don't grill because I knew it was illegal from day one (it is against the fire code) and I even brought this to the board's attention last year. I was ok with not doing anything until the insurance objected. IMHO the decks are much safer than the grass or under the deck. I also suspect that if the insurance comes back out to inspect they will also ask the grills to be move under the deck.

He goes on about how angry people are going to be but honestly I don't care. This was warned about at the annual meeting in 2015 and imho they all should know better.

I pointed out to him that electric grills are ok and he pointed out that electric grills just aren't as good. Again.. too bad.

I just do not understand other's people's judgment. It is literally so poor. He obsesses on people driving in the condo the wrong way... even though we have never had an accident and it is impossible to enter the condo at a speed greater than 5 mph so we never will. But the real possibility of a fire (which hurts everyone) is completely ignored.

[unaluna]

Tenants are allowed gas grills on their balconies, just not charcoal grills any longer. We have concrete balconies. There are charcoal grills available on a grass picnic lot near the pool, but it is adjacent to a stand of trees!

Yes.. for my money I don't like the idea of people being allowed propane. To me that seems like a recipe for disaster so close to the building. To me though it just concerns me that he can't see what a mess it would be with people pulling out their gas grills on to the grass. How can he think that is a good decision? That is the problem with my condo... poor decisions. I do think this guy is on statin meds and has mental lapses. His first suggestion last night was that we contact the residents via an e-mail address not the portal that we have set up for it. I could not understand why and he couldn't give me an answer.. so I finally pointed out that we don't have updated e-mail listing on the e-mail address.. But it was as if he could not think through the mechanics of it. That is my biggest concern.