Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is urging state lawmakers to establish a condominium ombudsman, to deal with owners’ complaints concerning violations of state condo laws.
Blumenthal said his office has received hundreds of grievances from condo owners over the past year involving disputes with condo associations.
“A condominium ombudsman would provide help to outmatched, overwhelmed unit owners who are fighting for their basic rights under our condominium laws,” Blumenthal said. “Many of the complaints received by my office concern failures by association boards of directors to follow basic governance principles such as adopting an annual budget with notice to the unit owners, holding fair elections for the board of directors, providing key financial information about the association, and fairly imposing association fines.”Â
Blumenthal is urging creation of a self-funded state commission to be paid for by a $4 per unit annual assessment on condominium associations in the state. There are approximately 240,000 condominium units in Connecticut so the $4 charge will yield $960,000. Â
The office would be responsible for reviewing condominium unit owner complaints concerning violations of state condominium laws by the association’s board of directors, officers or professional managers.
The proposal would also allow the ombudsman to review complaints, hold a hearing and issue orders to resolve problems, and gives the attorney general, the right to impose a civil penalty of up to $200 for each violation.Â
