Pls help. Got a letter from HOA

They said there will be work to be done inside my property to fix the fire sprinkler and need to reimburse the HOA $2,000. They initiated this. Am I suppose to pay or the HOA? Pls any advise.

Thank you

They will be doing thr work in a couple to days. I was just wondering am I suppose to pay for it ?

I just got the condo last year. And this is the first letter they sent me. It says on the letter cc&r's

Ower Liability for negligent damage. In thr even the need for any maintenance, repair, or replacement by the association is caused by the willful or negligent act or omission of an owner or a resident, a member of his or her household, pets, tenants, invitees, or guests, the cost of such supplies, and services shall be charged to and paid by the Owner of the Condominium in the form of a Reimbursement Assessment.

How is it a neligent on my part when I just got the place and had no knowledge of this?

Pls advise.

I would reply back to about what the damages are and when they were incurred. At first, thought it could have been part of a special assessment needed to repair the Condo's sprinkler system. This would be understandable as they may have passed it prior to your moving in. It may have been why the seller sold? Do not know the details of how you bought the place.

Otherwise, ask them to provide details on what the repairs are. Plus don't deny them access. Just let them do the job. Argue the bill later. This is for a sprinkler system after all. A HUGE safety item you should have regardless in place.

This is beginning to sound like the seller didn't tell you everything (that NEVER happens!)

I'd pursue this appeal, as Augustin suggested and take another look at your sales documents. I don't know if your state has any laws requiring disclosure of certain things when buying a house in an HOA - if so, an attorney may be able to tell you if you might have any recourse against the seller. Otherwise, you may have to hire the bullet and pay this.

This is where you need to call your real estate agent and get the title company on the horn. I would call the HOA to see if this was a prior violation that should have gone against the prior owner.
If this was a prior violation the HOA has no business going after you.

This was inspected before I moved in. They will be replacing fire sprinker 8 different places such as master bedroom, master closer, small bed closet etc. Can anyone pls advice me an email format on how I should go about writing them an email and not soundinf mean. Thank you so much.

Dear Board of Directors,

On or about ____, 2022, the HOA notified me that I will have to reimburse the HOA $____ for repairs or upgrades to my unit's fire sprinkler system. Would you please inform me what CC&R authorizes this billing? Would you also explain to me why the sprinklers need repair? Are all units required to have this repair? When and how was it determined that my unit's sprinklers need this repair.

Thank you,

Please consider paying attention to how this is a just-the-facts inquiry. No emotion (I think). No aggressive-reading punctuation like exclamation marks or words in all-caps. No attacks on the Board's decisions. You're just gathering information so you can understand the situation better.

Thank you all so much for your help. I will inform you guys once I get a response from them.

typo, by sending a certified mail response,, this will let the board know ,you know what you are doing ......

I'm not clear how an inspection turned into a quote turned into a bill.. somewhere along the line someone had to decide to move forward with the inspectors suggestions. Was there a vote of some kind? I do know this. if the work is your responsiblity, you should be able to get your own quotes and as long as you follow the guidelines and requirements you can have the work done yourself.. this could save you a lot of money. (depending on how much time the current board took vetting various vendors)

The reason I don't like email for official business. Who did you send the email to? How do you know that's the right person who would handle this issues. I don't have enough information to give any suggestions. If you received the bill for proposed work in the mail, I would respond in the mail.

It sounds like everything is on the up & up and that no one's trying to take advantage of you. If the entire inspection report is as your MC states, I can see why it's not available to you. I do think you could email the inspection company and ask if you please could have a copy of your own unit's report.

Sprinkler inspectors are in our condo every year and they do not chat with residents and they do not tell us what, if any, sprinkler heads need repair/replacement. So I don't think they said anything to the previous Owner. Such vendors are usually told to keep their mouths shut, do their job and avoid answering residents' questions. This is wise since residents often misunderstand causal chit chat about mechanical/technical matters.

Since your CC&Rs, Jenny, probably say you're responsible for any items that service only your unit, you and all owners will only be charged for what is needed in each individual unit. Some units may need no work; some only a little bit; some residents may have painted over their springers (yes, has happened). Why should you as an individual pay for someone who damages their own unit's sprinklers?

So, Melissa, as is too often the case, is wrong. Unless your CC&Rs say so, each unit is responsible for things in the Unit that serve only them. This will. not be an HOA expenditure, so no "special assessment" is possible. Melissa hasn't lived in a condo so only gave you her exceptionally uneducated opinion.

I know it' hard to think about reading your CC&Rs, but look near the beginning for a Table of Contents, OR an area that has definitions--sort of a little dictionary section. Look up "Unit," which might show you what you're responsible for. The find a n Article about Maintenance Obligations or a similar names, for details.

Kerry you just stated what I said and then tell someone NOT to take MY advice?

Stop with the personal attacks already. Now your just not even READING my posts before you start saying don't listen to me. If you had, then you would have seen I gave the SAME advice. It may not been known to the previous owner as the results were NOT given to the HOA till January. That was AFTER the OP had purchased.

Re-read what the OP posted AFTER they had additional information. It doesn't read as it if was JUST their unit. If it is NOT just their unit, then a special assessment may be in play. We don't know all the details.

Sounds like the HOA had the sprinklers inspected prior to OP moving in. The results came in AFTER they purchased. It seems that depending on what "damage" is assumed in a unit that owner pays. I don't think the previous owner would have known. The inspectors do not talk to unit owners during the inspection.

It could be that a neighbor painted their ceiling and included the sprinklers. This added weight to the system causing damage. There is not details of the exact damage to the system. This is just an example of what could be part of the "damage" the inspectors found. That could mean only replacing a few sprinkler heads or length of pipe. If you were the painter, it could mean replacing the entire system in your unit. You may be charged accordingly.

I’m not completely sure I agree that “everything is on the up & up”, but I agree with all of the other stuff Kerry’s saying. You should be able to - and *should* - get the report for your unit. And yeah, the inspection people tend not to be talkative about this stuff. Which, however, does not mean the previous owner was unaware of any problems.

BillD

LyndaZ's post makes sense to me except the part about a special assessment. if the $2,000 only is for the sprinkler heads in Jenny's unit AND the docs say she's responsible for items that serve only her unit, I don't get the language of "special assessment."

But we don't know what Jenny's docs say or WHAT is wrong with her sprinklers. she's done talkin', I guess.