Friend in trouble - need help

[Delphinus]

Man alive, the crap I hear from condo associations, makes me wonder why anyone would live in one. My sister-in-law lives in a Pointe of View condo with a condo association run by .. I don't know how to else to describe it ... insane people. Apparently, after 2, maybe 3 years after the building was built, they've decided that the whole complex needs to be re-stucco'd and they're trying to extort I guess about $6000 out of each resident or they will "foreclose". How can they foreclose??? They can't, but to even make the threat is just plain absurd.

Down in the parkade where the storage rooms are, I guess her neighbour's storage room got broken into, and the resident couldn't care less to get her door fixed. So of course my sister-in-law feels exposed because there's only a flimsy chain link fence separating the rooms and the neighbour couldn't be bothered to get the door lock fixed. What can you do?? Man, I couldn't live like that. And all it takes is for one smoker to drop a butt in bed and who knows what happens, or a toilet overhead to overflow .... nooooo thank you. Tease me all you like about suburbia and white picket fences, no worries. I feel so bad for people just starting off on their own these days what with the real estate prices being so ridiculous and the rentals being even worse...

Albert, I have no idea what to suggest, best of luck to your friend. I'm sure this can be fought, but I imagine it will be a very unfun ordeal.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

I feel so bad for people just starting off on their own these days what with the real estate prices being so ridiculous and the rentals being even worse...

*sigh*

[Aquattro]

The last condo I owned, they had a rule that if you kept a dog over 30 pounds, you would receive a $10/per month fine. So one guy had a huge dog, and has been paying the 10 bucks a month for years. Nothing else said about it. so not all strata corps are insane, but I've also heard really bad stories.

[Jason McK]

Since she really needs to get someone to take this cat quickly, she should try to contact a no kill or cat rescue. Keep in mind that many of these are so full it could take a few days for them to help out

here are a few links

http://www.frfa.ca/

http://www.meowfoundation.com/

[i have crabs]

just go to the giant tiger and buy dennis a chrome gun (fake or real depending if you go in the front or rear) a red dew rag and a tshirt with a dragon on it,then get him to park his caddie on the grass in front of the building and walk up and down the halls yellin who has a problem wit cats.
presto no more problems,ever

[Joe Reefer]

Originally Posted by i have crabs

just go to the giant tiger and buy dennis a chrome gun (fake or real depending if you go in the front or rear) a red dew rag and a tshirt with a dragon on it,then get him to park his caddie on the grass in front of the building and walk up and down the halls yellin who has a problem wit cats.
presto no more problems,ever

haha....you watch too many movies.

[EmilyB]

Condo rules, yah, my brother lived in one and someone put up a blind in their door window and everyone voted they had to take it down. It wasn't offensive, the rule was no blinds on the door.....

[midgetwaiter]

I have this theory about condo boards and neighborhood associations. You take somebody who is marginalized at work, unlucky in social situations etc and then elect them to a "position of influence" and they turn into these passive aggressive little attack bots that live to mess with other people. Normal well adjusted people have better thing to do with their lives. It probably explains politics at any level really.

I was renting a condo from a guy a few years ago at 16 st and 14ave SW. As a mere renter I had no input into the rules and the guy that owned the unit didn't have time for this BS as he had a life or something. So I get a notice that I will be fined if I continue to keep my bike on the balcony because it makes the building look trashy. We're talking about the balcony over the unpaved alley complete with crack heads, glue sniffers, overflowing dumpsters, a broken down 83 Yugo with 3 wheels and five couches in the parking lot across the way. My expensive mountain bike chained up on the balcony makes it look "trashy".

As much as it pains me to say it Albert your friend probably won't get out of this unscathed. A note from a condo lawyer like others suggested will probably get that fine down to something reasonable but she's got to give a little for the losers to save face. If she doesn't they're going to be after her for anything they can take a stab at.

[banditpowdercoat]

Sell condo, buy something where SHE makes the rules. Would be a cold day in you know what before I bought a strata or condo like that. I lived in a townhouse once that had similar rules....like everyones blinds had to be same color, etc. Never again.. but then, I never play by the rules LOL

[Aquattro]

[quote=banditpowdercoat;280647]Sell condo, buy something where SHE makes the rules. =/QUOTE]

Nice idea, but not realistic. Selling your condo and buying a house, if you qualify, could double your mortgage, especially in urban centres. A condo in Victoria sells for an average of say, 250k, houses start close to 500k. Vancouver is way sillier than that. Some peole just can't buy houses yet, especially younger single people.