The great majority of condo units for sale in Los Angeles are in buildings that are more than 30 years old. They may offer nicely remodeled units with generous space, but older buildings need more maintenance. Here is helpful advice for the kind of issues buyers are likely to find in shopping for a condo unit in an older building in Southern California.
Given the reality of multi-million-dollar deductibles that may exceed actual damages, even HOAs that carry expensive earthquake policies may not have meaningful coverage. Boards can consider dropping the coverage—if their CC&Rs let them.
Replacing common area lighting with energy-efficient, long-lasting LEDs can save HOAs significant money on electricity and replacement, with a quick payback and improved appearance. LADWP’s Commercial Direct Install program may replace some lighting for free.
Participation in an organics recycling program is now mandatory in California. Compliance can be messy in a condominium building. By carefully reviewing their waste hauler’s rules—in this case, a recommendation to put food scraps in plastic bags—this condo found a practical solution.
California Law 4745 requires HOAs to allow owners to install EV chargers, even in aging buildings with limited electrical capacity. After a bad installation caused a fire in the electrical room, this board took time to set goals and explore all the options without a big upfront HOA investment, including third-party charging stations, Level 1 “trickle charging” and Level 2 chargers with devices to prevent overloading the electrical capacity.
Why is one condo’s monthly dues so much higher than another’s? Taking a hard look at the budget can produce some savings, but differences between buildings and the types of insurance, amenities, utility metering and services lead to inherently different costs.
Condominium HOAs in Los Angeles may be eligible for significant savings on electricity bills by switching from the default residential rate to LADWP’s little-known A1A commercial rate. The option is not documented on LADWP’s website but for certain buildings, it can result in substantial cost reductions. CondoWonk is preparing an update of this article.
This guide provides step-by-step instructions to determine if switching LADWP electricity for a condominium’s common area will save money by comparing their current bills with costs calculated using LADWP’s online tool.
A new California law, AB-1572, unfairly targets condominium owners by prohibiting the use of potable water on their often tiny patches of “nonfunctional” turf while exempting single-family homes and apartments.
A condominium board tackled persistent mail theft by studying security footage and then taking counteractive measures, including hardening the front door, new mailboxes and a timer for the “arrow key” the postal service uses to enter the building through the buzzer entry system.