Troubles With Building Administration

[Ceviche]

Congrats Jan, for the win.

 

[SinPulgas]

Well, I checked the Zoom call to see if it was being held. It was. All six owners who live in the building were on the call, so I stayed to make it 7. I decided not to speak so I could stay as calm as possible. I didn't understand a word because no one listens and continuously interrupts the person speaking. The call ended at 10:15, and I hear the discussion in the hallway. Once I voted to remove the administrator, I left the call at 9;20pm. The vote was 5 to 2, against his renewal. His loyal members of the owners' council were outvoted. I was so relieved. Now we have the huge responsibility of finding a new administrator who can handle the task of getting the consorcio back to normal which will take years. Our debt is in the millions of pesos.

Ah, there is silence as I finish the post.

I wish I could suggest a new administrator, but we've been through 14 in 20 years. Or maybe it's 15.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

We've got (another) one we want to get rid of. I suppose that's not really a recommendation

 

[nikad]

Hopefully things will slowly start to get better from now on. Beware that any utilities, services, repairs, etc are going to have to be paid for, etc. Transitioning is chaotic, start asking for recommendations and looking for building managers asap. You are still going to have to talk to the former manager and with no council, someone has to take the lead. I have been there, thankfully things are much much better in my building, but you must know that a lot of building managers will reject you as it is simply a lot more work for the same money ( it is regulated by Caphai ). Best of luck and congrats on moving on!

 

[jantango]

Congrats Jan, for the win.

Thanks, but our consorcio is insolvent. Only a brand new administrator who wants to tackle a big job would give it a try. I had one ready for the job three year ago who lives eight blocks away, but she now has all the consorcios she can handle by herself.

I wish I could suggest a new administrator, but we've been through 14 in 20 years. Or maybe it's 15.

That says a lot about the quality of training and for only two days a week for three months online. I doubt there is an exam given to qualify to be registered as an administrator. That's why there are so many horrible administrators who want to steal from consorcios, especially those with a majority of seniors would not read or understand the liquidations.

We've got (another) one we want to get rid of. I suppose that's not really a recommendation

We had an excellent administrator for 9 years who was a lawyer as well. She quit after verbal harrassment from a resident. Since then we've had nothing but financial problems by administrators who steal and don't pay the consequences. I didn't think they could get worse, but the current one was the worst. I knew on day one from a resident that he managed 30 consorcios. That told me he had the job to make lots of money charging extra for services. The two members of the owners council voted last night to renew his mandate. One is his soccer buddy, so there was an obvious conflict of interest.

Hopefully things will slowly start to get better from now on. Beware that any utilities, services, repairs, etc are going to have to be paid for, etc. Transitioning is chaotic, start asking for recommendations and looking for building managers asap. You are still going to have to talk to the former manager and with no council, someone has to take the lead. I have been there, thankfully things are much much better in my building, but you must know that a lot of building managers will reject you as it is simply a lot more work for the same money ( it is regulated by Caphai ). Best of luck and congrats on moving on!

Thanks to everyone for commenting and sharing your horror stories. We have challenges living in this city. I know it's not going to be easy to find someone to take on the task of managing our consorcio. The person will charge more for all the work. Our biggest expense is paying a cleaning lady who has been official with the syndicates for more than five years. She cleans as little as possible. An owner who got her on the payroll has likely been collecting a bribe so she never tells her what to do. I clean either before or after the cleaning lady shows up to waste our water and electricity. Getting rid of her is impossible. She is 71 and has two other consorcios that pay her to do nothing as well.

On a recent Sunday where I go walking, I had conversation with the new legal chief for Consumer Defense for Adminstrators, Dra. Rosa Barbera. Her team was handing out fliers with promises that major changes are in the works. She took notes about my complaint against the administrator during our conversation. The mediation was in early January 2024, and the staff has not completed reviewing the documentation for a decision. I have hope for a sanction or better yet, removal from the registry. The administrator charged our consorcio $29.400 for attending a ten-minute mediation online for which he agreed to nothing. His monthly honorario is $30K. I expect the April liquidation that we will receive after May 1, will include a hefty fee for himself and the lawyer who attended the 2-1/4 hour assembly last night. He is a member of an administration/law firm whose presentation letter was considered by the consorcio in 2021. I know he didn't attend the Zoom chat because he has nothing else better to do. The consorcio will be charged for his time listening, and I will be sending the liquidation to the legal team for review.

