Access creates mutual safety responsibilities

     By Barbara Holland, CPM
      Q. We are raising a granddaughter who is listed on the VA loan for our condominium.
      The management at our community will issue only two gate passes, so we purchased a third for our granddaughter for $25. Since then, my husband lost his pass, which costs $50 to replace.
      Sometimes, I am unable to contact someone at home to let me in because of the late hour or because no one is home. I contend that I am being locked out of my property. A choice that few have is to have access by a code. Is this amount excessive?
      There has to be a law to let us in to our property. We live here and pay our dues on time.
      A. There are a number of gated systems, some of which require pass cards or gate openers, and others the use pass codes. There are also systems that have a combination of cards and codes, or gate openers and codes.
      One of the legitimate problems an association has is maintaining the security of the community. Too often, gated communities are less than secure because gate openers, pass cards and codes are in the possession of people who are no longer residents of the community, or who were never residents in the first place.
      Some associations have a general code. This is convenient if you have left your opener or pass at home, or if your battery has died. Unfortunately, general codes make for a very unsecured community. It does not take long for everyone to know what the entry code is to the association.
      Some associations change the code every quarter to make it more difficult for nonresidents to enter the community. The association then has to communicate this change to everyone in the community, which causes logistical problems as there are always people who miss the message.
      At the next board meeting, you may want to address the fees for residents to get replacement passes. Ask the board how much it costs the association to buy these passes. How much profit is the board making or the management company receiving in fees above the actual cost of the pass? If the board takes no other action, you can address this at the annual homeowners meeting.
      From the board's perspective, the security gate was not designed to lock out residents of the community, but to prevent nonresidents from entering.
      Security is a mutual concern. You have an obligation to maintain security within your community, a security you compromise when you lose your pass. Some stranger could have found the pass and used it against another resident. You have a responsibility not to lose gate passes.
      Questions for Barbara Holland may be sent to Association Q. & A., P.O. Box 7440, Las Vegas, NV 89125. Her fax number is 385-3759.
      Barbara Holland, Certified Property Manager, is president and co-owner of H&L Realty and Management Co. She is a member of the Institute of Real Estate Management and is the author of two books on the subject. Holland is a past president of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors.

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