RE: CondoWonk: What the Camera Saw, Part Two

Hi, CondoWonk readers!

Our common areas are vulnerable, with many ways to enter and exit. In the space we share with our fellow unit owners, do we lean toward preserving privacy, or protecting property? 

What the Camera Saw, Part Two: Safeguarding Shared Space, is the second in a series that looks at condo life from the viewpoint of the ubiquitous security camera. In this edition, CondoWonk presents three new stories of events in our building that might have gone unnoticed if not for that silent witness.

The new stories—a bum package theft, a heated dispute in the garage and a watery break-in by repeat offenders—are tied together by a theme of knowing who belongs in your space and who does not.

In other news, word on the street is that SB-1007, an ill-advised attempt to hold down HOA dues, has stalled. As of now, it has not been scheduled for committee hearings. We’ll keep an eye on it but we are optimistic that the opposition to this bill was noisy enough to be heard.

CondoWonk is also tracking a recently filed bipartisan Congressional bill, the Making Condos Safer and Affordable Act (H.R. 9569), which would extend existing HUD and FHA homeowner loan programs to condominiums. If passed, it would be a win for condominium unit owners, allowing these programs to finance projects for rehabilitation and repair of the common elements, either directly to the HOAs or through financing of unit owners’ special assessments. More to come on that one.