FOLLOW THE RULES! ENFORCEMENT of the rules and regulations is one of the largest problems facing condominium boards. So how can a board effectively enforce compliance with the rules and regulations? Consider the following steps for your association. Send a Courtesy Reminder Letter Most unit owners do not want to be a thorn in the side of the condominium board. Sending a courtesy reminder letter to the unit owner of their responsibilities under the governing documents and the shared responsibility of all unit owners to comply with the rules and regulations can be an effective tool to address a violation. The letter should include notice of the violation and a specifi c time period within which to correct the violation. It is often helpful to point out why the particular rule is important to the association, what would happen if the rule did not exist, and that the goal of the association is to work cooperatively together to ensure that all unit owners enjoy the benefi ts of the covenants and restrictions. Very often this gentle reminder will result in the unit owner immediately addressing the violation. 28 CONDOMEDIA October 2022 Send a Formal Violation Letter In the event the unit owner does not address the violation in a timely manner after receiving the courtesy reminder letter, the next step would be to send a formal notice of the violation threatening fi nes or other enforcement restrictions against the unit owner in accordance with the governing documents of the condominium. The letter should include specifi c reference to the applicable rule or regulation at issue and the board's authority to assess fi nes or enforcement restrictions in response to the unit owner's non-compliance. As with the reminder letter, the formal violation letter should articulate a specifi c time period for the unit owner to correct the violation.