“Have resident who leaves their unattended large service dog on the balcony. The dog barks once or twice every time it sees anyone walk by. This goes on all day and evening. The tenant is a renter and efforts to have them keep the dog inside have failed. How to handle?“
If this dog was a pet I would be happy as the Manager to weigh in on the topic. Being that the dog is a service animal, it becomes a completely different scenario. Service animals (and more specifically the residents that need them) have legal rights and therefore in this situation I would not be comfortable as a Community Association Manager formulating a specific recommendation to the Board. My strong recommendation to the Board would be to seek the advice of their Attorney and then follow the legal advice received. Acting without legal help in this scenario could be a very slippery slope.
Jason Keller
Scalzo Property Management, Inc.
2 Stony Hill Road Suite 201
Bethel, CT 06801
www.scalzoproperty.com