Q: I live in an amazing condo community and recently experienced a raccoon that gets inside an engine block and causes serious damage to the vehicle. This includes engaging the wiring system, fluid lines, and hood insulation. When we approached the association, they denied and said, “It’s out of our hands.” What options are there? —Evelio
A: Generally, wildlife removal depends on the individual homeowner, not on the community association, unless otherwise specified by the management documents.
The first step is to review the community documentation to see if this is a specific responsibility of your association. If they do not mention the subject, it is the responsibility of the individual owner.
However, the answer is a bit unclear as this issue occurs in parking lots, which are part of the common elements of the community.
Your association is responsible for maintaining parking and property, so even if you are not as an association, you will have some responsibility as the property owner.
Your resident should work with your board of directors and real estate managers to address the issue.
First, try to eliminate anything that attracts raccoons by making sure the landscaping is properly trimmed, the trash is fixed and the area is kept clean. Remove the bird feeder and make sure other food sources are cleaned, such as fallen fruits and vegetables from the landscaping. Reach out to local wildlife experts to discuss other humanitarian options such as moving active lights and sprinklers, and use nature’s deterrents. Hopefully this will leave the creatures of your community.
By working together as a community, you should be able to effectively discourage raccoons from continuing to make your association their home, while ensuring the safety and well-being of residents, cars and raccoons.
(Gary M. Singer is a Florida lawyer and accredits the board as a real estate law expert by Florida Bar. He practices real estate, business litigation and contract law from his office in Sunrise, Florida. He is the chairman of the Broward County Bar Association’s Real Estate Section. The National.
