Monday, February 24, 2014
THE 3 R'S
We received a Tax Receipt letter dated February 22, 2014 from our Property Manager for our housing charges paid in 2013. As the calculations didn't appear to be accurate, I did the calculation. It turned out that the amount stated in the letter pertained to the housing charge we paid in 2010.
The co-op submitted an incorrect housing charge calculation pertaining to 2010 in our Human Rights case. The document was not signed or dated and I stated at that time that the document had been fabricated for the purpose of our Human Rights case. I, therefore, submitted the correct calculation, along with a signed and dated document from the co-op substantiating same. My calculation was re-used in the letter we just received for the year 2013.
I wrote the Board of Directors indicating my concerns with the integrity and trustworthiness of our Property Manager as she had signed the letter. Shortly thereafter I received quite a threatening email from our Property Manager. She claimed that this was an error on the part of the bookkeeper and warned me that this was the final time that she was going to ask me to cease and desist from talking about her.
Firstly, let me say that it is very difficult to bypass the Property Manager because she "manages" everything in the co-op. If you fail to fill out one line in the multitude of documents one is required to fill out, the document will be dropped back into your mailbox any time of day or night. Members are not allowed to talk to contractors. In many instances if you have a concern which you would like to refer to the Board of Directors, you will receive an email back that she, the Property Manager, has been given the ultimate authority to deal with this and that.
The bookkeeping company has been lauded for their wonderful detailed work and has just been re-hired by our co-op. The bookkeepers are the fall-back people should a discrepancy be challenged by a member. However, when it comes to thousands of dollars in chargebacks, or arrears, our Property Manager is never wrong. You pay up or you get evicted. If you are evicted and wish to dispute the facts, the ex-member can hire a lawyer. The Property Manager is fully protected by the co-op's lawyer, for which the evicted member is then charged. And for further protection the Property Manager will take out a No Trespassing Order.
The Property Manager is not overseen by the Board of Directors. She is given full control of everything, including them.
Receipts, Reprimands, Retaliation - works everytime!
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Well, it seems that intentionally or unintentionally, you're provoking showdown with your PM and maybe BOD. Nothing wrong with that. They have to be shown that they are neither invincible nor indispensable.
ReplyDeleteSomehow, I'm picturing a scene similar to a spaghetti western or Breaking Bad. Parties gather together in desert. Your PM in front with BOD cowering behind her. You and your supporters staring them down to see who blinks first.
Seriously, we know that high-strung and self-important PMs and coordinators like to puff themselves up to exert fear. This extends to seeing any corr dropped off to BOD.
So, when you want to email or write letters to BOD, do it to Pres, VP or whoever directly. They may claim there's a "policy" or hierarchy at work which of course is nonsense. Nothing says you have to address any concerns with PM. She is BOD's employee, nothing more. BOD is supposed to represent members. After all, members put them into power and --- in theory --- can take that power away by turfing them.
Oh, and if PM is not being properly overseen by BOD, that's a dereliction of duties and conduct of a director. The fact that it makes it easier to delegate everything to a PM does not protect them when an employee screws up.