Protest of Increased Dues
On 2009-11-29 I (Dave) received email by "Windsor Resident" (I'm guessing Jim Kuske) and thought should be posted here for future reference. I'm also adding the email replies it received, presented as comments to this post.
Dear Windsor Resident/Homeowner:
By now, you should have received the notice for the annual meeting, including the budget and the proposed increase in HOA dues.
I am writing you today to urge you to attend the upcoming annual meeting and exercise your rights as a home owner at the Windsor. We all must hold the board accountable for spending and increases in dues. Every dollar the dues increase, the less valuable and less re-sellable your investment becomes.
If you have owned at the Windsor for any period of time, you have seen a parade of special assessments and increases in dues, and a decrease in services.
I understand the board is made up of volunteers who generously donate their time, but it is voluntary, and it does not excuse them from financial accountability.
Please join me in protesting the increase in dues! Remember, signing a proxy gives your vote to the board, DO NOT SIGN A PROXY, instead attend the meeting.
Express your discontent by writing your thoughts to: wopboard@bellsouth.net .
Thank You
Windsor Home Owner
Summary of Discussion
Todo
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Comments
I agree with your assessment
I agree with your assessment of the situation.
YES...I will not support increased HOA dues for decreased services.
The duty of HOA is to ensure services at a reasonable price. We have crossed that threshold....Please do not support increased dues.
If you are not going to attend the HOA meeting, then authorize another attending person to vote for you the way you want to vote and not the way HOA wants you to vote...
This is a horrible idea. Each
This is a horrible idea. Each time you increase HOA fees, it reduces the value of our homes. This building is getting killed due to new condos in the Atlanta area, and this raise in HOA fees will be yet another reason for people not to buy.
Ryan
All:I totally agree that we
All:
I totally agree that we need to veto this increase. We have some of the highest HOA fees in Midtown, if not the highest. This has been a huge negative for me in trying to sell my condo (mine has been on the market for almost a year now without receiving a reasonable offer).
I encourage everyone to vote NO to the monthly dues increase. In this market and economy, the Board should be looking for ways to REDUCE our monthly fees, not increase them. I’m sure there are other ways we could be saving money (renegotiating with service providers, repairing instead of replacing the chiller & boiler, etc.). If the present board members can’t accomplish this, maybe it’s time to replace them with people who are more motivated towards accomplishing this goal.
Adam Cooper
Unit #912
The Windsor includes all
The Windsor includes all basic utilities (water/sewer, natural gas, and electricity) in HOA dues, while most (if not all) other condos in Midtown don't. It's important that your real estate agent understand this. One of the reasons the budget had to be increased was to cover the 39% water rate increase by City of Atlanta.
The board renegotiated all contracts and took the lowest bid for comparable service to save money. The boiler was repaired last year instead of replaced, to save money. The chiller has no replacement parts available on the market.
Candice Bullard
Candice,Last time I checked,
Candice,
Last time I checked, I pay an electric bill every month.
But none the less, There are certainly areas that can be cut. My business is down 50%, but increasing prices would kill it, so I was forced to cut hours, down-grade benefits, enact co-pays on insurance, etc......
I wrote the board on several occasions asking for explanations on the new budget, and received no reply.
Can anyone remember when we had two people in office, and extended offices hours, we had two or three people in the maintenance office, all for less dues.
Maybe Team management is the one we need to look at.
BTW, what is this with a separate copier in the office? Hope that is not costing us money.
Jim
Yes, we all pay an electric
Yes, we all pay an electric bill for each unit, and because of our water pipe system that heats and cools our building, they are the lowest electrical bills you will find for high-rises. But there is a also the electric bill as part of our utilities that powers our entire building included in the HOA, less we forget that.
Danny E. Huntley
I currently own a place in
I currently own a place in windsor and atlantic station. I pay $260/month in HOA for a two bedroom condo in Atlantic station. On top of that I pay $100 in utilities (yes that's an average amount that I'm projecting including the increase in water). I have better amenities plus a more desirable living area in Atlantic Station. I do like the windsor and it's proximity to georgia tech/ BOA, 24 hour guard, etc, but the HOA as it is today is really too high. It is what it is.
Bottom Line: I pay about $360 total for everything in Atlantic Station. I pay over $550/month for windsor plus about $35-40 for electricity. The difference is that the building is old and maintaining it is very expensive compared to newer complexes. Obviously there are higher end buildings which have very high hoa fees, but I would not consider Windsor on the same level as a Spire (etc).
We have to just cut costs and not raise the HOA fees if you want to be able to sell these properties eventually. There is just too much competition in the market.
