Moving in/out Fees

JudieA in WA

I'm the president of a small 10 unit condo complex and am thinking of having the Association vote in a moving in and a moving out fee. I've lived there for almost 4 years now and have been the president for 2 years. We have a small parking lot that people have to use when they move in or out - and worse, we have a small dumpster. It doesn't seem to matter whether they're moving in or moving out (I don't know - seems like they bring all their unwanted items with them when they move in, then dump it here!), our dumpsters get completely filled for 2 to 3 weeks. New owners are always told they can get an additional pickup service for just $28, but no one ever takes advantage of this. They're also told that they can't fill the dumpster with stuff so that no one else can use it. But, it happens anyway. Instead of fining them (and trying to prove that it really is them doing it), the Board would like to just add a moving in AND a moving out fee. It would be pretty reasonable, like maybe $75. Is this a normal fee to ask for? I asked one friend that lives in a 28 unit complex and they charge $200. That's a bit stiff for us. Since we are only 10 units, we don't get a lot of extra money in our reserves and don't want to raise our dues until we have to. This added fee could help a little. We have 3 people thinking about selling right now. I'd like to know what other small complexes do. We're having a meeting tonight about it and to remind people that when they move out if they fill the dumpster several days before pickup they'll have to pay for the extra pickup. But, we'd still like to have a moving fee. I'd be anxious to know how many places (small complexes only - please) charge and how much.
Thank you so much.
Judie A.

Your Board could pass this rule, by motion, with a majority vote and include it with your other Standing Rules.

Board vote. This would be a fee that is charged ONLY when the service is used.

Most associations who charge a fee do so on the basis of an individual action creating a cost for the association, therefore the association has the right to recoup that cost, something like an owner causing damage to the common areas - the bill would normally be sent to that owner. New Jersey, I think, has passed legislation to allow an association to charge a higher fee (like a contribution to working capital), and most states allow assocaitions and/or management companies to recoup costs, or charge a fee for preparing disclosure or other closing or re-financing documents. Some states cap these fees (VA), and a CA court has upheld the right of management to charge them.

In your case, I think you can safely document that moving out and in creates a cost for the association that is not a common charge, and set a reasonable fee to cover it in the future.

Joe