Condominium & Homeowners Associations

Tempers can run hot when it comes to homeowner and condominium association disputes. After all, when associations either pass a new rule or enforce an old one, they are quite literally hitting homeowners where they live. From the homeowners’ perspective, there’s no escaping your association without uprooting one’s entire life.

Because of this tendency for tempers to flare, we’ve all seen petty disputes escalate to all-out war, demanding a lot of time and money from all parties involved when little to none of both should be required.

One easy and cost-effective technique for handling such disputes is to participate in or create an HOA conflict resolution hotline. These hotlines are phone numbers (or sometimes email addresses) operated by a third party, someone not involved in the dispute who is seen as knowledgeable, neutral and credible to both parties. They work because, in times of conflict, you can quickly calm things down and steer negotiations toward an amicable end merely by getting a third party involved.

Combine Mediation With Your Conflict Resolution Hotline

A conflict resolution hotline is not a court of law. They typically lead either to an education process, where the complainant may realize from an initial conversation that they don’t have a legitimate case, or some variant of mediation, a non-binding, voluntary process that is typically less expensive than settling things in court.

According to the New York City Bar Association, about 70-80% of cases that make it to mediation are settled at that point. This means that there is the potential for substantial cost savings in routing disputes toward mediation rather than taking them to court.

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