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Except for overlooking the fact that many of those "owners" were, in some part. the tenants themselves, and from what little we've seen so far -- disproportionately elderly, price-conscious, and often relocated from states where greater governmental oversight, and the higher taxes to support it are the rule.
This is, unfortunately, one of those one-in-many-thousands instances where too many safety valves were tied town or ignored, where everyone was "living short-term", where too many people chose to look the other way, and the chickens (or vultures) came home to roost.
If this is true, then I would like to know why the city didn't "crack down" and order either repairs or demolition.
Because if the danger wasn't imminent it would have been a matter between the homeowners and their association and the construction company or building management. Not everything requires immediate government intervention.
A lot of condo boards, and owners, are simply morons.
They are overly concerned with BS like aesthetics, constantly, and turn their nose up to anything that does not have a consumer/owner face to it.
You will see them talk non stop about replacing tiles (again) or redoing the interior of the lobby (again), yet shelf any non cosmetic issues until it bites them. Oh, they said the elevator needs this and that? Well, just ignore until only one works and now have to spend to get them fixed.
And yea, the majority of owners think this way, I closed on my condo I was using as a rental earlier this month, thankfully. Never again dealing with those morons.
There is just an absolute obsession among many owners of property value, that is why the fixation on aesthetics.
With Condominiums there seems to be a gray area between condo owners or the "HOA" regarding who is responsible for making sure costly structural repairs are done.
I suspect, as a result, we are seeing structural failures of condominium buildings because timely repairs of condos have been neglected (see my previous posts regarding failed condo structures in other areas of our country).
Perhaps, due to this lack of firm accountability or a conflict of interest (condo owner is also on HOA board thus will realize a personal cost for needed repairs), the condominium concept may need to be reexamined.
No grey area. Once the building has been legally turned over to the HOA, it's their responsibility. That's not to say the HOA can't take legal action against the builder for prior work. If repairs were not made, that's on the HOA or the management company hired by the HOA. There's really no conflict of interest either. The HOA board is comprised of homeowners. Sometimes there might be an occasional seat held to represent a commercial client the building might have, but the board does as the owner's request.
They may have trouble finding a deep pocket, but they'll sue everyone and anyone.
Re: Insurance
1. The HOA no doubt has some sort of insurance for the building. The insurer may have clauses about proper maintenance or water related subsidance\sinkholes but when faced with a mountain of lawsuits if the coverage is (for example) 20million they probably just cut a check and walk away and let the courts sort it out.
2. The HOA almost certainly has some sort of liability policy.
Neither of these will have coverage limits even remotely approaching the amount of damage, let alone punitive damages.
The previous three posts have hit the nail on the head.
Over 150 years ago, a very wise Frenchman named Frederic Bastiat observed that "the State (meaning government at any level, and in any form) is the Great Fiction by which everyone tries to have his way -- at the expense of everybody else".
And in certain instances, that observation can be extended to any institution where a gullible majority of short-term thinkers expect to take more from a collective effort than they put into it.
On this rare occasion, the lesson was brought home, and tragically.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 06-27-2021 at 11:16 AM..
In the 2000's Florida make some of the most strictest codes because of hurricanes taking out homes.
Before then they didn't have those strict codes. My one level home is brick and it was built with steel rods in the bricks and then poured concrete in the brick. The roof is attached with steel rods. and the shape of the roof is like the top of a pyramid. They are said to withstand 130 mph winds. Homes that are fortified get much cheaper rates on home insurance. .
This condo was built in the eighties. Didn't look too sturdy with just two stilts with all that weight on them.
Someone did not do their homework on this and the condo next to it should be evacuated. They need to fortify it or tear it down.
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