Disputes among home or condo owners are common as they try to make their community a better place to live. But what if a certain owner continually disrupts meetings and even harasses other owners outside meetings? Situation sometimes gets counter-productive when somebody is adamant about something he wants.The solution actually on the hands of the one in charge like the association president, or the chairman of the board. This person of authority must beforehand lay down rules on how to properly communicate grievances. He or she should itemize behavior that is tolerable or not as part of their decorum, both in and outside of meetings. The chairman has the authority to put in sanctions on certain times the offense is committed, such as sending of written warnings or in worst cases, removal of the owner disrupting meetings. All he/she needs to do is to put up a proper document stating these rules with the help of the association body.
What if there is harassment involved after meetings? The chairman has to setup a procedure in handling harassment complaints in the community such as keeping track of incident reports. He will then have their legal counsel send a letter to the offending owner to stop such behavior. Property owners should also be reminded about their rights against harassment, which can be brought to proper authorities with the incident reports kept in file as evidence.
What if the letter fails and the situation escalates to more serious like verbal assaults? This will prompt the chairman to help the aggravated party to file a case to the local courts. The courts will have the power to order to both forbid the person’s behavior and post fines compensate on the psychological & emotional damages incurred in the complaint.
Comments(2)