In the complex ecosystem of a condominium – where unit owners, a condo board, and a property management company interact – a concerning and often toxic dynamic can emerge. While these bodies are supposed to ensure the smooth operation of the property and act in the owners’ best interest, trouble begins when a law firm enters the picture not as a neutral legal advisor, but as an enabler of silence and obfuscation.
This post lays out how a condo board, a property management company, and a law firm can form an alliance to suppress owner inquiries, erode transparency, and circumvent the democratic principles that should guide every condominium corporation.
Step One: The Management Gatekeeper
The first wall unit owners hit is often the property management company. Though technically hired to manage operations and assist communication, they can quickly become the board’s deflective shield. When owners ask inconvenient or probing questions, they may receive:
- Vague or incomplete answers
- Excuses citing “privacy concerns”
- Delayed responses – or no response at all
Meanwhile, the board quietly relinquishes its oversight, hiding behind the management company’s bureaucratic filter.
Step Two: Enter the Law Firm – The Silencer in a Suit
Things escalate when a law firm is retained – not to uphold governance, but to justify withholding information. Requests for basic documents like financials or meeting minutes are met with intimidating legal letters citing:
- “Privileged information”
- “Confidentiality obligations”
- Accusations of “harassment” or “vexatious conduct”
The goal? Intimidate owners into silence. Who wants to pursue their right to transparency if it might cost them a legal fight?
Step Three: Coordinated Obstruction
The board, law firm, and management company often act in concert:
- Meeting agendas are manipulated, with important issues buried in long reports or rushed through without discussion
- Questions are limited or filtered, often requiring advance written submission or rigid formats
- Information access is curtailed, forcing owners through layers of delay and red tape
These aren’t administrative efficiencies. They’re deliberate tactics to discourage participation.
Weaponizing Legal Advice
Legal firms may even help draft restrictive bylaws or rules:
- Limits on the number of questions an owner may ask
- Rules requiring weeks’ notice for any inquiry
- Punitive rules enforced selectively
All disguised as “orderly governance” – but serving to concentrate power and eliminate accountability.
The Real Cost of Silence
When this triad functions unchecked, the consequences are serious:
- No oversight of financial decisions or major expenditures
- No way to challenge misconduct or mismanagement
- A community atmosphere of fear and distrust
Owners become little more than silent payers of ever-increasing fees- locked out of decision-making in the very community they fund.
How to Break the Cycle
But all is not lost. Sometimes, an owner steps forward – determined, informed, and unafraid. It takes:
- A deep knowledge of the Condominium Act
- Financial literacy
- And yes – blood, sweat, and tears
The first goal? Elect a new board – assuming capable volunteers exist. Once in place, the property management company and legal counsel can be replaced with professionals who understand that they work for the owners – not the other way around.
In Conclusion
This kind of collusion isn’t just frustrating—it’s corrosive. It undermines transparency, silences dissent, and betrays the trust of the very people footing the bill.
đź’ˇ Tip: Owners should educate themselves, form alliances, and speak up. Regulatory reform may be slow, but grassroots change begins with informed resistance.
Because when the people in charge fear questions more than answers – something is very wrong.