Ryan Connelly
Unit #813
I can certainly appreciate
I can certainly appreciate that there are newer amenities in Atlantic Station and I am assuming that you must be talking about a town home in Atlantic Station (as most high rises generally have 24 hr security, unless they have a call box and entry through a code or the like). 24 hr. security is an expensive amenity, unless you want to consider attempting a call box and no one at the security desk to accept packages, investigate parking problems, and other services that on-site security offers. Elevator maintenance in another issue for high-rises. And, again, if we are comparing a town home (not sure) then overall we are comparing apples and oranges. MARTA and transportation is a big asset for midtown living, but, as was stated, it is what it is.
And, the Spire is certainly not a good example....their floors were coming up as homeowners were making their 1st round for punch list, and in quite a few, (I tagged along with one unfortunate soul) plus it was (and I assume is unless high special assessments caught them up) way in the hole with their HOA....looking new (not necessarily good) on the outside.
That does not mean that we should ever be complacent in trying to control costs while maintaining services everyone has grown accustomed to having. The more people become involved personally in the running of their own vertical community, the more people feel it is truly their home and watch out for it, do little things on their own to improve the living environment and maybe will have a more watchful eye out for those like the fool (sorry, but a fact) who threw the iron table down the trash chute and cost the Windsor a bundle!
This is a good sign that a lot of people are noticing the high expenses it costs to run a building and hopefully this will spurn people to get more involved and not just at the annual meeting when the shock value hits.
Dan
This building is like
This building is like living
in the projects
I have to respond to this
I have to respond to this comment and say that this kind of feeling about our vertical community indicates someone who is out of touch with reality. And if someone feels we are like the projects has nothing to contribute to our community and must not want to be a part of a community! This is unfortunate and I hope was out of simple frustration, for this does not represent The Windsor over Peachtree in any way!
Danny E. Huntley
Hello Everyone,I too do not
Hello Everyone,
I too do not like my dues to go up....I have 5 properties and have lived in 2 of my homes for over a year each, but, actually our HOA is being very diligent in trying to hold costs down. It is very important for our building to have a reserve that is adequate to cover emergencies as well as unexpected increases. This also is important for the value of the building and our homes. Most potential buyers are savoy enough to take a good look at our reserves in determining the health of the building and hence purchasing here.
It is not the HOA that increased our water and sewer bills dramatically. It was the City of Atlanta. And, unlike a lot of new buildings, the water/sewer is a part of our HOA and not individually metered. Also, the Association did not raise the electrical rate. Southern company was granted that increase. But, we did lock in to the lowest gas rate possible, thanks to our President....a substantial expense for us, and a great off-set for us, by his monitoring it constantly and determining we hit that bottom price before rates on NG began to increase again for the year. If this had not occurred, we would have been in more of a deficit. In addition, the gate was hit twice and required extra funds to fix. Also, when the iron table was dumped down our trash chute, it caused substantial damage to several levels of the trash chute and it was difficult and very costly to access in order to fix, a quite unexpected expense and a shame that someone in the building was so negligent and uncaring. A burst pipe in the mezzanine level a while back could have caused more excessive damage had not our President stayed on site until emergency plumbing crews arrived and he could communicate with them regarding the layout of our system.
These are just a few examples of extraordinary expenses that the HOA had no ability to anticipate. They did obtain the lowest prices to fix these problems and obtain warranties to insure the repairs, just like our roof that required the entire roof be replaced from partial damage during the hurricane a few years ago.We could only obtain a most important warranty by replacing the entire roofing. And remember again, the natural gas we use is a substantial cost to our bottom line and the rate was monitored and we locked in at the very bottom price for the year. Not many properties have such knowledgeable people who can and will monitor in a very time consuming manner to lock in that rate.
If we do not approve our increases (and be assured again, I am all for holding them down as much as possible and asking as many questions to assure that) then we put ourselves in a bind and, as an example, will most likely have to cut services, like house-keeping, and may not have areas cleaned adequately enough to our own expectations, as well as visitors or potential buyers.
It is a fact that there may be other newer builders with lower HOAs, but they are artificially low in many cases, and, these buildings, when examined closely, are in financial straits and their bottom lines affect their own existence and possible bankruptcy. The Ponce, as another example, is looking at special assessments in the tens of thousands for each resident for neglected reserve funds and deteriorating factors in an aging building. Aging buildings simply have more upkeep issues and potential emergent breakdowns.
Yes, I want to make sure we are most diligent in obtaining the best contracts at the lowest price, but, as you may know in your own homes or businesses, you get what you pay for, and in the long run may cost you more to accept the cheapest offer. It is quite a time consuming process to take in consideration all the factors to arrive at what is best for us as a whole. We have excellent board members currently who have done a great job and service to us. Not that we cannot always do better, but, I have attended enough ACC committees and interacted and attended several of the Board meetings to know that like us, they have a stake in keeping prices for services and repairs as low, just like all of us.
Let's all remember we want quality at the lowest price, and not just the lowest price.
