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One neighbor like to spread embellished gossip. I keep her at arms length knowing if she is saying catty things about all the other neighbors, she doing the same thing about us. We all know the type.
Two years ago I got some of her mail and handed it back to her. She told me thanks, it was her disability pay. She's told us she has fibermyalgia and is on disability. Her husband was out of work when she told us about this and she told us that she works for a vet on a cash under the table basis.
I didn't approve of it, but we all have tough times and have to make moral decisions. Who am I to judge.
Two years ago she hired some workers for the condo. She claims said they damaged her storm shutters and that she doesnt feel safe with them not operating. ( Never mind that I can see her backyard from ours and she had never used them. Since the people she hired were doing work for the condo, she felt the condo should pay for the repair. It was $300. Everyone felt it was just easier to pay the $300 than make an issue of it. She also made a claim on her insurance.
Last year she parked her car on the street and left her purse and laptop on the passenger seat. It was broken into. She told me about it. Later she told me that she had added to the claim that her mother's jewelry was in her purse, even though it wasn't.
Last October she needed some condo info. Seems her insurance had dropped her after making three claims in a year. (Not sure what the third one was.)
I was tempted to mention it to the insurance, but... ehhhhh.....
This week she tried to push through the condo maint. contract. I called a halt to it because we had three bids. $2,100 ; $3,100 and $6,000. She insisted on the $6,000 bid.
Being the president of the condo I called all three bids. All three used the same materials. One was a solo guy (the cheap one) and the other two were companies.
Anyone wanna guess what I found?
Yep, she was getting highly discounted personal services from the $6,000 bidder, contingent on him getting the condo bid.
So the ethical question is why is the last incident riling me up? The first two were just as bad.
The only explanation is that the last one affects me very personally. But ethically they are all the same.
I'm obviously taking action on the last one. But my flexible ethics bother me. Should I go back and report all the issues? Or just the last one? If just the last one, how is that ethical?
The insurance issues are none of your business. You just happened to learn about them. How would you know who her insurance companies are to make a report?
The difference is that the last one is the only one you can realistically do something about.
While I totally agree with your feelings, my sincere advice would be to leave it alone. You've kinda already missed the boat on reporting - mainly because she would likely know who reported her - YOU.
That's not gonna be a good living environment for YOU and your family. Leave it alone.
You have an obligation to the HOA for the sake of the HOA, not her personal life. Confine yourself to the HOA issues.
If you are to reject the high bid based on her trickery then be prepared to prove it which could be difficult. Otherwise reject it as to high and go with one of the other bids.
Do what's best for all the homeowners. You are trusted by the others to make the correct decision. Bring it up to your meeting with the other board members about your findings. This woman is a board member? If she is what she is attempting to do is highly unethical. If she is no the board it could have some ramifications.
We had a guy who tried that. He smooth talked his way in the president position because the old pres was moving , and then the whole his house needed all these things done outside. Yeah that didn't last long. The other members pretty much hammered that guy into paste. He ended up resigning and eventuslly moved
As I read the OP, the neighbor is not on the BOD thus my reply to ignore her and tend to BOD business. If she is on the BOD then do call a meeting to discuss her actions. You cannot fire her but you could marginalize her then work on getting her off the BOD.
The insurance issue took care of itself. They dropped her; insurance companies aren't stupid. No one leaves a purse, laptop and jewelry on the front seat of their car. I work in claims; people are so transparent and think they are so clever. Insurance adjusters have seen it all. Can't prove it? They drop her. And it's on her CLUE report for future insurers to see.
You can certainly call her out on her behavior if she questions why you aren't going for her latest scheme, though.
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