No to be trusted handling consorcio funds: K. Irabedra RPA 7900 / M.F. Villagra RPA 5092 / A.J. Ardid RPA 10462

 

[Mizu]

I wish I could suggest a new administrator, but we've been through 14 in 20 years. Or maybe it's 15

 

[jantango]

There is a renter in our building who is retired. Many years ago, I entered his unit for some reason and couldn't believe how anyone could live in such disorder and filth. He has all the time in the world to clean his unit, patio, and garden which are full of flammable materials and a source of cockroaches and rats in other units and the patios. He doesn't allow the fumigation service to enter once a month, so the consorcio wastes money for something that never addresses the sources of the infestation problems of cockroaches and rats.

Two owners who have been on the owner's council for years don't say a word to him about cleaning up his act. They always ask him to fix something in the building instead of paying someone else. His favors mean they remain silent about how he lives. Another building nearby faces the same situation for years by two adult women who have no sense of order and cleanliness. Their unit poses the same health problem for all residents in the building, yet it continues without change.

Today I found the heir of the unit on Facebook who collects the rent. I sent the attached photos to give him an idea of the situation that is affecting the lives of all residents in the building.

 

[jantango]

Recently I received the disposition for my first denuncia against our administrator (AA). There is obviously a backlog of cases against administrations filed with the Defensa al Consumidor. The disposition took them almost two years from the date of our online mediation in July 2022. It took so long that I wasn't expecting any response. They imposed a very small fine against (AA) for refusing to share consorcio documents from the previous administration because she (MFV) never turned them over to him. The outcome is that this decision will be published online in the list of registered administrators and available to anyone who wants to check his record. He knew that the consorcio was going to vote him (AA) out in late April. We are so broke that he couldn't collect months of honorarios. Our new administrator (CN) has access to the bank account, but no documentation and books which AA refuses to turn over until he is paid. A friend called this "extortion" since one is required by law to turn over consorcio documents in ten days to the new administrator. I submitted written documentation by the new administrator (CN) about that refusal added to my second denuncia evidence against AA for review.

Even if your case against the consorcio administrator seems unworthy of a complaint, it is worth holding the person accountable for their work if they have broken the law. Administrators take advantage of consorcios in many ways, especially when most of the owners are seniors. I have received help and encouragement from a man who found my post about his consorcio's administration and contacted me. We have been sharing information for years. He is trying to obtain justice against their former administrator who stole a huge sum of money from the consorcio, with full knowledge of it by the owners' counsel. Owners who are complicit in the crime don't know that it can backfire against them. That is what happened in our building that will be in debt for years. At least the new administrator is an accountant who is ready for the task of managing our disaster. What she has provided so far convinces me that she is going to do a great job of managing our financial situation.

 

[jantango]

Many administrators in CABA should be sanctioned, but owners don't bother to learn how the process works or have the time and interest to take on the task.
1 - file a denuncia online
2 - mediation held with the owner and the administrator online in Zoom.
3 - documentation provided by owner is reviewed
4 - decision made whether or not to sanction for disregarding Law 941 and published officially.

Before choosing a new administrator for a consorcio, it is important to check the list of those who are registered to do the work. One can find an administrator listed by RPA number or their complete name. If they have been sanctioned for any reason, this is indicated. I attach two examples of former administrators who have been sanctioned.

Here is the final paragraph of the disposition I received:
Article 1 - Sanction ARDID, ANDRES JORGE, CUIT 20-31674416-9, RPA N° 10462, with a fine of THOUSAND
NINE HUNDRED (1,900) fixed units, a unit that must be paid in pesos at the value in force on the date of
effective payment, for having incurred in violation of articles 9 paragraph f), 10 paragraphs a), e), f) and i) and 12 of the Law 941.
Article 2 - The fine must be paid by deposit in the Bank of the City of Buenos Aires, in the
account No. 210,196/1, Public Registry of Consortium Administrators Law 941, within ten (10) days
business days of notification of this, and said payment in this case must be accredited with proof of
original deposit, within the previously established period.
Article 3 - For notification and other purposes, pass the proceedings to the Operational Affairs Management
Legal, Judicial and Institutional. Opportunely, publish it in the Official Gazette. Completed and archived.

Even though the amount of the sanction is small change, the fact that he has been sanctioned is important. The administrator failed to comply with the law.