Condo Media - September 2017 - 53

board, the contractor who bids on the
work, the HO6 carrier, and the unit
owner next door who complains that
unit incurred smoke and water damage.
Problems might occur with determination of coverage and with the damage
evaluation and appraisal. Other issues
may arise as to who controls the claim
process, who receives and pays the
contractors, etc.
Both the insurance provisions within Section 3.13 of the act and of course
the declaration contemplate that the
association must control the insurance claim process. Naturally, human
nature being what it is, conflicts are
bound to develop between a board
or its property manager and the unit
owner who has to live with the smoke
and fire damaged unit while it's under
repair. Frustration can reign when too
many people with different objectives
and agendas are involved with the
process.
INSURANCE APPRAISALS
OR DAMAGE
By and large, most of the complaints
that cross my desk regarding insurance involve the above coverage and
appraisal disputes. While I am not sure
who or what prompted a change in the
insurance law for condominiums, an
educated guess might be that it was a
unit owner aggrieved by how poorly he
or she had suffered a bad experience
with damage to their unit.
With the above background setting
the context, it is easy to see how or why
the new amendment was in fact signed
into law as follows:
"(i) In the event a unit owner sustains damage to the owner's unit as a
result of an event that is covered under
the insurance coverage purchased in
accordance with this section (RIGL
34-36.1-3.13 Insurance), then upon
written request to the condominium
association, the unit owner shall be
entitled to a written copy from the
condominium association of the insurance company appraisal or any damage appraisal in regard to damage to
the owner's unit, within fourteen (14)
calendar days of the date of the unit
owner's request, or within fourteen
(14) days of the association's receipt

of the damage appraisal, whichever
is later. If coverage for the damage to
a unit is denied for any reason or is
deemed to be valued below the policy
deductible, then the unit owner shall
also be entitled to receive, from the association, a copy of the letter detailing
the determination."
STATUTE AMENDMENT
There are only two sentences to the
amendment. The first sentence gives
the unit owner the right to see any
appraisal of damage to his property.
This may address a prior insurance
company or board refusing to show
the unit owner the appraisal. The
second sentence permits the unit
owner to see a notice of denial by
the insurance company. Together,
the amendment would allow the ag-

cifically, a unit owner can gain access
to the very information addressed in
this amendment by making a request
for access to the records section 3.18
of the act. If the request for information is reasonable, which in this case
here it is, then the association is duty
bound to provide it.
The real takeaway from this amendment is that it addressed a real or
perceived need to provide insurance
information to unit owners that may
have sustained damage to their units,
and that the genesis of the complaint
was perhaps an insurance claim gone
wrong. While I am sure there are two
sides to every story, more than likely,
this amendment arose from a unit
owner that felt he was unfairly denied
access to important information
concerning his unit by one or more

Unless otherwise specified, the
coverage on units would extend to
the inside building envelope like say
the walls, floors, ceilings, kitchen
cabinets, and countertops.
grieved unit owner to receive information which would enable him to
do his own investigation of the claim,
and not be stymied by an obstinate
board or insurance adjuster. My
point here is that this information
should have been provide to the unit
owner in any event.
The R.I. Legislative Action Committee, of which I am a part, did not
object to this amendment. First, in
most cases, any amendment that
serves to make life a bit easier for
unit owners is welcome, so long
that it does not unreasonably interfere with other unit owners' use
and enjoyment of the property, or
negatively and materially hinder
condominium operations. Second,
the amendment was really not
needed as there are protections for
the unit owner in this scenario found
elsewhere in the R.I. Condo Act. Spe-

persons in charge of the claim, such
as an insurance adjuster, a board,
property manager, or legal counsel.
As I was taught early on in law school,
bad facts can sometimes make bad
law. Fortunately here, this particular
amendment should not unreasonably interfere with condominium
operations. The next time, however,
we condominium law practitioners,
managers, board members, may not
be so lucky, and we might see an
amendment that addresses another
real or perceived need that could have
been avoided, and in so doing, creates
its own dumpster fire, with respect to
the management of a condominium.
n FRANK A. LOMBARDI, ESQ., CCAL,
IS A PRINCIPAL WITH THE LAW FIRM
OF GOODMAN, SHAPIRO &
LOMBARDI, LLC.

September 2017

53



Condo Media - September 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - September 2017

Table of Contents
Condo Media - September 2017 - Intro
Condo Media - September 2017 - BB1
Condo Media - September 2017 - BB2
Condo Media - September 2017 - Cover1
Condo Media - September 2017 - Cover2
Condo Media - September 2017 - Table of Contents
Condo Media - September 2017 - 2
Condo Media - September 2017 - 3
Condo Media - September 2017 - 4
Condo Media - September 2017 - 5
Condo Media - September 2017 - 6
Condo Media - September 2017 - 7
Condo Media - September 2017 - 8
Condo Media - September 2017 - BB3
Condo Media - September 2017 - BB4
Condo Media - September 2017 - 9
Condo Media - September 2017 - 10
Condo Media - September 2017 - 11
Condo Media - September 2017 - 12
Condo Media - September 2017 - 13
Condo Media - September 2017 - 14
Condo Media - September 2017 - 15
Condo Media - September 2017 - 16
Condo Media - September 2017 - 17
Condo Media - September 2017 - 18
Condo Media - September 2017 - 19
Condo Media - September 2017 - 20
Condo Media - September 2017 - 21
Condo Media - September 2017 - 22
Condo Media - September 2017 - 23
Condo Media - September 2017 - 24
Condo Media - September 2017 - 25
Condo Media - September 2017 - 26
Condo Media - September 2017 - 27
Condo Media - September 2017 - 28
Condo Media - September 2017 - 29
Condo Media - September 2017 - 30
Condo Media - September 2017 - 31
Condo Media - September 2017 - 32
Condo Media - September 2017 - 33
Condo Media - September 2017 - 34
Condo Media - September 2017 - 35
Condo Media - September 2017 - 36
Condo Media - September 2017 - 37
Condo Media - September 2017 - 38
Condo Media - September 2017 - 39
Condo Media - September 2017 - 40
Condo Media - September 2017 - 41
Condo Media - September 2017 - 42
Condo Media - September 2017 - 43
Condo Media - September 2017 - 44
Condo Media - September 2017 - 45
Condo Media - September 2017 - 46
Condo Media - September 2017 - 47
Condo Media - September 2017 - 48
Condo Media - September 2017 - 49
Condo Media - September 2017 - 50
Condo Media - September 2017 - 51
Condo Media - September 2017 - 52
Condo Media - September 2017 - 53
Condo Media - September 2017 - 54
Condo Media - September 2017 - 55
Condo Media - September 2017 - 56
Condo Media - September 2017 - 57
Condo Media - September 2017 - 58
Condo Media - September 2017 - 59
Condo Media - September 2017 - 60
Condo Media - September 2017 - 61
Condo Media - September 2017 - 62
Condo Media - September 2017 - 63
Condo Media - September 2017 - 64
Condo Media - September 2017 - 65
Condo Media - September 2017 - 66
Condo Media - September 2017 - 67
Condo Media - September 2017 - 68
Condo Media - September 2017 - 69
Condo Media - September 2017 - 70
Condo Media - September 2017 - 71
Condo Media - September 2017 - 72
Condo Media - September 2017 - Cover3
Condo Media - September 2017 - Cover4
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