15d • General discussion
The Two-Minute Habit That Prevents Most Board Disputes
Most condo trustee conflicts don't start with a bad decision. They start with a fast one—a reply fired off before anyone actually checked the documents.
An owner sends an angry email about a leak, a parking spot, or a pet violation, and a well-meaning trustee answers from memory or gut instinct. Half the time, the answer is wrong, and walking it back is far harder than getting it right the first time.
In Massachusetts, your governing documents are a legally binding contract. When a trustee answers off the cuff and gets it wrong, they can inadvertently create a costly precedent or expectation. "But the trustee told me it was the association's responsibility" is a nightmare to undo.
Here is a simple, 2-minute discipline that saves months of cleanup. Before answering any owner question, check your documents in this exact order:
1. The Master Deed: Defines what is a unit vs. a common element. This immediately settles almost every "who fixes/pays for this" dispute.
2. The Bylaws: Govern how the board operates—voting thresholds, maintenance duties, spending limits, and enforcement powers.
3. The Rules & Regulations: Govern day-to-day resident conduct (pets, parking, trash, noise).
If the answer isn't clearly written in one of those three places, that is your signal to pause—not to improvise.
💡 The Golden Phrase: "Let me review the association's recorded documents and get back to you with the exact procedure." It is professional, legally safe, and infinitely better than a confident wrong answer.
💬 DISCUSSION QUESTION
What is one question owners ask your board repeatedly—and does everyone on your board answer it the exact same way? Let's talk strategy below!
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The Two-Minute Habit That Prevents Most Board Disputes
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