CondoCrazed Q & A: How to deal with pet problems in your building

I'll be addressing follower's Questions (Real Estate & Condo Related) in a

Q & A Section on my blog.  Send questions to CondoCrazed@aol.com.

Q We are experiencing problems with careless pet owners. Some allow their pets to urinate in the hallways or walk them around the building to do their duties, leaving the mess behind. Another dog barks for hours until the owner returns. What can we do about these sorts of disruptions?

A This is something that often comes up often both in Condo Buildings and Townhome communities.

Have you written a letter of complaint to the HOA Board? That would be the first course of action. Most condo associations (HOA's) have restrictions on pet ownership to balance the interest of those who own pets & those who don’t.

Owning a pet is a huge commitment with responsibilities attached. Animals require feeding, exercise, training, veterinary care & even sometimes petsitting.

Pet's rely on their owner for care — this includes poop scooping! Dogs who bark continuously are obviously in distress & just need attention.

Most condominiums & associations have restrictions on pets. The condo board is responsible to send enforcement letters requesting the negligent pet owner provide better supervision and clean up any messes.

When dealing with habitual offenders, maintaining records of times and places that pet violations occur is very important. Some Condo owners may take videos.  It  may sound drastic but in the event of future proceedings this proof may be necessary to convince the necessary parties that significant violations have occurred. Most animal owners are responsible & unsupportive of others who are negligent with their animals.

I've found most of condominium declarations/ House Rules provide that a unit owner must remove an animal within a designated time of receiving a notice stating that the board has declared the animal a nuisance. The removal of a pet should only be the last resort in the enforcement process. Consistent enforcement of the rules help ensure that all owners continue to enjoy a quiet, peaceful, attractive & secure Condo community.

CondoCrazed's PeterBalcomb is a passionate condominium owner/resident with over 18 years experience specializing in the Condominium market along with Consulting & Condominium Market research. And has been licensed broker in various States. Send Questions to CondoCrazed@aol.com .