Condo Media - March 2011 - 24
ASKED & ANSWERED
Venting Concerns
Potential Health and Safety Risks
Q
QUESTION: Units in our condominium have individual washer and dryer hook-ups. In buildings with shared laundry facilities, the community association is responsible for maintenance and ensures that dryer vents are inspected and cleaned. But in our community, the board has no way of knowing if owners are maintaining their equipment — a concern for us, because clogged vents could ignite a fire. Because of this potential health and safety risk for the entire community, can the board adopt a rule requiring owners to clean their dryer vents on a specified schedule?
A
ANSWER: While the safety concern is justified, the board can’t adopt a rule to address it. Boards have the authority to regulate use of, and behavior in, the common areas, but they have no authority to dictate what owners do or don’t do within their units, explains Daniel Polvere, a partner in the Massachusetts law firm McCullough, Stievater, and Polvere.
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While the board can advise owners to clean their vents and point out the risks of failing to do so, it can’t impose a maintenance obligation and penalize owners who fail to comply. What the board can do, Polvere says, is obtain owner approval of a resolution amending the bylaws, adding language that requires owners to inspect and clean their vents and to submit proof that they have done so. Resolutions dealing with conditions that are impairing property values or pose a direct and immediate health and safety threat can specify that if the owner doesn’t take the required action, the board will act and bill the owner for any costs incurred. But that broad language probably won’t work for a dryer vent resolution, Polvere says, “because you aren’t dealing with an imminent risk caused by a current condition.” The resolution targets the theoretical risk that vents might become clogged in the future — not the immediate risk that would be created if they were clogged today. This means board members may have to settle for a narrower resolution than they might like. But simply proposing the resolution will alert owners to the safety concerns and may in itself encourage those who aren’t already maintaining their dryer vents to start doing so. CM
24
CONDO MEDIA • MARCH 2011
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Condo Media - March 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - March 2011
Condo Media - March 2011
Table of Contents
From the CED’s Desk
Editorial Board
CAI News
CAI Regional News
Asked & Answered
Homeowner’s Corner
Net Gain
Vendor Spotlight
Landscaping
Maintenance
Legislative Update
Advertisers Index
Classified Service Directory
Condo Media - March 2011 - Condo Media - March 2011
Condo Media - March 2011 - Cover2
Condo Media - March 2011 - Table of Contents
Condo Media - March 2011 - From the CED’s Desk
Condo Media - March 2011 - 3
Condo Media - March 2011 - Editorial Board
Condo Media - March 2011 - 5
Condo Media - March 2011 - CAI News
Condo Media - March 2011 - 7
Condo Media - March 2011 - 8
Condo Media - March 2011 - 9
Condo Media - March 2011 - 10
Condo Media - March 2011 - 11
Condo Media - March 2011 - 12
Condo Media - March 2011 - 13
Condo Media - March 2011 - 14
Condo Media - March 2011 - 15
Condo Media - March 2011 - 16
Condo Media - March 2011 - 17
Condo Media - March 2011 - 18
Condo Media - March 2011 - 19
Condo Media - March 2011 - CAI Regional News
Condo Media - March 2011 - 21
Condo Media - March 2011 - 22
Condo Media - March 2011 - 23
Condo Media - March 2011 - Asked & Answered
Condo Media - March 2011 - 25
Condo Media - March 2011 - Homeowner’s Corner
Condo Media - March 2011 - 27
Condo Media - March 2011 - Net Gain
Condo Media - March 2011 - 29
Condo Media - March 2011 - 30
Condo Media - March 2011 - 31
Condo Media - March 2011 - 32
Condo Media - March 2011 - 33
Condo Media - March 2011 - 34
Condo Media - March 2011 - 35
Condo Media - March 2011 - Vendor Spotlight
Condo Media - March 2011 - 37
Condo Media - March 2011 - Landscaping
Condo Media - March 2011 - 39
Condo Media - March 2011 - 40
Condo Media - March 2011 - 41
Condo Media - March 2011 - Maintenance
Condo Media - March 2011 - 43
Condo Media - March 2011 - 44
Condo Media - March 2011 - 45
Condo Media - March 2011 - Legislative Update
Condo Media - March 2011 - 47
Condo Media - March 2011 - 48
Condo Media - March 2011 - 49
Condo Media - March 2011 - 50
Condo Media - March 2011 - Classified Service Directory
Condo Media - March 2011 - 52
Condo Media - March 2011 - 53
Condo Media - March 2011 - 54
Condo Media - March 2011 - 55
Condo Media - March 2011 - 56
Condo Media - March 2011 - Cover3
Condo Media - March 2011 - Cover4
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