Board members using HOA as a money-making machine
Posted on Mon, Oct 11, 2010 @ 07:23 AM
My HOA authorized without my permission the replacement of my upscale skylights which were 20 years old. The project was being done to 4 condo owners out of 86 condos. The HOA wouldn't even tell us what type of skylights were going to replace the upscale ones we had. Since 3 condos were owned by senior citizens, they probably thought we were too stupid to care. They used about 5 different excuses which the DCA and I found out were not true.
The last excuse was that an engineer advised them to replace the skylights because the very upscale skylights we had wouldn't outlast the 50 year roof. The HOA told the four condo owners that since skylights are windows and the condo owners are responsible for the windows, we had to pay for the skylights. I never agreed on this being done and told them I would only pay if the ones put in were of the same quality. I found out that the skylights they put in were from Velux's economy group and were worth $225 and the flashing $100. I then looked into what the ones they removed would cost with the copper flashing and many upgrades and found out that they cost between $1500 and $1700 because no one stocks them and they would have to be custom made.
Even worse than the cheap skylights is that two leaked on my furniture and ruined my tables which are now scratched and spotted and the HOA doesn't want to take care of it and the roofer didn't have insurance. If that isn't bad enough, everyone of my 7 skylights which were put in by the roofer have broken seals according to Velux. The life expectancy of the $225 skylights is not near 50 years & all 7 of my $225 skylights need to be replaced already because they are defective with broken seals and they get condensation between the panels and are cloudy and dirty already one yr. later. To make me feel better about my condo being used as a money making machine for some of the board members and the management person, yesterday in the mail I got a lien on my property because I didn't pay for my skylights which are all defective and against the bylaws. Do they have a right to do such an horrible thing to me when they have hung me on the cross a few times already. I can't believe what some people like a banker, nursing home administrator, and a pharmacist can do to make money, of course, along with the white trash management person who is married to the company's owner who probably might have been honest before.