Keeping order on a Community

My Community is about 3 years old. It is classed as 'Residential' but comprises roughly 10% ex pat permanent residents, 15% long term renters (mainly spanish or eastern european).

The Committee have done the usual Community Rule Notices etc but each year both owners and renters turn up and cause mayhem mainly around the Pool area. Some Owners now openly challenge the Committee by acting jointly to break Pool Rules etc.

I am feeling like its time to sell and leave these morons to it but what a shame that the respectable majority are driven out. I now find the place unliveable in school holidays.

Has anyone else cracked this problem where a few families run amok and put two fingers up to the Rules,the Committee and the Administrator.

We could just fill in the Pool but the large number of buy to  holiday let owners would not accept that.

Hi Joe - this can be a real problem in a community and I know that some communities hire a guard / pool patrol person for the peak months to keep control of the situation. 

One thing we have tried to do is to get all owners to take responsibility for dealing with anti-social behaviour, rather than expecting the President and committee to deal with it all the time.  At the end of the day, if the behaviour is really out of hand then the police should be called by whoever witnesses it.

We also got rid of all the petty rules, like no towels on balconies, so we now have a one page set of rules which deals with situations that actually matter, rather than the 5 pages of nonsense we inherited.  Much easier to deal with and you get less resentment from owners.

Hi Joe

Although the president etc can try to "explain" the rules to people who seem to be breaking them, there do not seem to be any real powers to enforce them. - except the police in extreme cases

My community has got rules like the times that the pool can be used (everyone there seems to observe them - probably for the reasons of safety)

The one about no lilo's etc - no chance of any child observing this in July/ August.  As I live on an community with older people it's usually the grand-children who cause the problems - hence the quiet outside peak period!

In what part of the country is your community?

It would be nice to know, from other people's experience, what type of practical rules are more likely to be adhered to  - but as far as owners and renters causing mayhem at the AGM, Joe,  how about soliciting opinions/options beforehand?

I agree that you need clear messages about what is acceptable and no one wants notices all over the place.

It seems that some people are just plain thick e,g kicking footballs against 'No Ball Game' signs.

How do you deal with people who repeatedly take drinking glasses to the Pool . The Police would not come out for this nor should they.

I would be interested to hear if anyone imposes Fines on repeat offenders e,g adds penalties to Community Fees as a last resort.?

Also how do those Communities who 'close the pool' in say October through March manage. I heard its illegal to drain a Pool in Spain?

Hi Joe - our old rules had fines for all sorts of things but our Administrator assured us that we have no legal right to fine anyone for anything other than late payment of community fees.  When we asked why he didn't tell the old committee that the rules were useless he just shrugged and said  "you British just love making up rules".  I think they think we are all mad!

As for glass in the pool area - I think it is up to every responsible owner to challenge this and advise people of the cost to the community (including them) if the pool has to be drained.  It would need to be drained if there was broken glass in the water as you cannot see it to remove it.  We don't ask people not to drink but that they use plastic containers.

The issue of draining the pool on a long term basis(ie over winter) is, I think, about maintaining the condition of the walls and the tiles.  Maybe someone with some technical knowledge could say if that is the issue or not?  We keep ours open all year round though I doubt if it's used much from November to February.  It doesn't need the same level of maintenance over this period so doesn't cost so much to run it.

Hope that helps.

Yes, our pool is open all through the year - it would be very difficult to close it off - and amazingly there are some hardy souls who use it in the early morning, throughout the year!!

Glasses have never been a problem - everyone uses plastic ones.  Those sort of safety aspects seem to get adhered to -- maybe because they are frightened that someone will sue - and that will hit some pockets. 

I think that the largest grip for the moment is that people won't shower before getting in the pool - suntan oil etc -- need I say more!!

Just to update on this . Last year we agreed an 'Anti-Social Behaviour Policy' at the AGM. Essentially if people (renters/owners) repeatedly flout the Rules then they get a 'warning letter' from the Administrator. Problem is if they disregard this there is no sanction. Our Administrator has no problem with us amending this to add a sanction to disregarding the warning letter ,e,g 100 euros to be added to the owners Community Fees. There would need to be clear corroborated witnessing  of the continued disregard of the Rules and the President/Administrator would need to agree to apply the Sanction. If that does'nt work a further fine of 200 euros may be applied & so on.

Let me be clear, we deal with low level nuisance like everybody else ,namely a coupleof polite requests to stop but it seems some people just put two fingers up to the rules that a Community put in place for safety and harmony.    This proposal will be put to our AGM but again if anyone has already done the work I'd be delighted to pinch their ideas /experiences.