Submitted by hankofburninglove t3_ztrszn in boston
Alt account-ish. I just bought a condo that the seller’s real estate agent insisted could have in unit laundry.
During closing, the HOA mentioned that “only medically valid exemptions” were a reason to allow in unit laundry. What are some reasons that would allow me to wiggle out of the restriction?
The restriction is in the condo docs. There aren’t hookups.
why would you sign the contract if it was such a big deal…?
I'd go with some sort of breathing issue if you can get documentation for it.--like, asthma that is triggered by the fumes in a laundromat kind of thing. If you claim anything that involves strength or mobility your neighbors will be giving you side eye when you haul in your groceries or climb stairs.
Don’t claim medical restrictions that you don’t actually have. That’s a dick move and it makes people with disabilities lives harder because then when property managers get fed up with too many people claiming restrictions they try to not give leniency to anyone at all.
Who approves the exemption- the trustees?
If it's in the bylaws, you/your attorney should have reviewed these before closing. I noped out of a condo because the association did not allow laundry facilities to be used after 9pm.
Ask the HOA what their medical exemptions are. The sellers real estate agent did not represent you or your best interests so at this point what they said doesn’t really matter. They probably said ‘could have’ to keep it intentionally vague. This should have been clarified during closing
This. OP, if you are an able-bodied individual, it's unlikely any medical restriction you claim will apply. I assume and perhaps naively do, that this was created for people with profound disabilities. If you can otherwise drive or walk, I don't see what kind of medical exemption you could possibly need that would require a washer/dryer hookup unless you wanna go like, I wet my bed every night uncontrollably and need reliable access to wash it daily. :)
Different city - but I recall in a co-op building it had to do with the plumbing infrastructure of the building. It couldn’t support every unit having their own laundry. The other issue was the venting of the dryer and having an effective system. While it doesn’t answer your question it may help understand why they can’t just let you do it.
There are no reasons.
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Eh don’t worry what the official condo docs say, I’m sure Reddit will have some good suggestions 😂
Said the millions of people getting fake ESA certificates on the internet....
The only real ESA certificate you can get is from a medical professional that is actually part of your treatment team.
since you've already purchased the condo, gain influence in the HOA and change the rule. otherwise, buy a regular washing machine and a ventless dryer. post the bylaws verbatim on this part, I'm curious. I've seen these sort of things before and usually the issue is with the dryer. either gas lines are hard to hook up or putting in the 30amp cord needed is too much of a burden.
If it’s feasible to have laundry in unit (water and venting logistics allow it) then this is the way. However, as another user explained, the bylaw may be related to infrastructure limitations.
Best option is to get on the hoa board with some like minded neighbors and change the bylaws
What the HOA says doesn't really matter, the documents are what counts. You should have received all the condo information before signing the P&S.
And you received this information at closing?
The reason so many condos are against someone adding laundry after things are built is because the plumbing can be very complicated to do right in some cases. There is less of a margin for error since if something like a drain clog happens you can flood multiple units.
Running proper plumbing, drainage, electrical, vent, and possibly a gas connection can cost thousands to do correctly. Usually the easiest thing to do is to install a washer/dryer combo in the kitchen. You can get a model that install like a dishwasher.
No, doctors can’t write certificates for ESAs. There is no registry or documentation. Service dogs must have 4 skills and support a person with a disability, which can be psychiatric. However even for service dogs there are no official certificates. ESAs are not recognized by any entity, legal, medical, or otherwise and are just pets. Pets give comfort. It’s a myth that any of these animals can be certified.
Not an expert by any stretch but here are some exemptions that would seem to be valid:
1-if you have allergies or asthma, it’s recommended that you launder more often to reduce allergens
2-if you have any type of injury that would be exacerbated hauling heavy laundry baskets around (RA, spinal issues)
3-if you have any type of GI or incontinence issues that would be psychologically embarrassing to have to launder in public facilities
I’m sure there are more, but any of these issues would seem legit.
You’re mixing together a few different concepts.
Here’s the HUD guidance on service animals and ESAs under the Fair Housing Act, if you’re interested in more information: https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/HUDAsstAnimalNC1-28-2020.pdf
I'm going to chime in and say I have your medical reason - severe perfume allergy. I could not have bought that condo. It's basically impossible to get fragrance out of shared laundry machines and being in the same room with those products would cause an asthma attack for me (I'm one of those people who can't walk down the laundry aisle at the supermarket).
Now, please don't go fuck up any sense of legitimacy in my real issue by faking a perfume allergy and having it flame out and burn since no one cares or believes me or can really adapt anyway (it's extremely hard to find products without fragrances in them for every aspect of life consistently, so not blaming anyone but the companies who make this crap), but if you want to go whole hog and win a precedent-setting legal battle that makes it safe for people like me in the future, please do, as I'd love to move back into a city someday.
I love how you’re just so confidently incorrect
You'll note I said "fake" and not "real"....
Sometimes if you have a coin-op laundry room the laundry service puts it in their lease that they won’t allow laundry machines in the units.
Yeah, I’m aware. I’m just adding in that all internet companies advertising ESA certificates are scams because they’re not part of your treatment team and can’t prescribe an ESA for you.
Yet they do. By the millions.
My triple-decker has stacked compact units that don’t require ducts- has worked very well; you just need to dump the water out of the dryer every few loads: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/combo/washer-dryer-bundles/4b7a4818-b9bd-4cd4-a5c3-9b86757dcb73
Yeah it’s pretty dumb
Interesting... So where does the dryer vent to?
Also, I'm not saying you can't units like these . What I'm saying is that in a triple decker if your plumber doesn't do a great job then your washer can flood two other units. So to do it optimally, it's a lot more work.
For example, you'd want a much more robust drain to reduce the risk of a water backup. You'd want a floor drain or pan as well ideally.
HOA? RIP you walked into that one
It’s likely a ventless (condensing) dryer. I had an all-in-one washer/dryer that used this type of drying. My understanding is that it is essentially a really strong dehumidifier, it heats up slightly to aid the process but doesn’t get hot like a conventional vented dryer. My all-in-one pumped the condensate out through the washer drain line, if it has a compartment that needs to be emptied it probably doesn’t have a pump.
I’ve got a Samsung washer / dryer combo unit; works great and runs on 120V, just be aware that a full cycle can take a few hours and due to it being a combo unit you can’t have one load in the wash and another in the dryer. Otherwise it’s a great unit and much better than dealing with the communal units in the basement. Installation was as easy as a dishwasher and no need to vent, exhaust gets condensed back into water and sent through the drain. Got mine at Costco for less than $2k.
Oh that's really cool. I guess the technology in this area is really advancing these days.
I love how you are misleading people with disabilities.
I am a person with disabilities. And I have a letter from my psychiatrist prescribing an ESA.
They cannot prescribe it! It’s like marijuana, they can say you need it, but there is no such thing as a “prescription” for ESAs. I’m sorry your medical team has been giving you information that is not fully accurate. My point stands, there are no certificates, even if there are misleading “prescriptions” floating around out there. At most an ESA is a reasonable accommodation.
Lol. Ok. Why would I listen to you, a random internet person, and not my doctor who is a fucking doctor? Honestly give it up why are you even arguing with me about this? You haven’t even lived in the city for six months. Stop acting like you know how everything works.
mpjjpm t1_j1eynex wrote
Maybe some condition that makes it impossible to drive or walk to a laundromat?
Is the laundry restriction in the official condo docs? If not and you have washer/dryer hooks up, then it seems hard to enforce.
For future buyers - check condo documents thoroughly! You should have a contingency in your contract, so you can back out of the sale without penalty if there’s something unacceptable in the condo docs.