Editor’s Note: This letter was submitted anonymously by a resident of the Courtyards of West Hollywood, a 193-unit condominium complex. The concerns expressed have not been independently verified.
Dear Editor,
I’m contacting you anonymously out of fear of retaliation, but with urgent concern about a potentially dangerous situation at the Courtyards of West Hollywood, a 193-unit condominium complex just off Santa Monica Blvd.
In 2023, the homeowners association began structural inspections — but only because California law (SB 326) required them to. What they found was not routine wear and tear, but serious structural deterioration in the parking garage that underlies the entire complex.
It is now 2025. Despite having had this information for two years, the board has taken no emergency action, engaged no contractors, and solicited no bids. Instead, they’ve proposed a $3 million special assessment — more than their entire $2 million annual operating budget. This figure appears to be based solely on a structural engineering estimate, with no project timeline, no bids, no construction firm, and no assurance it will cover the cost.
We don’t even know if our parking garage will be accessible.
Worse, the board is presenting this as decisive action. It’s not. It’s an illusion of movement, years late and under duress. They intend to use part of the assessment not for structural safety, but to pay down a decade-old roofing loanand fund vague “quality of life” improvements. This kind of financial juggling, in the face of known safety risks, is shocking.
Homeowners are being asked to fund vague promises and old debts — with no guarantees. Meanwhile, they’ve announced what they’re calling a “town hall” for tonight — but it isn’t on the official agenda, meaning it cannot legally be discussed under HOA rules. It’s all smoke and mirrors — an HOA led by individuals clearly out of their depth, managing millions in assets and life-safety decisions with no urgency, no transparency, and no understanding of the scale of their failure.
Condo sales have already fallen through. Listings are expiring. Residents are trapped in unsellable units. And yet the board meets barely once a month (they take every December off, because… Christmas?), dribbling out information and minimizing the danger.
One moderately strong earthquake, and this could very well become California’s Surfside. Please look into this. This isn’t just a story about deferred maintenance — it’s a story about what happens when amateurs are tasked with managing infrastructure they don’t understand, and the failure of oversight that lets it continue until someone gets hurt.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Resident
Background:
In a recent letter to homeowners, the Courtyards HOA board stated that the proposed $3 million special assessment would fund repairs recommended by their structural engineering firm. These include reinforcement of the underground parking garage, water intrusion mitigation, sidewalk reconstruction, and completion of SB 326-required balcony and walkway repairs. The board also proposed using part of the funds to pay off a 2012 roof loan and fund delayed “quality of life” upgrades. Homeowners will vote on the proposal in the coming weeks.
Dear Concerned Resident – Not sure what you’re complaining about. The State issued a mandate to ALL common developments statewide (tens of thousands of developments), and the engineer your Board hired found a need for some structural work. First, this work would be needed even if the engineer *didn’t* identify it – so bully for them wanting to ensure the 300+ homes in your development are safe. Second, the Board has begun the process of figuring out what repairs need to be performed, how much the work will cost, and of course how to pay for them. (Your ‘informal’ meeting… Read more »
Get a lawyer, bro
Doesn’t sound good. You might want to consider hiring an attorney.
That’s a good way to ensure the $3 Mil assessment never goes where it needs to go
This is the most South Orange County looking apartment complex in all of WeHo. Straight out of Lake Forest. I always see so many “for sale” signs off Sweetzer, explains why these units aren’t selling if there is major deferred maintenance, it’s really difficult get a mortgage in that scenario.
Somethings NEVER CHANGE! Owned a 2 bedroom at the Courtyards 20+ years ago. 80% of the residents didn’t want any responsibility in the management of the property, 10% actively participated and 10% that who were former/current board members were desperate to retain total power over the property for the benefit (including financial) of themselves. 95% of board agenda items were handled in ‘executive session’, homeowners had one purpose, paying monthly dues. When yearly elections were held the board AWAYS held proxies that guaranteed their control over who would sit be elected. And the board was never shy about retaliating when… Read more »