[overcoil]

little background. 5 story condo, 60 units. 17 months ago switched to management company, and starting year of 2022 unit owners pay for indoor heat-pump (exchanger?) repair and choose their own HVAC repair company, HOA pays for roof unit repair.

Up till January of '22 HOA had a contract with a company that they rid themselves of. 1) that company wouldn't take responsibility for putting tear in roof. 2) few years before that one of their techs was scamming unit owners for cash during yearly spring tune-up.


Now for me, this (third year in a row) my unit wasn't cooling during first spring usage. And in 2020 and 2021 the appointment to fix the roof heat-pumps were as many girlfriend witnessed totally unprofessional, bad manners.
Last year, 2021, the management company rep was here for the repair after I complained. Management company rep didn't go on roof. And unit wasn't tested before tech went to the roof. Then tech returns after about 20-minutes and says he didn't do any repairs. They both told me I didn't know how to use my heat-pump that it was cooling - which it was after tech had gone onto roof and that my supplemental heat wasn't faulty after I stated it seems supplemental heat light was staying on almost all the time.

Now this is my question and why I'm mad at the management company when they were here for last years repair.

So yesterday evening heat-pump won't cool. I call my chosen repair company - as requested by the HOA, Constellation Home for a repair appointment today 5/13. Contact my management company last night through web-portal and this morning by e-mail for how will they pick-up the roof unit repair bill. Management company respond back to my e-mail and tells me I can't have anyone on the roof today because a maintenance rep has to go up with my repair guy and no one is available from maintenance. I say it's my A/C it's got to be repaired as soon as possible.

Then my Constellation Energy repair guy shows up an hour early, he comes and goes. And then I see another HVAC company go on the roof during the same time I had request with the building maintenance rep who had been here all morning.

And more frustrating I go to the roof with my Constellation Energy guy who without provoking tells me my supplemental heat is not working. That the defrost board is not powering up contactor and that the low PSI switch was removed from wiring.

Then my management company calls me and tells about how I flaunted board rules. And I tell the management company if they would have listened to me last spring this whole event would not be happening now.

So if you by chance can make sense of my sloppy retelling of the story, I need support and a hug.

Do any of you have to wait a day or days to make an appointment for a building rep to go on the roof with your chosen HAVC company.
BTW the building maintenance rep is a sloppy janitor with a domestic violence on his local municipality court search database.

[Tyga11]

You had every right to do what you did. Not having AC in a hot weather climate can be a potentially dangerous situation.

Most condo HOAs are corrupt as it is. I guarantee your maintenance guy is making $100k+ and does minimal work.

You can request a copy of salaries / contracts directly from your HOA. You should do that and consider running for the board if you want to enact change

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

You had every right to do what you did. Not having AC in a hot weather climate can be a potentially dangerous situation.

Most condo HOAs are corrupt as it is. I guarantee your maintenance guy is making $100k+ and does minimal work.

You can request a copy of salaries / contracts directly from your HOA. You should do that and consider running for the board if you want to enact change

Thanks for the support. I needed that.
A lot of people ask me to get on the board, I'm flattered by that.

[RickFLM4]

It doesn’t make much sense to split the maintenance and repairs between the compressor in the roof and furnace or air handler in the unit. At our condo in NC, COA schedules and pays for maintenance. Someone from the management company is on-site during maintenance. If a repair is needed, condo owner can pay the company doing the maintenance or find someone themselves to do the work.

As far as someone getting up in the roof, I can understand why they restrict access. But if that’s the rule they need to be able to provide access to a repair outfit when a system needs to be accessed within a reasonable time (within a couple of hours during normal business hours).

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

You had every right to do what you did. Not having AC in a hot weather climate can be a potentially dangerous situation.

Most condo HOAs are corrupt as it is. I guarantee your maintenance guy is making $100k+ and does minimal work.

