Condo Q&A

Is plywood in our condo common areas a fire insurance problem?

Written by stephen polinsky | Thu, Mar 1, 2012 @ 01:39 PM
I own a condo of 12 units and have had it on the market for sale for approximately 3 years. The problem is the exterior is so poorly kept that people who see it are afraid to buy. They love the interior. I am concerned about one thing in particular from a liability standpoint. One of the unit owners removed his exterior door in the common hallway and nailed a piece of plywood in it's place. Will our fire insurance company find the HOA in default and could they refuse to pay a claim? What if there were a fire and this owner could not escape his unit or the boarded up doorway blocks the fire fighters? What can I do to get this corrected? Our property manager will not return my calls because I complained and only 1 other owner has responded to my certified letter with pictures showing the "door" and untidy common areas.