August 15, 2009

By E May

I recently received a maintenance order to repair the sidewalk servicing my unit. The corner of one of the slabs was raised about an inch and deemed to be a safety hazard. This was caused by a tree root that was growing beneath the sidewalk and action was taken to kill those roots.

I notified the management company that the cause of the problem was taken care of and that I would monitor the sidewalk to ensure the slab would level out as the remaining roots die. However, I received a formal notice that the repair was not completed and I could be subject to fines.

At this point I asked the management company, Comanco, what the standards are for all the sidewalks. They replied that all sidewalks must be level.

After a quick walk through the development I noticed multiple areas, both common and private, where the sidewalk is not level. No action is in place to fix these areas.

So, my question is: Does the HOA have the right to single out my unit for repairs without applying these same standards to the entire development?