Making sustainable upgrades to your home and community may seem like a universal good — but HOAs and property managers are notorious for halting such progress.
In a tricky situation, one Reddit user, who is the board chair of a condo complex for people 55 and older, detailed a dispute with the property manager — who also happens to be a tenant.
According to the user, there is a "sloped common area" outside of the property manager's unit that was set to be planted with ground cover to halt erosion. The property manager, however, told the board he was calling in an expert to propose and price a retaining wall instead.
"This retaining wall idea is out of nowhere. We don't need this wall," the Reddit user wrote. "I informed him at this meeting that he had no budget for either consulting or this project. He told us he didn't care."
The poster added that they don't "want to be the mean person who fires him," but that the property manager's unchecked power is concerning.
The poster is right to say a more invasive — and more expensive — retaining wall is not needed. Plants with well-established root systems can adequately help prevent erosion, effectively holding soil in place. In this case, ground cover of native plants would stop erosion while supporting local pollinators.
Not only that, but this tactic would allow community members to benefit from lush surroundings. A retaining wall may be in the interest of the property manager's privacy, but it isn't in the interest of the community or local landscape.
HOAs often try to prevent homeowners from making eco-friendly updates to their homes, such as adding rooftop solar panels or installing native plant lawns. Checking the power of property managers and HOAs, even in seemingly small instances, can help communities secure their right to more sustainable housing modifications.
Commenters agreed that the property manager was in the wrong, advocating for the board to step in.
"The PM serves the board—not the other way around," one commenter wrote. "The board needs to make it clear to him that the retaining wall is not an option."
"Tell him that no retaining wall will be built. And that the board will not pay for it," another commenter added. "You owe it to the community to have an effective property management process. If he should not be part of it, he needs to be replaced."
If you need to work with a property manager or HOA to make updates to your home, check out our guide on making planet-friendly changes in an HOA-run community.
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