Downtown St. Paul continues to be a hot residential address for Ramsey County. There’s no denying the convenience and the cultural amenities of downtown living. Even though the rental market is sizzling, many of the residences in downtown St. Paul are owner-occupied, most often as condominiums or other planned communities.
While condo dwellers seldom have to contend with lawn mowing and flooded basements, they must contend with parking availability and association boards. Attending your association’s board meetings can do much to make you an informed homeowner. If you have a point of contention with your board, you might want to start by consulting the Uniform Condominium Act at MN Stat. §515A and the Minnesota Common Interest Ownership Act (“MCIOA”) at MN Stat. §515B. (Other details of Minnesota condominium law are codified in MN Stat. §515.) You might also consider reading either Working with Your Homeowner’s Association: A Guide to Effective Community Living (Sphinx 2003) or Condo Owner’s Answer Book: Practical Answers to More Than 125 Questions about Condominium Ownership (Sphinx 2008). There is also this handy information sheet from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Serving on a condo board can sometimes be a thankless task, so show your board some basic courtesy when you raise your issue, or consider volunteering to serve on it yourself.
Have you recently joined your homeowners association board and find yourself a bit overwhelmed? CONGRATULATIONS for being willing to serve your community in this fashion. Now, see if your organization belongs to an organization like the Minnesota Multi-Housing Association (MMHA), which is “a state-wide, non-profit trade organization…[that] promotes the highest standards in the development, management and maintenance of rental and owner-occupied multi-housing.” Membership in an organization like this can help you with resources including information archives, legal forms, and even question-and-answer hotlines. (Dues typically depend on the size of your organization.) Are you a local tenant living in a condo unit, or a condo unit owner that is having trouble with your tenant? You can always check out our Housing and Conciliation Court Clinic and discuss your situation with a volunteer lawyer.
