The cost of security risks is rising both personal and fininaically.

One good management company recently backed out of helping a condo association it manages with regard to chimney issues. I suspect this is because thy were smart and did not want to get involved in capping chimneys and walling off interior fire places that no reputable company would certify as safe as they were not meant for the type of homes into which they were installed. If a fire breaks out, property is damaged, or worse, management will be dragged into the suit a well as the condominium association, and I suspect they just decided the business risk was not worth it.

And in Massachusetts recently a trial court found that a condominium association has an affirmative duty to make common area safe. That's a potentially far reaching decision

Lets you think this is rare, It is, but becoming more frequent. In Atlanta in August a disgruntled former IT person who was severed from her IT job, and who lived in a condo association went into the condo associate and shot and killed the property manager who she apparently held responsible for allowing, per the documents, the police into her condominium unit while apparently searching for materials taken from her ex-job.

According to rpeports, she had been let go from her job. Management asked for access to her condo unit to acquire work materials. Management let them in. She took issue with that and filed a 600 page federal sue against the management campy and her former eml9yer. The Court dismissed the case shortly after it was filed.

Details are sketchy, but she was apparently not pleased with management, had filed a 600 page lawsuit against manager in federal district court that was quickly thrown out by the judge, had other signs of issues including walking into the community tv room and just shutting off the television, and went door to door looking for votes to get elected to the Condo Board.

What does all this mean? Be careful. Be observant. Be nice.

At the time of her arrest, in a local airport trying to board and leave, she was trying to stop foreclosure on a property in a different town and was trying to get the power turned back on in her Unit.

Recent Massachusetts case, has implications for New Hampshire if the trend continues.

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If an owner expresses concern to a Baord about strange people being on site, the board is now on notice of a potential security problem. It can't ignore it. If you have a common area, such as alobby, a clubhouse, a pool, the court even went to far as to note taht

Once risk is know, under the law it is foreseeable which then creates an obligation for board to deal with it.

I have had associations where they have locks and buzzers to get into foyers, but they have found homeless paler sleeping in them in the morning. I've explained they are now on notice and if someone breaks further in and causes damages, or assaults someone, the Assn will likely be held liable.

Get rid of keyed entries as even in the care circumstance when someone turns in a key when they move, there's no guarantee they didn't give a coy of a fried or keep on elf themself.

install key codes and change them every time someone moves, tenant or owner.

Is it expensive? Maybe to install, but thereafter, it does not cost much to sly change the passcode when someone moves and send a notice to everyone. Whatever he cost, it's likely much cheaper than defending lawsuits, and certainly pales in comparison to the feeling you may well have as a Baord member that voted not to take a certain action and that lack of action resulted in someone getting seriously injured.

Change PIN access codes