Attorney and condo association

[Rutabega]

What is the name of your state? Ohio

I live in a condominium in Ohio. Our Board of Directors hired a property management company. We have an attorney. The property manager uses the attorney for personal use as well as for other properties managed. The other properties have no connection to our condominiums. The attorney writes letters to our unit owners without factual information. The property manager provides incomplete and inaccurate information to the attorney. In many cases, we are unable to determine who the attorney is representing, yet our monthly assessments show that we pay legal fees to the attorney.

In one case a unit owner asked a question of the president of the board. The president passed the question to the property manager. The property manager reworded the question and submitted it to the attorney. The attorney responded with a letter addressed to the property manager that did not address the unit owner's question at all. The letter was delivered to the unit owner by the president of the board as a response to their question.

How do we find out who this attorney actually represents? We are no longer able to trust the correspondences and opinions that this attorney provides.

 

[IndianaOwner]

(1) You could request that the Board select new counsel...let them know why. As an Owner, let your voice be heard.

(2) You could write the attorney expresses concerns about possible conflicts of interest...i.e. the Association or an Owner may have a legal claim against the manager and he represents the manger personally. Maybe he'll withdraw on his own then.

 

[nextwife]

(1) You could request that the Board select new counsel...let them know why. As an Owner, let your voice be heard.

(2) You could write the attorney expresses concerns about possible conflicts of interest...i.e. the Association or an Owner may have a legal claim against the manager and he represents the manger personally. Maybe he'll withdraw on his own then.

The board may want to review their managment contract and put their OWN real estate attorney on retainer, rather than have management co, use a different one. That way, the attorney is accountable to THEM.

 

[Rutabega]

Condo Attorney

Have encounterd new development with this attorney. Asking questions has propmpted a letter from lawyer stating that I am not to speak with any regulatory agency. Never have been threatened in this manner.

 

[IndianaOwner]

You can contact and talk to any regulatory agency you want. The only issue is if you made a false claim such as there is a toxic waste dump when in fact there is not, then you would have liability.