Blog post by David Swedelson, Senior Partner at SwedelsonGottlieb, Condo lawyer and Community Association Attorney
Okay, it is Halloween. I have been representing condominium associations for 30 years and have never heard of one that is haunted, at least not with goblins and ghosts. But apparently there are some where residents have claimed to have seen ghosts. Follow this link to an article posted by a condominium law firm in Ontario, Canada. Apparently ghosts are more prevalent in condominium conversions, especially converted factories or hospitals. And of course, there is the story about spirits who were angry about the removal of gravesites on part of the condo property that was formerly a cemetery. The article also references a story from Hawaii where a security guard claimed that there was a ghost in the garbage room. (The story is about a man who murdered his wife and stuffed her body parts into garbage bags which ended up in the garbage room; the security guard believes that the wife’s ghost was looking for her head which was never found!)
So here’s a question: if an owner or resident complains of strange noises or voices, flickering lights or disappearing items without any logical explanation, is the condominium association obligated to hire Ghostbusters? Happy Halloween.
David Swedelson can be contacted via email: dcs@sghoalaw.com