This question was submitted by Rita K of Connecticut
I am an absentee owner who rents my unit. In January 2025 my tenant was approached by the doorman to pay $250 for use of an extra parking space. When my tenant told me this, I contacted the property manager and the Board and stated my tenant had no fiduciary responsibility to the Board or Property Management Company.
I asked that the fee be billed on my HOA account as this issue was raised last year and noted on my HOA account although not for the full amount paid. I asked the Board to provide the governing documents for the process charging for an extra parking space, how this process complies with Common Owner Interest law with respect to transparency of record keeping, and explained that the Property Manager and the Board are in conflict as to how this fee is being handled.
I was invited to come to a Board meeting to voice my concerns but only if I could cite the law being broken. I went to the Board Meeting on the date and time specified only to find out it was cancelled. I received no notice of its cancellation.
My questions are:
- Can the Board assign the collection of parking fees to be paid directly to a doorman? Where is the accountability to the unit owner that these fees are being paid?
- Does the Board have the right to charge for extra spaces, which has only been the practice since 2024?
- How do I determine that everyone who is using an extra space is paying the fee? The annual budget doesn't reflect the fees which should be paid in January for the entire year. This leads me to believe owners are delinquent in paying or not paying at all.
I have sent numerous emails, asking the Board to respond, but get no direct response to my request for information.
I want to resolve this not only for myself but for the rest of the community. This practice seems like a scam between a doorman and the Board, because there is a lack of standard financial operating procedures. Since the Board Meeting to discuss this was cancelled, and emails have gone unanswered, Please advise what steps I can take to resolve this.
