The Lawrence Community Management Group, Inc.

Before responding to Mr***'s complaint, I would like to clarify that Lawrence Management is the professional property management company hired by the *** ** Condominium Association Board of Directors to serve as business agent and property manager for the association*** *** owns one of
condominium units in the association, and he is subject to the Declaration & By-Laws of the condo associationThis is not an apartment, and it is the responsibility of each owner to maintain the interior of their condo unitAny repairs to the common elements are the responsibility of the condo association and are paid by the association and not Lawrence Management
In Mr***'s case, he had water damage from an air conditioner leakWe (Lawrence Management) sent the association's plumber, *** ***, out to the property to determine the cause, and they determined that the leak was due to a problem with the *** *** ac unit*** *** fixed the problem and billed the associationWe then billed Mr***, owner of ***, since he is responsible for maintaining his own ac unit
Mr*** reported damage to his floor in his unit from the leak, and I explained in my 10/22/email to him that the floor was his responsibility to fixHe could turn the damage in to his insurance company or repair it himselfHe could also contact Mr*** if he felt that there was negligence and that Mr*** should pay for his bills
Mr*** did end up filing an insurance claim, and I got involved with his adjuster, *** *** from ***, to try to help get Mr***'s claim paidUnfortunately, Mr*** denied Mr***'s claim based on his incorrect interpretation of the condominium association's governing documentsI tried to explain that the association's insurance company would only be involved in a claim on the condo property if the damage was more than its $5,deductible, and Mr***'s damage was less than this amount
I have attached several emails documenting what I have written hereNeither Lawrence Management nor the *** ** Condominium Association has acted negligently in this matterIf it was the association's responsibility to repair, I would have taken care of this for Mr***If Mr*** questions my interpretation of the association's Declaration and By-Laws, I would recommend that he consult legal counsel
Should you have any questions for me, please feel free to call or email me
Sincerely, *** ***

When there is damage from one neighbor's unit to another, it is between the two neighbors to resolve the problemWe do try to encourage the owners to get together to work things out, and I did speak to Mr*** to let him know what happenedUnfortunately, Mr*** and Mr*** do not get along and could not work anything outFrom a legal standpoint, Mr*** has the damaged property and has a right to file an insurance claim on his homeowners policy, which he didHis damage should have been covered by *** less his deductibleThey decided to deny his claim based on their incorrect interpretation of the association's governing documentsMr*** and his insurance company also have the right to pursue a claim against Mr*** if they feel that he was negligent and caused damage to Mr***'s unit
Please let me know if you have any other questions
Thanks, ***

This complaint deals with a maintenance issue at the *** *** *** CondominiumThe condominium is governed by the recorded Declaration and Bylaws and Ohio ORC All major projects and expenditures are approved and authorized by the Condominium's Board of DirectorsAs the Management
Company, our job is to implement the Board's approved plans and monitor policyWe also deal with maintenance issues such as that in the complaintAs you will see from the attached information and response page prepared by the Association's Manager, *** Marianne H***, and the Association's roofing contractor, ***t, the problem is not what the complainant reports it to be and the issue is and has been addressedThe final solution of a new roof and drain system will take the Board's ultimate approval when funds are availableThank you

