Before joining the ACCR, I felt that small-scale owners like me had no say in the condominium’s decisions. The developers and administrators arrived with their lawyers, their well-drawn plans, and an influence that always favored them, while we barely managed to understand what was going on. I felt tiny, lost in my solitude, like a forgotten echo, without direction or answers.

I’ve lived in a condominium for seven years, and every meeting was like a poorly staged theater. The administration arrived with its show of “extraordinary” projects and three quotes under its belt: one that was extremely expensive and obvious, another a little more modest, and the third, the “affordable” one, which seemed like a gift to the owners’ pockets. Since we were always feeling the financial blow, we voted for the cheapest option without complaint, even though something about the prices and conditions felt off—they never quite matched up. Until the ACCR arrived and opened my eyes. They gave me confidence, explained my rights clearly, and my neighbors and I started digging. We discovered the trick: those three quotes were pure fiction. One was always inflated to the max, another slightly discounted, and the third, the winning one, came from a company linked to the management. We requested the quotes on our own, directly from other companies, and wow: they were charging us double or triple the value.

Seven years of that dirty trick had me fed up, but finding the Condominium Association was a welcome respite. Now they defend my rights as a retail investor, they arm me with tools to keep me from being trampled on, and they make me feel that my voice has weight and my investment is worthwhile. I’m no longer just a wallet for the management: now I know my rights, I hold them accountable, and I defend what’s mine.

Being part of the Condominium Association (ACCR) has been one of the best decisions I’ve made as a homeowner. The ACCR has become a great help for those of us, like me, small investors trying to protect what we’ve built with so much savings and effort.

Rcenetly, when I saw that the fees were rising and the explanations we were given were so confusing that nothing was understood, a neighbor told me about ACCR, and I decided to join. Managers and developers always have their interests covered; they have resources, contacts, and a network that seems designed to favor only themselves, leaving ordinary homeowners in a vulnerable position.

This group gives us a voice and supports us in the face of decisions that would otherwise only benefit the big players. The Association works to ensure that all homeowners, regardless of the size of their investment, have equal rights, ensuring that each owner’s right to property is protected and that no one can remove or modify their property without their consent.

More and more people are living in condominiums. They are looking for a more economical way of life by sharing the costs of security and common areas like the pool or the clubhouse.

Sometimes, people don’t realize that the processes of condominium management, which handles the owners’ money, are no different from those of any other organization, whether a private company or a public institution. Managers should be subject to strict control, oversight, and supervision by the owners. But that’s precisely what many managements don’t want: being oversight. Without oversight, waste, abuse, and even fraud are given the green light, and that’s where some take advantage.

There are managements that play dirty, taking advantage of the lack of oversight. They operate in the dark, tell half-truths, hinder access to information of common interest, and end up benefiting themselves or people with whom they are colluding. This is a huge risk.

Even if management is good, if it’s left unchecked, it becomes less efficient and everything collapses. There’s also a serious risk of fraud because the temptation is so great.

Reviewing the financial records of our condominium, where I live with my children, we realized we were paying sky-high maintenance and repair bills. Upon investigation, we discovered that the management had done this work at another condominium, but asked the suppliers to bill in our name. In other words, we were paying for services we never received. We’re now in the middle of an investigation, and what we’ve found is disgraceful.

So be careful. You have to check every last colon, or they’ll rip you off.

The difference the Condominium Owners Association (ACCR) makes is obvious to anyone who has dealt with property managers or developers. They protect each other, forming a kind of exclusive club where only their profits matter, leaving small investors like me out in the cold. In my condominium, the development company didn’t pay the fee—even though it’s against the law—and the other condominium owners suffered that burden, distributing the shortfall among themselves. However, the developer always voted in the meetings; he didn’t pay, but he did vote, making decisions like increasing the fee or the budget without suffering the consequences of those agreements, which is unfair. That’s why he didn’t care if the services were extraordinarily expensive or if we actually received them with adequate quality. Furthermore, with his votes, he was able to appoint the manager, who came from a company close to the developer.

But the Condominium Association puts owners first, empowering us to protect what is rightfully ours: how to demand clear accountability, how to challenge dubious decisions, and how to ensure that management isn’t a game that only benefits a few. In our condominium, the developer’s presence wasn’t clear; he hadn’t developed anything for years, yet he continued to reap profits. I spoke with my neighboring owners, and through legal action, we achieved a key change: putting an end to this abuse. Once we forced the developer to pay the fee as he should, everything changed completely; now common sense prevails in decisions, not the profits of a few.

Three years ago, my wife and I bought our first condominium property. We took out a loan to make that dream a reality, but everything soon fell apart. Leaks in the water supply left us without water for days, and the management did nothing—they said they would fix it, but just raised the fees. They didn’t care; the money wasn’t theirs, and they managed the common funds as if it were a personal ATM.

We discovered they had suspicious contracts with suppliers close to their company: they charged exorbitant prices for poor-quality services, such as “maintenance” that we never saw. At meetings, the management pressured us with confusing explanations, saying that if we didn’t vote to increase the expenditure budget, “the condominium would collapse.” We didn’t understand these tricks, but I felt trapped and furious. Then, a friend told me about a group of condominium owners fighting for their rights, and I joined the Association. There I learned that we had the right to information, even though the administration told us we were “bothering” the “busy gentlemen.”

We fought for the documents, and when we obtained them, we discovered the truth: we paid 9 million colones for things that didn’t belong to us, like repairs to an elevator we don’t even own. We changed the administration and held them accountable for the misappropriation of funds.

Thanks to a friend, I learned about the Costa Rica Condominium Owners Association. I didn’t even know there was an association that could represent me, and without thinking twice, I asked to join. It took me maybe two minutes. I realized that a reform was almost passed that seemed like it was from a country like Nicaragua but not like Costa Rica. This is what it means to modify my property rights, as if living in a condominium meant being a “sub-owner” or a “second-class owner” under the authority of a developer or a group of neighbors who can interfere with my property rights. That’s not how condominium ownership works.

Much less so retroactively, as was also intended. I don’t agree. This bill affects the economic value of my property and undermines my right to decide about my own home.

I took out a loan to buy my house in the condominium. I did the math right so I wouldn’t lose it. But if this ridiculous renovation were to happen, it could end up costing me or any other condominium owner more than I could, and we could end up paying less to the bank. Then, yes, we’d be in trouble. Not fighting now is practically resigning ourselves to living in risk and uncertainty. For me and my family, I can’t and won’t allow it.