Thank you for your attention to my long response. We are all in the same boat for sure, but we need to know that our HOA is not just making cavalier choices.
Dan Huntley
Just to put some balance here
Just to put some balance here .. I am on the board of another condo downtown and unfortunately costs of all associations continue to climb due to inherent costs of providing services. This is happening everywhere not only in midtown but downtown as well. Some of the newer buildings have the blessing of not having the legacy costs that we have, but that willl happen in time. Our fees are not unreasonable given what is included. The water/sewer increases that the city has been putting on us is far beyond the 3% that the board is requesting here and the insurance companies have also been increasing fees at an alarming rate. If you have specific concerns or points that you think should be addressed, I suggest you look at the budget and make constructive criticism on where you think costs can be cut. I think the Board and new management association has done a good job at doing this already, so if you think you do better, please point out where.
Every condo association is allowed to raise rates 5% per year per law without vote from the association, so everyone should see this as normal. While the economy sucks, this is the reality of the world we live in.
Michael Heilala
Penthouse C
The balance here is that the
The balance here is that the majority of people are not gaining income, and many are loosing income. Any increase hurts the homeowners!
No increase should be approved until every stone has been turned looking to lower costs. I have made suggestions and asked questions, only for the board to not respond. What they have done is admirable, but it will take more.
I would suggest that each candidate for the board have a statement ready concerning costs, dues, and assessments ready for this weeks "meet the candidates" forum.
This isn't Washington DC, we can't print our own money!
Why are we paying for damage
Why are we paying for damage to the trash chute??? Bill the guilty party! And why are we paying for damage to the main gates??? Again, we have cameras to monitor the gates, so bill the culprits! I’d rather pay for better cameras than pay for gate repairs.
I have lived/owned at the Windsor for almost 5 years now. I’ve made many suggestions for improvements and cost savings, all have fallen on deaf ears. If I still lived in Atlanta I would run for the board just so I could make a difference.
- Adam
Hello,Owner of Windsor unit
Hello,
Owner of Windsor unit #1915 here. I am in favor of the HOA increase and will vote yes for it. I have personally attended several of the board meetings, the President is extremely knowledgable, has many years of management experience, and is making the best of a tough economy.
A 3% HOA increase is nothing more than the cost of inflation, so in inflation-adjusted terms, the HOA fees are not being raised at all. This should not even be a consideration. More importantly, comparing our HOA fees to other condo buildings is a moot point and illogical to argue. The fact is, we must look at our building's financial situation independently from other properties and decide what is best moving forward as we are a very unique property. And the fact is we have financial need right now to justify such a small HOA increase. The naysayers that want to pay lower HOA fees, be careful what you wish for, other condo buildings and HOA's in Atlanta are declaring bankruptcy. Many buildings with the low fees are being subsidized by the developer because not enough units have been sold so that the HOA can take over.
We must make the tough, but right financial decisions moving forward.
I am for a minimul increase
I am for a minimul increase if need be because we do, infact, live in an old building that needs repairs or replacements from time to time. But we do need to know what the increase is for. I think that the Board is and will look at all avenues to keep costs down. What needs to take place is looking at who investors rent their units to. Tenants are extremely hard on where they rent, they could care less, and don't give a damn in taking care of their place or following building procedures. Most of the costs is more than likely do to uncaring tenants.
F. T. Allen
This comment is narrow-minded
This comment is narrow-minded (sorry) and in fact, there are some lessees (the proper term, because these are condos, not apartments) that are not screened properly and may in fact need better supervision by their landlords. They may be a problem. But, when properly screened, (and they should be), they can become as good an addition to the Windsor as some of the homeowners who are uninvolved, apathetic and just as messy and take property for granted as any other in the building. This is not the rule, but, please hold prejudicial comments...they are not constructive to any problem.
Danny E. Huntley
I agree with Danny:I was one
I agree with Danny:
I was one of the first to buy a condo at the Windsor. I bought 3 - (2-2 BR and 1- 3 BR). I furnished them nicely and have only leased to Ga Tech professors, Medical Interns at Crawford Long, Attorneys who are working in Atlanta for their Law internship and they have all taken very much care of my units. They understand that we care about our building and, to my knowledge, they have never caused any kind of damage and I make them read the building procedures and agree to abide by them.
I can't sell any of the units for the amounts I paid for them and one of the reasons is that anyone in the market for a condo would be foolish to buy in an older building with high maintenance costs and high HOA fees when they can buy in a brand new beautiful condo on Peachtree Street with nice, new amenities, lower HOA fees and at better value for the money.
Just between us homeowners, I can't even sell them without taking money to the closings, no one will look at the units, the HOA are very high compared to the newer units, If i just let them foreclose on me, it would ruin my credit and further reduce the value of the properties at the Windsor. After a 9 year ownership, I would have believed that the properties should have increased in value, not decreased ! Let's all concentrate in improving the value of our properties instead of blaming the investors for having bad tenants.
