December 2020
Inevitably people have disputes. Some are resolved easily without animosity. Others are more contentious. In a condo community there are times management or the board needs to get involved.
While everyone agrees residents should act reasonable and courteously in their shared home, this is not always the case.
Any time residents or guests get involved in a physical altercation on corporation property the police should be called. The same applies to a conflict involving screaming or threats to cause bodily harm or damage. These are not matters for a condo board.
Disputes between a commercial vendor located on building property and building residents that prevent customers from using the vendor require that the management office or condo board be involved.
A dispute involving two residents should be addressed by those involved. When the dispute can affect other residents or common areas management or the board should attempt to diffuse or resolve the conflict before it escalates. Management or the board should not generally get involved unless a complaint is provided in writing.
Certain residents can be a source of ongoing problems. They may be in constant conflict with other residents, ignore building rules, or threaten employees. They may be an ongoing threat or safety concern. Despite repeated efforts to reconcile, nothing seems to work. For these situations a condo board can go to court which has authority to, for the most extreme situations, force the sale of that owner’s unit. This extreme option is generally reserved for those proving unable to live in a community setting.
