A PLACE TO BE

A PLACE TO BE

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Village Rental Story

With this influx of Rental Office conversation, one might want to chew on this.

Ten years ago April 2000 Minutes show the Board wanting a new Rental policy because renting owners were taking advantage of the Association with putting in/taking out their lots at any given time regardless of having signed a Rental Office contract agreement.

Sound familiar? It should because our Board passed a policy last October to correct this decade old problem.


We see that owners in 2000 were questioning the need of keeping the Rental office open and debated using the below talking points.


May 24 2000 minutes
RENTAL OFFICE DEBATE
Zylman-pro
A coordinated exposure to ORA (Outdoor Resort Association)
Future owners started as renters
New owners will upgrade when they buy and this will increase property values
Rental office rentals give more control
Less disruption in quality of our life
Year to date we are in the black and will not be a cost to us
In the future when no rental available, turn the building (Welcome Center) into a restaurant and make money

Aikman-con
It is the individual’s right to rent
Fights and headaches of handling the rentals would cease
Charge a registration fee for those entering the park and make money that way
It would decrease expenses in maintenance, office, staff, etc.

Mr. Zylman’s view was accepted because the Rental department was operating in the black and the assurance that if this ever changed the Rental Office would close..

When it was discovered the Rental Office had suffered back to back losses in 2004-05, owners pushed the 2006 Board to form a committee for an in depth Rental study. A Committee majority concluded the downward trend in participation in the rental pool by owners combined with the upward trend in costs, i.e. insurance rate and tax increases, equaled a poor long term economic prospect for the rental pool and this majority recommended that our Rental program be eliminated.
Committee members Ms. Burke and Mr. DeMalade disagreed and gained support from four Board members to keep the Rental Office open.

Ms. Burke later gave owners a report which asked the question, would you whether lose $29,671 each year having an open Rental office or a closed one that loses $70,926 each year from ongoing expenses. One might note that Directors Pelletier, Guerra, Martin, and Halbach were along side Ms. Burke on this 2006 Board.

These actions not only showed it was expected but downright acceptable for our Rental Office to lose between twenty to thirty thousand dollars each year and acknowledged that owners may now ignore Article VII of the Declaration of Covenants with impunity. 


In the beginning our Rental Office was approved to be a self-fulfilling profit center and not a monetary burden upon our Membership.

WHY QUESTIONS
One must ask why a Director would close their eyes to those who disobey our Declaration of Covenants costing our Village thousands while chastising others who disobey a simple building code costing our Membership zilch.

Why don’t we have a rule like other Associations saying owner amenity rights are forfeited while renters use their privileges?

How is it we supposedly have $70,000+ worth of ongoing departmental expenses if the Rental Office is removed? Are these just penciled in expenses associated with other office expenditures?

Your comment

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also notice the age old problem of bringing up issues in "May" after all have went home! There were less living here full time also!

I will not place my property in the rental office until there is a fair way of doing it. There will be and has been pay offs just to get in line first!

Can't you understand Joe its a different time now.
We have grown past a privately owned RV park, COAST TO COAST, OUTDOOR RESORT, The Village, LIV.
We are a neighborhood disconnect from Port Isabel. If it wasn't for the bridge we would be LANDLOCKED.

We cannot afford the neighborhood we live in.

Reading what went on 10 years ago Joe only proves we have not grown. Its the same circle.

The same conflicts,. Rental Office and Management costs. Two issues we can control and two issues we refuse to explore! WHY!

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Joey. Isn't recorded history a hoot?! Now that pushy PB and her co-hort LD are off the board and out of the picture, maybe it is time to end the rental dept. debacle. And, perhaps without the rental dept., we could use a different type of managment that costs less.

Anonymous said...

So....
If common sense had prevailed way back in 2000 the Village would have saved tens of thousands of dollars.
This is really a sad commentary on the quality of the directors we have had for the last decade.

Anonymous said...

We have not extended ourselves enough to Port Isabel.
I feel ousted by the towns leaders and store front owners.
We can use HEB breads, meats. and etc.. and we would save money. We don't need COSCO.
Bring a list of supplies to the HEB office. Tell them what LIV wants to do and see what it cost. You can buy in bulk there also. We do not share enough in our community.

Anonymous said...

I know for a FACT that the current Port Isabel mayor has reached out many times in the past only to be "slapped in the face" by former management and board (PB). We should be ashamed of ourselves that the current board and management can't reach out to our neighboring community. If you feel "ousted" then reach out yourself and let them know how much you appreciate them.

Anonymous said...

If you feel "ousted" then reach out yourself and let them know how much you appreciate them.
-------------------------------------------------
It needs to come from leaders.

What can I do? I shop in town. I eat in town, I volunteer in town.

What has the mayor asked of us? Explain please. Facts are good!

Anonymous said...

I am trying to remember the details, but one episode involved Hurr. Dolly, our swing bridge and evacuating people off Long Island after the storm. Mis-information, negative information and lies were told to us by those in charge (here at LIV) in reference to Joe Vega (mayor, Port Isabel) and how he tried to help, but was not allowed to do so. If you really want to know what happened, call him. He is a really nice young man. I know he will be happy to talk to you.

Anonymous said...

you have facts?? maybe but they are not totally true. there were meetings but on a friendly basis. P I does not want us and we really do not want P I. they would not want to inherit the bridge and we would not want higher taxes. if P I was unfriendly do you think they would have come to us to ask for use of the hall for the HS prom and their shrimp boil go over your FACTS and toss the incorrect accusations

Anonymous said...

Extending our amenities is a start . And perhaps one day I will introduce myself to the mayor. I never thought of that.

Anonymous said...

I am not sure of what goes on behind the scenes. But if the owners that are behind in their dues ,should not be able to rent their properties. And if this is not possible the rent should go to the LATE FEES. This means no pool bands for the renters also.

Anonymous said...

Can the association collect rent to offset the nonpayment of condo fees?

Anonymous said...

"Sure, we can spend all day nitpicking specifics but aren't sweeping generalities so much more satisfying?" :( :)