Depending on whom you ask, homeowners’ associations – and the monthly maintenance dues they charge – can be considered either a positive influence on a community or a necessary evil. No matter your point of view, they are generally a part of life for New Jersey condo owners.
A condo differs from a stand-alone house in that it is typically one of several units within a building or complex. These complexes often feature common areas for residents, while the homes themselves are individually owned.
Condos generally require less maintenance than stand-alone homes, as fees paid to an association cover waste/snow removal and landscaping. Many complexes also offer impressive amenities such as pools, clubhouses, tennis courts and golf courses.
The issue, however, for many New Jersey condo owners, often involves the perceived value derived from monthly maintenance fees. For example, when the homeowner elects to rake his or her own leaves due to the contracted landscaping company’s failure to appear regularly, those expensive dues are difficult to justify.
New Jersey condos, and the services many of them provide, are attractive to a variety of demographics. Perhaps a young working professional just can’t find time to cut the grass each week, or a retired couple feels uneasy about the prospect of digging their car out after a snow storm. In both cases, the benefit of maintenance is clear.
Most homeowners’ associations enforce extensive bylaws and employ a professional management group charged with negotiating and monitoring vendor contracts, complying with state statutes, maintaining the complex property and, of course, collecting dues.
The association also accepts the responsibility of pursuing homeowners who may be delinquent on their fees. The common practice, in this case, would be for the association to place a lien on the individual house, provided the debt owed is significant.
Many New Jersey condo associations are also using advances in technology to help their complex’s business run more smoothly and efficiently. Homeowners’ association web sites are routinely utilized to communicate messages to residents, as well as aid with dues collection efforts. Management companies have also been known to use digital photography as a means to substantiate the imposition of fines on homeowners that choose not to abide by regulations.
As the effects of the recent national economic downturn impact vendors, and in turn potentially drive up the cost of residents’ monthly dues, homeowners’ associations merit additional scrutiny. But for thousands of New Jersey condos, these associations will continue to be a part of life – for better or worse.
