Posted on 07/06/2011 3:37:39 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Condo board tells elderly woman to upgrade condo or get foreclosed on
Sarah Eisenberg has lived through many storms in her 96 years, but the ominous forecast she faces these days comes from the association that runs her condominium.
Eisenberg said that she has been told that if she doesn't pay to upgrade to hurricane windows and doors, the association will foreclose on her Fort Lauderdale unit.
The cost is $6,500, a price tag too expensive for a senior citizen on a fixed income, Eisenberg said. She gets $1,500 per month from her Social Security check.
"They want $2,000 for a door," Eisenberg said. "In the White House there isn’t a door for $2,000."
The cooperative board said Wednesday that the notices Eisenberg has received are legal and comply with the Broward County code. The board president declined to comment further on the issue.
Eisenberg, a retired swimmer and teacher, has lived in the condo unit for 12 years and said she has hurricane shutters that have protected the unit against storms.
But last year, the coop began sending notices to the complex's residents that they needed to start upgrading. Letters recently sent to Eisenberg said she was nine months late on the renovations to her condo.
Some of the letters come off as threatening, she said.
One sent in April from the coop director said, "It is our hope you immediately enter into a contract as required, so that you may be spared the legal process that will ensue."
The coop took it a step further last month and notified Eisenberg they might place a lien against her property and "if necessary foreclose the lien, the letter said.
"They said that they sent me a notice that I am in violation. I pay my maintenance and I have never been in default," Eisenberg said. "My home is my life."
Wow there are zillions of solutions to this one. Three easy ones are:
1. Let the condo association do the upgrade and put a lien on her property that will be collected when she dies and it is sold.
2. Have her heirs pay for the work now.
3. Have her take out a reverse mortgage to cover the $6,500.
The question is why isn’t someone talking to this lady rather than sending her letters. Do they not know at the condo that she is 96 years old?
A South Florida Condo Commando runs afoul of Da Association!
Since she was described as a retired teacher, I am assuming she was a member of the Teachers Goonion, a Liberal, ad nauseam.
Those who embrace Liberalism, condos, etc get what they deserve.
A word of warning to us all. It is *never* “your home”, if others can make demands on it with a lien. A homeowner’s association or a condo board, even if forced on you as a homeowner by a vote of other homeowners, effectively mean that you no longer own your home.
They have “voted” your property away from you.
The condo board needs the chill out and take a look at statistics.
The chances of a major hurricane hitting Fort Lauderdale prior to her passing away is rather low.
Just wait her out.
Well, she's in South Florida, so she well may be a liberal. But at 96 years old, she probably retired before (or just shortly after) teachers unionized. That all happened between the late sixties and the early eighties depending on the part of the country.
I would never live in a situation where your neighbors have so much say over your life. Condos -- phooey.
Excellent solutions and so simple. What they are doing to this woman is disgusting.
The board may want to have her show hurricane insurance if they want to wait her out. Just to make sure that someone other than the condo will be on the hook for any possible damages from a future huricane.
In the White House there isn’t a door for $2,000.”
probably closer to 2 billion.
I suppose it’s a liability and insurance question. Also, since it’s a condo, if her windows blow out it could damage some of the neighboring condos, especially those below her.
“It is *never* “your home”, if others can make demands on it with a lien.”
It is also never your home when you have to pay property taxes on it.
Yeah and the 75 year old living below her who has just had their condo waterlogged is going to be looking for some deep pockets to cover:
- loss of property
- clean up costs
- replacement of the property
- mold mitigation
- emotional suffering
- the slip and fall and broken hip associated with the fall that they took when they came back into their condo
- etc
Condo will want to have someone else’s pocket to dip into.
And probably retired AT LEAST 30 f'n years ago............maybe about the time you even entered the work force.
At 96 years of age I'd certainly leave your union politics out of this and give the old lady a break. She spent most of her teaching years before there even was a union.................
>>Those who embrace Liberalism, condos, etc get what they deserve<<
CID isn’t “liberalism.” It is just CID, a contract willingly and freely entered into.
If someone doesn’t want CID rules, he/she shouldn’t move into one.
Communal living means communal rules...if you are not a bee, don’t join a hive.
“It is also never your home when you have to pay property taxes on it.”
It is also never your home if you have to have a deed with the state.
I think Social Security should pay for the upgrades (separate from her $1500 per month living money)...after all, they pay rich seniors to drive around in Winnebegos - and this is much more important.
I did think about the issue you raised in your post #14. Then I realized that the commies ran education since well before WW II.
Actually, my complaint with the Teachers Goonion is their collectivism and consequential rejection of historic American emphasis on the individual, more than their recent behavior in WI.
I am well aware of the egregious violation of property rights being visited on this 96 year old retiree. However, the reality is that likely she was either a Liberal (most teachers are) or at the least a Democrat.
Having been forced to deal with far too many products of education departments, my sympathy for such is thin, very thin.
Sorry if I inadvertently irritated you.
Well said. Your response to that rather vile post is much more civilized than what came to my mind when reading it.At 96 yrs of age, its disgusting for ANYONE to try to justify such outrageous abuse as this towards this woman.
While I personally abhor HOAs and 'Condo Associations' I also believe in showing respect to a person such as this who has worked, is now retired and just trying to get on with what is left of their life.
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