The balcony belonging to the apartment above me has a continuous crack from the facade all the way out. At the beginning of summer, there was visible moisture penetration on the underside of the balcony along the entire crack. I have reported this to the condo association's board, and my neighbor above has made repeated reports and asked the association to bring in an inspector to assess the situation. The association does nothing (as usual). Where can one turn to get help???
Normally, the association is responsible for the external maintenance. You should probably call a carpenter who can look at the crack and then have another talk with the chairman.
Is it the moisture you're worried about, or that the whole balcony will collapse?
Is it the moisture you're worried about, or that the whole balcony will collapse?
The association is responsible for the balconies. It is a concrete floor, and yes, I am worried about having the entire balcony collapse on me, and the neighbor upstairs doesn’t dare to go out on their balcony. If I or the neighbor hire someone, we will have to pay for everything ourselves. I am mainly looking for tips on where to turn to report negligence, failure to act, etc., when a housing association does not take care of the property, and in this case, when there is potentially a danger to the residents.
You should report such problems to your association's board. If they do nothing, you should repeat this and ask for a response on how the association plans to handle it. It might just be an aesthetic issue. It is also possible that the board is planning to assess the status of the balconies. There should be a maintenance plan that describes the status of the installations in the association, ask for this at the next annual meeting.
As you describe the crack, it should not pose a risk to the load-bearing capacity, but it's good to have the balcony inspected and the crack repaired so that the reinforcement does not rust.
If something serious happens, the chairperson, in the absolute worst-case scenario, could risk imprisonment. That should motivate a wake-up call if the person is of sound mind.
If something serious happens, the chairperson, in the absolute worst-case scenario, could risk imprisonment. That should motivate a wake-up call if the person is of sound mind.
Thank you for the response! I will talk to the nominating committee before the next annual meeting. I haven't lived in the association for very long, but I understand that the current board is not doing its job in the best way. This is just one of many examples.W witten said:
Do you have someone who manages the house? One way could be to go to those who have been responsible for the technical maintenance of the property. They can then help to discuss with the board.