Attic Insulation Abuse

Sounds fair to me.
Of course, you are only one vote. Since there are now only three of you, a simple majority would be 2. Expecting you are against and the president is in favor of the proposal the question will become, Can the other director stand the pressure?

Whether it is explicitly stated or not, the attic spaces are common area. You need to re-think this whole issue. Owners on the first and second floor benefit from the insulating qualities of the units above them; third floor units do not receive an equal benefit as the insulation above them is inadequate. Your association should implement a plan to add insulation to all the attics. That means setting an assessment adequate to cover the costs.

Any time a board member says that they do not have funding problems, my first question to them is always, "Whose fault is that?" Part of your responsibility serving on a board is to determine how much money is needed both for current expenses and long-range projects and then raising the funds to cover those expenses.

JohnC46,

1. NO, they DO NOT need insulation. The 30 units with attics, all have builder grade loose fiberglass insulation, to the tune of 12 to 14 inches. At least that is what was blown in the attics 7 years ago when they were built. These attics, are NOT usable at all, other than for water sprinkler systems, insulations, pipes etc. I do NOT know the life of the fiberglass insulation, but I sure would expect it to be longer than 7 years. The roof is a very high pitched roof, with lots of empty cold space above the insulation line.

2. N/A

As I stated, no where in any of our documents is there any reference to the attics, at all. Do you live in a condo, and how are you documents worded that address attics? I could see maybe, they might be a limited common element, but not a common element, no one else has access to the attic other than the home owner.

TimeB4,

Thanks Tim for your suggestions. It looks like we have the two "NO" votes on this for now.

How valid would any vote be without adding two more board members for a full board?

The board members should have been replaced. In our CC&R we allowed the remaining members to select the replacements.

I wouldn't consider the vote on anything valid until the number of board spots were all filled.

I agree with LarryB13, the attic space is common area and it does benefit all units. It does however benefit the top floor more since the top floor will see a reduction in heating/cooling bills.

As a Property Manager and the President of my Association for 12 years, per my Associations covenants and covenants from other associations I've managed over the years, this is common area. The insulation should be paid for by the association.

With that said, I'm on the top floor and after 12 years of servicing I deserve to have insulation installed even if the association has not budgeted for this project, I say in jest.

Here is the catch, we do not have the money in our operating account. We are not taking money out of reserves, I have a limit on what we keep in reserves and the board agreed to the limit. If you need reserves, you increase dues, or you have a special assessment.

One other thought and you will have to check your covenants, but most associations can pass a special assessment without a vote up to a certain amount. Most associations I manage the cap is $200 per unit, this amount is not calculated based on percentage owned, just a flat assessment. That gives you $18,000. It will not insulate all your buildings but if you do this each year it is a good way to raise dues to increase reserves for this type of project.

This is what I am doing to have insulation installed above my unit only. I contacted a vendor and was quoted for the attic above my unit. My cooling bills are incredibly high in the south, even though we just replaced all decking and our roof. I am paying out of pocket with a qualified company with required insurance to work on the property. The association must be protected if a homeowner decides to do board authorized work. My cost is around $800.00. So, if the president wants insulation and you do not have the money, she can pay for herself. I'm not thrilled about spending personal money for an association expense, however I do feel it will make a difference in my cooling bill and I'll recoup the money with 18 months. My high cooling bill the last few years is around $400 for about a 1500 sq. ft. unit and I am not cranking the a/c.

I also like the idea of obtaining quotes until she is gone. Sometimes we bite the bullet if we want something done and the association does not have the funds. Like Larry said, if she was on the board it was her job to create a budget to cover maintenance items.

If this insulation is that big a deal, mention she can pay but you will not take more board/membership time to vote on insulation when this has already been covered. You can always mention the board will discuss the options for the project in the near future and obtain quotes to make sure you budget properly.

T.

Unless the attic is one open space over all of the top floor units than it is the owner's individual responsibility to refresh or replaced their own insulation. It is a maintenance/upkeep issue within her own unit. The individual owners would be required to replace the interior seals around their own windows to keep drafts out...same thing.