You can request a copy of salaries / contracts directly from your HOA. You should do that and consider running for the board if you want to enact change

You realize the maintenance guy is part of the management company, and not part of the HOA right? I’m on our condo board for a property we don’t use much and it is a giant PITA I volunteer for because someone needs to do it and there was no one else with a financial background willing to make the effort. Management companies are hired by the HOA board to manage day to day operations of the building and yeah, lots of them are full of lazy slugs or good people stretched too thin, but that doesn’t mean the HOA board is corrupt.

[Tyga11]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

You realize the maintenance guy is part of the management company, and not part of the HOA right? I’m on our condo board for a property we don’t use much and it is a giant PITA I volunteer for because someone needs to do it and there was no one else with a financial background willing to make the effort. Management companies are hired by the HOA board to manage day to day operations of the building and yeah, lots of them are full of lazy slugs or good people stretched too thin, but that doesn’t mean the HOA board is corrupt.

Unfortunately most of them are corrupt. My father lives in a country club in Boynton Beach. The President is making $1M+ and drives a Bentley. This is Aberdeen CC in Boynton Beach if you are familiar...

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

It doesn’t make much sense to split the maintenance and repairs between the compressor in the roof and furnace or air handler in the unit. At our condo in NC, COA schedules and pays for maintenance. Someone from the management company is on-site during maintenance. If a repair is needed, condo owner can pay the company doing the maintenance or find someone themselves to do the work.

As far as someone getting up in the roof, I can understand why they restrict access. But if that’s the rule they need to be able to provide access to a repair outfit when a system needs to be accessed within a reasonable time (within a couple of hours during normal business hours).

Appreciate the info on how your building is run.

Do understand about access to the roof. However, was heading into a third spring of A/C malfunctions so I had to take control.

I love this area and feel it's not worth moving to another building nearby that is better managed.

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

You realize the maintenance guy is part of the management company, and not part of the HOA right? I’m on our condo board for a property we don’t use much and it is a giant PITA I volunteer for because someone needs to do it and there was no one else with a financial background willing to make the effort. Management companies are hired by the HOA board to manage day to day operations of the building and yeah, lots of them are full of lazy slugs or good people stretched too thin, but that doesn’t mean the HOA board is corrupt.

I'm the original poster.
The maintenance guy here is not employed with the maintenance company but is employed by the HOA.
The rep from our Management Company I believe switched over from a rather mediocre career as a real estate agent.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

Unfortunately most of them are corrupt. My father lives in a country club in Boynton Beach. The President is making $1M+ and drives a Bentley. This is Aberdeen CC in Boynton Beach if you are familiar...

This?

https://www.aberdeenpoa.com/

It’s a property management company, not an HOA.

On what basis are you making the statement that most HOAs are corrupt? And by HOA I assume you mean the Board of the HOA. Because the HOA is comprised of all the owners.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by Caravaggio

I'm the original poster.
The maintenance guy here is not employed with the maintenance company but is employed by the HOA.
The rep from our Management Company I believe switched over from a rather mediocre career as a real estate agent.

How many units in the building?

Edit: I see your original post says 60 units. It is ridiculous to have a maintenance person dedicated to a building with only 60 units. Building needs a better property manager who can manage the maintenance. Our building in NC has 67 units and there is no way a maintenance person could be busy full time.

[Tyga11]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

This?

https://www.aberdeenpoa.com/

It’s a property management company, not an HOA.

On what basis are you making the statement that most HOAs are corrupt? And by HOA I assume you mean the Board of the HOA. Because the HOA is comprised of all the owners.

https://aberdeencountryclub.com/

I've just seen too many horror stories.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

https://aberdeencountryclub.com/

I've just seen too many horror stories.

That site links back to the POA (site I posted). They have an HOA for that community and a POA that is the property manager for all Aberdeen communities. I have a hard time believing the HOA president receives any salary at all, much less $1M+. Most HOA docs prohibit salaries to HOA officers and these docs are made available to buyers before they buy.

I haven’t heard all the horror stories you have heard so we’ll have to agree to disagree again.