Until I can sell these units, do any of you have any examples of damage that the tenants are known to do ? I will address these problems with my tenants but you have to understand that I am in a catch-22 and am certainly willing ( I have no choice ) but to pay the increase of the HOA fees. The building MUST be maintained.
Please give me some advice. I am at a loss as to what I should do ?. My units are all of the 14th floor. I would like to sell them so if you know anyone who would like a bargain, please let me know.. When I first bought them I had no idea that so many of the homeowners would place so much blame for the lack of increased value due to the rental ratio.....
I understand the concern but I do pay my taxes and my HOA fees every month ! Please tell me what I can do to help with the investor-owned units. I would like to turn them over to a nice couple who could contribute more to our high rise community.
Regards,
Warren Bice - 1403, 1404 and 1409
As an owner who does not live
As an owner who does not live in the Windsor, who only uses my unit on an occasional basis, and does not lease to anyone, I am disappointed at the suggestion of an increase in HOA dues. In these tough times, it is simply unacceptable. I purchased my unit In my opinion, the provision for salaries of management and maintenance personnel seems to be extraordinarily high. I am sure all would agree that current economic conditions do not dictate the level of current salaries. I know that personally I have had to reduce my salary, my employees’ salaries, and my living expenses due to reductions in what I charge my customers for services and products I provide. Vendors to our building are operating under these same conditions and even though we currently have contracts in place for many services, I believe, presently, that competitive situations exist for renegotiation of these contracts, rather than saying that increases are acceptable due to inflation. I also realize that the high cost of services that our city provides are reflected in the property taxes we pay. Do I want the building to be maintained to the highest standards? Yes! Do I want to be financially taken advantage of because of the lack of effort on the part of management to strike the best deals for these services? No! I believe the volunteers that serve on the board are under appreciated for their service and the time they devote to, sometimes, a thankless job, but somehow, more effort must be expended to keep costs low for the greater good of our community. Let’s face it, accidents happen and reserves should be kept at a level that will permit us to make repairs and replacements necessary so that we never have to face huge assessments.
While it is easy to point fingers and call residents apathetic and uninvolved, it might be more constructive to present solutions rather than be a part of the problem. Perhaps we can convince our on site management to work a little harder, be a little more cheerful, and be grateful that they have employment in these tough times. It has been my experience that those who serve their community have the tendency to criticize those who prefer not to contribute or are unable due to extenuating circumstances. To them I say, if you take the job, make the best effort you can for your fellow residents and yourself. For those that have made suggestions that have fell on deaf ears, it may be the opportune time to take the bull by the horns and become more involved. That being said, I will do my best to attend the meeting and vote my conscience.
Roger Ardston
While I appreciate everyone’s
While I appreciate everyone’s feedback, I would ask that I get removed from any further responses on this subject. jclune@caverntechnologies.com.
Thanks,
John M Clune, ARM
I agree with John.
I agree with John. Appreciated but too much.. Please remove me as well. jeffwgardner@comcast.net
Thanks
Jeff
As an alternative to email,
As an alternative to email, I'd like to offer Neighbors @ 620 Peachtree, a website I put together a few years ago. There, communication can happen on an opt-in basis.
I don't think next years budget can be changed this year. Having witnessed budget concerns raised at Annual Meetings past, it's my understanding that the budget process is finished up before its presentation at the Annual Meeting. To effect change, allot time next year (before that Annual Meeting) to work on the 2011 budget. Sorry if this is obvious, but it seems time is wasted explaining this at every Annual Meeting.
Finally, I'd like to express my support for Susan McClendon serving on next year's Board. She initiated and produced the Windsor Newsletters. She volunteered to try and make the homeowner's manual more accessible. She's been a great 7th floor neighbor. She's obviously someone who wants more transparency and can make things happen. See how she describes herself on her nomination form.
Know too, you can get to know all the Board nominees through their nomination forms and even "Meet the Candidates" on December 3rd, 7:00p, in the Socal Room.
Thanks Dave. Mark
Thanks Dave.
Mark Benedict
1803
2009 budget
Dave,
Could you please send me a copy of 2009 budget.
frankrealestate@bellsouth.net
Thanks,
Kyle Frank
404-217-7262
Budget Availability
I'm sorry, I don't have the 2009 budget available. I was (postal) mailed one like everyone else, but didn't take the time to archive it on this site (as I did for 2007 & 2008 (you'll need to be logged in and marked "trusted" (a member of the Home Owner's Association) to view them as they're tagged "sensitive")).
I imagine the 2009 budget is still available from the Management Office. If you (or anyone) wants to get it and post it here (I already made a place for it to go), please do (or give it to me to do the data entry).
Though if you're not a homeowner, this is all moot anyway; I don't think the budget is available to the public.