guest blog by Nila Ridings
“You’re just going to love living here in The Montreat COA!” says the real estate agent. “Well you will if it doesn’t kill you first!” That’s what she should have added to the sales pitch.
Katie Burrowes and her cat are living above the classic condo cesspool and their health seems to be suffering because of it. We’ve all heard about the garbage dump moldy condo, seen pictures, or lived above, below, or beside one. Katie appears to fall in the millennial age group. I shudder to think this living experience may have affected her health for a lifetime. Not to mention her attendance at work has suffered and she’s been paying co-pays for medical care. Her quality of life has been diminished by ‘Condoneumococcalmonia’ and only a moving van can cure it. Actually, she really should burn everything she owns because who knows what has been infested with this nastiness! Grab your cat and run for you life, Katie!
I have some questions for Griffin Tyndall, the attorney for The Montreat COA. Would you have waited this long to step up and take action if Susan Nailen, the condo owner had been six months behind on her COA dues? Did it have to take that knock on your office door from Ronda Robinson, the news anchor and reporter from WBRC Call For Action to open the eyes and ears of The Montreat COA board of directors? Were Ms. Burrowes’ complaints being ignored because the COA wasn’t going to realize a financial gain from her issues?
Readers, this is another case that proves the power of the media! Nobody gave a damn about Katie and her cat until the media stepped in. Now the City of Vestavia Hills, the attorney for the COA, and the board members are jumping into action as they watch Katie’s tail lights disappear down the road!
Hopefully, Ms. Burrowes and her cat will see immediate improvement in their health once they vacate the penthouse above the cesspool. And a personal injury attorney will assist her in getting compensation for her suffering and financial loss in the condo. It’s time to turn the tables on them!
(link to WBRC story on ‘sick’ condo)
http://www.wbrc.com/story/31985688/woman-says-vacant-condo-has-made-her-sick
My cats and I are living in a super moldy condo after the seller hid the leaks (oh, wait…she “fixed” the leaking roof with the help of a drywaller…several times over). My master bedroom is gutted and the wall cavity from ceiling to floor is all mold. The condo association says they are so sorry but they want to save the reserves for a new parking lot, thus, just deal with it as part of being a “homeowner.” They even forbid me to file a claim with their insurance because the insurance company has threatened to drop them if they ever have another claim. They flagged the policy prohibiting other unit owners from seeking help!! When the ceiling started leaking just days after closing, I was told it had been going on for a while and just to wait it out. Eventually all the snow and ice melt from the flat roof will clear itself off…right into my unit. Then, we can let it dry out in a few months and repaint in summer….”just like how we always do things around here.” I mentioned getting a roofer, perhaps. “Umm….we don’t know what to do and roofers won’t work in the winter.” Now they are superheroes after I hired a roofer and had the roof fixed after the water ran into my unit flooding a hallway. Even then, they refused to fix it because they were convinced that once the water emptied off the roof, I would have no more water flooding in. Then, repaint as usual. I got reproved for gutting my moldy master bedroom without their permission. I have no more money for fix this. My neighbor next door has a horrendous mold problem too and they are “okay with it.” I’m not! Oh…just get some sort of texturing on your ceiling so you can’t see the water damage and it will all be okay. If I had someplace to go, I’d pack up my cats and hightail it out of there!