Condo Q&A

Parents of student renters threaten HOA with lawsuits

Written by stephen polinsky | Fri, Mar 7, 2014 @ 01:58 PM
I have some questions about requiring binding arbitration for all tenants in our complex. We have had an influx of university students renting units. So far we have been able to tolerate each other for the most part. However, we have had the experience of students or their parents threatening to sue the HOA when they run into a rule they don't like, the latest being a student's family who wanted to stop a planned termite tenting because she is "sensitive" to chemicals, inconveniencing several owners.  We have been threatened with a lawsuit if she should be negatively affected and requires extra work and expense from the board. Such threats throw the whole community into turmoil. Can the HOA insist on binding arbitration in all rental agreements? Would such a requirement need a bylaw change or could the board simply pass such a rule? We have had several instances of threatened lawsuits by tenants for a variety of rules tenants don't like