Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Secrecy vs Right to Privacy? Sharing vs Hiding?

[Kathleen Lowry (kathleenlowrylpcclmft]

Of course, if the safety isn't there for being open and honest, then it's
an issue both for individuals and families that needs addressing. Don't
know about communities!  I'm a newbie there.  Kathleen
Kathleen Lowry
MA, LPCC, LMFT
952-270-1654
kathl <kathleenlowryLPCCLMFT [at] gmail.com>eenlowryLPCCLMFT [at] gmail.com
<kathleenlowryLPCCLMFT [at] gmail.com>



On Fri, Jul 29, 2022 at 2:28 PM Kathleen Lowry <
kathleenlowrylpcclmft [at] gmail.com> wrote:

> Very good question. As a family therapist we say individuals, and possibly
> families “are as sick as they are secret.” Secrecy and trust are
> antithetical. Kathleen
>
> > On Jul 29, 2022, at 1:13 PM, Sharon Villines via Cohousing-L <
> cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
> >
> > I have been flummoxed recently by one or two stoutly stated claims that
> information about sales and new residents does not have to be shared with
> anyone except the Board because it is a violation of the right to privacy.
> Sharing the asking price of a unit is unacceptable and no one’s business
> unless they are making an offer. New resident information is made available
> after the unit is sold, even after closing. It is confidential.
> >
> > When we recently discussed the policy on architectural review and worked
> on clarity about what needed review and what didn’t and how to record this,
> right to privacy was raised. Who could see this information? What right did
> people have to ask?
> >
> > The legal question here is easier to answer — by law the condominium has
> to sign a document swearing that no changes to the unit have been done that
> violate any of the condominium rules so it should have some protection
> against liability. And if you start rearranging the plumbing it affects
> this whole wing of the building. But where does this idea come from that
> people want to keep everything secret and it has nothing to do with living
> in a community?
> >
> > Legally a condominium owner can sell to whomever they please within the
> zoning codes, etc., but does that mean they should/could/can/might keep a
> sale secret until someone notices they are moving out and someone else
> seems to be moving in? Or no one is moving in and the unit seems empty?
> >
> > But we have an exclusive rights in our bylaws so that the Association
> can always purchase a unit rather than having it go up for auction. How do
> we exercise this right if the sale is none of our business?
> >
> > Certainly the community spirit of "we all in this together," "what you
> do affects all of us," and "we can only do this if everyone is on board”
> develops more strongly in the development phase when things are touch and
> go. When units are selling for half a million dollars and there is a
> bidding war, “its my money” is a stronger argument than when everything is
> at risk. But is it inevitable that selling units will be just like selling
> houses on the open market?
> >
> > Why would I want to live in cohousing if I wanted to do whatever I
> pleased, no questions asked, and no information shared? And why would I
> even live in a condominium — a shared ownership scheme.
> >
> > Is this sentiment increasing in other communities?
> >
> > Sharon
> > ----
> > Sharon Villines
> > Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
> > http://www.takomavillage.org
> >
> >
> >
> >
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