Condo woes :(

[Marilyn]

There is a condo that we use sometimes in the summers for a short vacation. It originally had carpet and a few years ago, the owner changed the flooring to ceramic tile. The first floor of the condo is on the second floor of the building. There is a one bedroom condo below. We have to be so careful about noise now. Sliding chairs at the dining table can be really loud in the condo below. One year we had some young people with us and were playing some board games. The man downstairs took off suddenly in his car, spinning wheels and everything. We thought he had a medical emergency or something. A few minutes later, a security guard showed up at the door. The man had told them we were having a big loud party, and the noise was so horrible that they couldn't sleep. The security guard didn't have a problem with what we were doing, but we had to tiptoe around the condo the rest of the evening. This had never been a problem with the carpet.

So what I'm saying is, they may have a legitimate concern with the laminate in the bedrooms. You may be courteous to your downstairs neighbors, but what if you sell the condo. Will the new owners be so kind? Just pointing out that this may be where they are coming from.

Hope all works out and you love your renovations when they are all complete!!

[judy]

I hope they straighten out the financial mix up Lindsey! Can you set up a monthly payment sent to them by your bank? If you control it, they can't mess up. I have automatic payment of my mortgage and my maintenance fee, which I set up.

I would definitely put down the laminate. We are not allowed to do anything here! My neighbor taught me to tell them that I did not do that, it was here when I moved in, whatever it is!

We are always breaking the rules. The people whose back windows aren't easily seen from the road even have a/c installed. We aren't allowed that either.

If you do sell, you can just put inexpensive carpeting in the bedroom when you put the condo up for sale.

[Lindsey]

Thanks for your view on this Judy! I think it's easier for us to side with the guy on the condo board because he's an actual resident as well. The manager just works downtown, probably has a gigantic house somewhere, and never even enters our buildings. They seem to be pretty slack with most of the rules anyway. We're pretty much allowed to do anything... the previous owners even knocked a wall out. Besides, we are hardly in the bedroom anyway. We're only there to sleep and to get dressed in the morning. The spare bedroom doesn't get used at ALL except when guests are staying over, or if we are hanging laundry on the clothes horse in that room. I don't think we even use the rooms enough to really change the amount of noise coming from them.