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
I contacted *** and stated Lawrence Management’s stance
about the insurance policy*** *** responded, “I have not heard
anything from the condo association since I sent them the letter with our
findings and they have not provided any documentation to indicate they are not
responsible for the damage. I apologize that this is such a hassle as that
is definitely not our intention, but again, because the bylaws indicate the
condo association is responsible for the damage *** is not able to issue
payment for the loss. As far as subrogation goes, we are not able to
pursue any responsible parties unless we have made a payment for the loss and
we are not able to make a payment until coverage is determined. In this
case, with the association being responsible for the damage, we are not able to
issue a payment and as such also not able to pursue subrogation. Again I
apologize that this is such a hassle but unfortunately there is nothing further
with which we can assist here.” Lawrence Management has ignored ***’s
letter for almost monthsLawrence Management has to provide documentation to
*** supporting its stance beyond an email stating that its lawyer agrees
with Lawrence Management and the definition of underinsurance*** deals
with all types of insurance and situationsIf *** states that the
documentation is insufficient, it’s insufficientLawrence Management’s stance
of not paying for it because it is below the deductible makes absolutely no
sense; it simply becomes an out of pocket expenseIf your car deductible is
$and the damage is $300, you pay the $to fix the carYou don’t not pay
anything because it is below the deductible amountAnd to take it one step
further, if we are to follow this logic, the damage to my unit could have been
$4,and I would be responsible for paying itLawrence Management’s refusal
to respond to *** shows a complete lack of business etiquetteIf Lawrence
Management is able to prove that it is not responsible, then *** will pay
the claim and then go after Mr***If Lawrence Management cannot produce
this documentation, then it must pay for the damages
Also, *** *** contradicts himselfHe sent Wayne’s
Plumbing to fix the problem who then billed the association and then Mr
***So then why can’t Lawrence Management send someone to fix my floor who
then could bill the association and then Mr***? Also, *** *** stated that the damage was due to Mr***’s AC unit and then stated that I
could pursue a claim if I felt that Mr*** was negligent*** *** just
stated that he was negligent and caused the damageSo I request again that
either Lawrence Management sends the claim to the condominium association’s
insurance per ***’s email that the condominium association’s insurance is
responsible for paymentIn the alternative, I request that Lawrence Management
sends someone to fix the floor, who then will bill the association, who then can
decide whether or not to send the bill to its insurance or to bill Mr***
Furthermore, Mr*** and I “do not get along” because
this is the fifth time he has damaged my unit (AC leaks in either or
2011) and a cracked shower pan in Each time he has been combative and has
denied responsibilityThe one AC leak during the 4th of July
holiday was so bad water was coming through the cracksWhen I called him to
tell him this, he yelled that the plumber was coming out the next day and he
doesn’t make their hoursThe cracked shower pan fiasco perfectly encompasses
my experiences with him and Lawrence ManagementThe day before Memorial Day in
2012, water came through the bathroom fan vent after a tenant above took a
showerThey came down and looked and then contacted Mr*** about itHe
said that it wasn’t the shower but the building settlingHe had the foam donut
replaced on his toiletYet the leaks continued after every showerLawrence
Management sent plumbers out who cut a hole in my ceiling and told me to look
for leaksThe next time a tenant took a shower, it leakedI took pictures and
video of the leak and sent them to *** ***Weeks went by before Mr
*** put gel on the crack in the shower pan (a temporary fix, in October it
leaked again and was eventually replaced)During this time, *** ***
told the tenant to continue taking showers because “the leak wasn’t that bad.”
So this is not the first time *** *** has been aware of one unit owner
knowingly damaging another unit owner’s property and yet refuses to
mediate/manage/rectify the situationAs far as his “intervention” in this
instance, he did not tell me what caused the leak for weeksThen he refused
to contact Mr***He only did because Mr*** was combative in his
email to me, stating it was not his problem and not to contact him again, and
because Mr*** called *** ***All *** *** had to do was
tell him that his AC unit caused the damage so he should pay for itHe did
not; his email to me stated to send someone out for an estimate and to send the
information to Mr*** and “he’ll decide what he wants to do” which
blatantly expressed that Mr*** had a choice as to whether or not to pay
for the damagesLawrence Management should have told him to pay for the
damages; it did notIt gave him leeway which led to the insurance claim which
led to Lawrence Management ignoring the situation
Regards,
*** ***

From: [redacted]Date: Wed, Oct 14, 2015 at 2:23 PMSubject: RE: Cleveland Revdex.com [redacted]To: [redacted]Cc: [redacted] – I have reviewed our email files, regular files and all staff who handle incoming calls and we have absolutely nothing written in our files from [redacted] other than a garage door opener code request from early in 2013 which was right after he moved in to the condominium building.  If he submitted correspondence we would appreciate a copy of it. It is possible he called but I am personally not aware of any calls and our staff doesn’t remember anything specific.  I don’t have phone call records going back more than a few weeks so it is not possible to search back to early this year.  I did run a search of our Work Order system and do not see any work orders referencing [redacted] or his unit number [redacted]. I believe we did send you the roofers comments regarding his service calls regarding the roof drain that seems to be the focal point of the complaint. Again, until the Condominium Association’s board of Directors approves a new roof or roof drain system, all we are able to do is to continue to monitor and clean the roof top drain covers to prevent pond buildup on the roof as part of the preventative maintenance program at the building.  Unfortunately, the roof design was not the best and we are living with the builder’s design issues. Please advise if we can provide any additional information. Thanks.  Mac Ian ("Mac") L[redacted]Lawrence Management Group1507 Lear Industrial Pkwy. Suite 1Avon, OH 44011440-937-2800440-937-2808 fax

The complaint is untrue.  There has only been one main sewer backup in the [redacted], OH building, and that took place on May 20, 2014.  The plumbing repairs took place immediately.  The woman who complained didn't own her unit at the time of this...

incident.

