Homeowners associations avoiding responsibilities

I have been born, raised and taught in property management since my grandparents owned an apartment building in Vienna, Austria.

There is one thing I live by: Take care of a problem before it becomes a major problem.

Apparently many landlords don't use this concept. Now it includes homeowners association board members and management companies.

Recently, over the last two years I made complaints, too numerous to count, to our HOA board members, I sent a pictured email to our management company about a tree on a rental property, which I and many nearby neighbors deemed to be unsafe for the occupants, my neighbor, and those who drive on our street. This tree needed a major cut. It has been dropping limbs and branches on both yards and the street.

I was in my kitchen, heard a deep thump and wondered where it came from. After an hour or so I left my home and there by a child's bedroom was a tree branch that would have killed a child, an adult or, inches away from crashing into the child's bedroom from the tree I made complaints about.

When I called our management company, I found out the pictured email I sent to them was never sent. It was never brought up at a board meeting. The numerous complaints to a couple of board members thought it wasn't their problem.

Nothing was ever done. I am not an attorney, but I find this to be negligent on both management and board members by not following the standard law of "duty to care." Sad as it is but they are now passing the buck by blaming the property owner.

I think this issue needs to be addressed along with countless others against rental property owners, HOA board members and management companies.

Please let me add, thank you to Manatee County utilities. Wonderful and good people in this agency. Thank you, John.

Elizabeth M. Sullivan

East Manatee

This story was originally published December 12, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Homeowners associations avoiding responsibilities ."