Need a good lawyer.....

I've seen a couple of agreements and they're so weighted against the tenant/owner no one should sign one.
The contract basically said I was responsible for everything whatever the cause.
You'll have to check your paperwork.

what paperwork are you referring to... we bought our condo... it's paid in full. We have also been paying water and sewage since day one... seems they are trying to throw stuff at a wall to see what sticks...

There goes lawyers, just one step away from being politicians.
Check the deeds or whatever you have to see what you're liable for.
You'd be amazed at what people sneak in, or at least I was.
One back in the UK signed me up to a share of all costs for damage to the building, even if it was nothing to do with me or the bit I was living in.
I didn't bother signing.

I could be wrong, but it sounds like the construction company is being taken to court and they want to pass it to the tenants.
Not sure if the sale contract with Bear have anything in it about association and ownership of common areas. Hopefully it does, read it well. One lawyer should represent the association and the owners or two lawyers, one for the owners and one for the association.
What exactly are you guys being suit for? What are the claims? Condo owners do not connect to a sewer, those connections are made when the condo is build by the owner of the building and the contractor. You guys may need to suit the building owner and original contractor.

I think you are correct Rey they are trying to pass it to the owners/tenants... we still need to find a lawyer that can deal with sort of stuff...

Have you all meet as an association to discuss the issue? You should, somebody probably knows a good lawyer.

Whoever represents you will make good money since he is representing all the condo owners. Maybe the money should come from the association fees.

I think they are having a meeting sometime next week for everyone involved...

For that amount of money, you need a reputable firm, not a solo practitioner. Here is a good place to start. You can search by firm practice areas, size, reputation, etc. You need a good litigator with preferably, a construction focus. http://www.martindale.com/

Hello,

I live in San Juan and have an ongoing  issue with my HOA regarding fees for making changes to my condo (adding a terrace with a roof).  These changes were done before we had an official BOARD and all residents at that time were doing changes and violations to their units.  Also, I do not speak or read Spanish, which my contract was in Spanish.

I am here 11 years and still getting harassed to pay fines.  I was told I can go to DACO  which is a court I believe for owners to be heard and supported.  I have not yet taken on that task, which I would love for anybody to give some advice on how to do this. 

Thank you.

Lynn

Thanks for all the input... seems after talking to other tenants in our building we are not listed as a party to the suit but everyone else in our building is... so we are still going to talk to an lawyer just to make sure everything is in good standing... ☺️

So some tenants are part of the law suit and some are not?
I wonder what the criteria is. You may be safe or may get added before it goes to court.

At present the fines only amount to $400.00 for making changes to the terrace after it was built.  They gave me the fines almost 4 years ago.

I was looking for advice as to how to go to DACO or if you can hire somebody to do that for you inexpensively.

I would think that DaCo has people that speak English. But if not you just need someone that is bilingual to go with you.

On a side note, I have always been in the understanding that condos exterior and outside visible areas can not be modified or painted in any way. Some condos even require that all curtains have a white backing so that only that will be seen from the outside.

I know a good lawyer in SJ. His name is Francisco Colon. He is fully bilingual. Email me is you want further info ***

Personal contact information is not allowed in the open forum, use private messaging

Yes, you are correct about the condo rules... But, when I moved here 11 years ago there was no onsite active Administration.... I did not speak Spanish and I did not understand that about about the remodeling.  All the residents here were doing things that they were not supposed to!  Moving forward, 11 years later... I am not currently being told to take down the terrace with roof... But, I am asking about the Grandfathering in of things like that before an onsite active Board was in place, which did not happen until after all residents made changes.

I was told they had 2 years to ask owners to remove or take down changes... which they did not.

Currently, they are not asking me to do anything.. only fined me for an additional small change I made to lengthen the roof four years ago.

Gotcha! Sorry!