[redacted] owns a condominium at [redacted]  My company is the property management company hired by the [redacted] Board of Directors.   [redacted] was late in paying her maintenance fees.  As per its rights, the condominium...

association filed a lien against Ms. [redacted] unit as a result of her failure to pay her fees.  She brought her account current on November 17th.   The condominium association's attorney has been in contact with [redacted] attorney and is in the process of having the lien released at the Cuyahoga County recorder's office.   This complaint against Lawrence Management is completely unfair an unwarranted.   If [redacted] paid her fees on time, there would be need for a lien to be filed or subsequently released.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this DOES and DOES NOT resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
First off...I wish to thank the Revdex.com for their help in this matter.  If it were not for your help...even the information given by Lawrence Community would remain a mystery to me and to others that I have spoken with on my floor.  So thanks to the Revdex.com first and foremost!Secondly, while I accept the general reply from Lawrence Community Mgt in terms of work TO BE DONE at a later date for the general benefit to all as described, I find it, still, incredible that no phone calls I made were ever returned, no letters were replied to UNTIL I contacted the Revdex.com.  REGARDLESS, it was still raining with REGULARITY in the third floor hallway.  There is water damage to the ceiling tiles even on the 2nd floor.  The report from "a third floor resident" that this water leak would only happen once a year is absolutely untrue.  Calls were made repeatedly by me and others MANY times over the past two years.  And as for the water which ceased to come through the ceiling....this was made possible because I went onto the roof and placed the sandbags over the drain in an effort to prevent further damage to the hallways...or any of the units.  This was something I did last year...and still asked for some reply.  The bags were removed...and it began to rain in the halls again.  The whole process began again and again.  I was promised again and again that something would be done.  Finally, even after a letter...I contacted the Revdex.com.  Only now have I received any clarity on this issue.  I appreciate the clarity by Lawrence Community...but why could this not have happened sooner?I accept what Lawrence Community Mgt said provided that this problem is SOON resolved in a more permanent matter.  Having, myself, cared for a large business I understand how funds are allocated and used.  But sometimes there are more pressing needs and issues that come up.  This (leaking roof) was a very pressing issue and concern.  I trust that...in the future...there will be prompt response and transparency to calls and issues that arise.Again...my sincere thanks to the Revdex.com for looking into this.  And my thanks to Lawrence Community for providing clarity and answers to this issue.
Regards,
[redacted]

I am responding to your request for additional information on the highlighted items:
Each owner owns his or her own ac unit that is part of the condo unit. If an owner sold the condo home, he or she could take the ac unit with them if they wanted, but the new buyer would then have to replace it.
Each owner is responsible for maintaining their air conditioner. There is a common condensation drain line that runs down from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor that the 3 units share. When we get a leak call from an ac area, we do not know if it is from an ac unit itself or if it is acommon line problem. We dispatch the association's plumber to determine that. If the problem is the common condensation drain line, the association pays the bill. If the problem is with an owner's ac unit, we then bill that person back for the cost of the plumber.
Please let me know if there are any other questions.
Thanks, [redacted]

In response to Mr. [redacted], I did email his insurance adjuster, [redacted] on December 11, 2014 to explain to him how the condo association's insurance works (copy attached). He responded on December 19, 2014 disagreeing with my interpretation of the association's Declaration. I did not feel it was necessary to re-explain what I already had written. Mr. [redacted] can certainly disagree with me, but he is wrong. Furthermore, Mr. [redacted] is Mr. [redacted]'s adjuster. Mr. [redacted] should contact his insurance agent to tell him that his adjuster is misinterpreting the association's Declaration and that he is getting poor service from his insurance company. I can certainly turn this over to the condominium association's attorney to send a letter to Mr. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] explaining how the condominium associaiton's insurance works should the Revdex.com feel that is necessary.
I have never contradicted myself. We sent [redacted] out to investigate a leak call. We did not know who was responsible for the cost of leak repair until the plumber determined it was [redacted]'s. The association paid the bill since we ordered the work, and we billed back Mr. [redacted] since it was his responsibility. We know that the floor is Mr. [redacted]'s responsibility to maintain and repair, so that is why he is responsible for it. When the floor was damaged, Mr. [redacted] correctly filed an insurance claim. His other option would be to pursue payment from Mr. [redacted] if he feels he was negligent.
In closing, this is not a case of a customer being mistreated by a business. It is a matter of a condo owner not agreeing with how the condominium association is interpreting its Declaration & By-laws. I have been managing condominium associations for 18 years and am proud of my record A+ rating from the Revdex.com. I enjoy helping people solve problems, however, I cannot have the association pay for flooring in Mr. [redacted]'s condo when I legally know that the condominium association is not responsible.
Sincerely,
[redacted]