Real Estate & Property Law

Getting Belligerent Gets You Nowhere

I had a call this morning (I get a lot of calls from people wanting to ask "a simple question"). This one was particularly idiotic. Maybe you have been guilty of making a similar call.

Owners call all the time and want to know if they can "do something". In this case the owner prefaced the call with "I just have a simple question." He wanted to know if he could rent his unit when his HOA had a quota, or maybe why not. It was hard to respond. I did get the opportunity to let him know how I work with owners, for legal advice, start with consultation, 1 hr minimum at hourly rate, paid in advance. Simple. He went on and on and on about why he could rent, stating that he did not need a lawyer, he was not in a lawsuit or anything, and that a person could figure it out themselves so why pay that kind of money. Finally, I felt it appropriate to say: "If you feel you can figure it out, you do not need me." And I hung up. I hate it when I hang up on people, but come on ...

Would you say to the car mechanic "It's just a simple problem" and imply he or she should not get paid to do the diagnostic work? Would you say that or imply that to your computer technician, your doctor, your dentist, or any other person that offers a valuable service?

Anyone who has a simple problem can surf my website at http://www.californiacondoguru.com and while there can find answers to frequently asked questions, articles on almost everything, explanations of complicated laws, and links to many other resources.

Maybe if "Tom" is reading this, he will see what a faux pas it is to waste the time of a service provider from whom he does not "need" services.

With regard to his question and many others (Can I have a Doberman? Why can't I park my extra car in guest parking? Can they do anything if I ignore the denial of my architectural application and make the modification? My dog had puppies, doesn't that trump the limit on pets? What if I want to have a Pilates Studio in my garage? What can they do about "it" ? (being any of the above?), maybe its best to know what a board can and cannot do before you end up with hefty fines, a reimbursement assessment, or in court. For me to determine that, I often need to review the governing documents for the association. When someone balks at paying for the time to do so and says to me, well, I can read those and figure it out myself - I say "more power to you."

Full post as published by California Condo & HOA Law on July 30, 2008 (boomark / email).