You have probably heard of residents and businesses being evicted, but here is one for you: Can you evict washers and dryers? It’s unusual, and it’s why the condo owners called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Julio has a simple way to describe serenity on the river.
Julio Pino: “This is the last gem in Dade County, I call it.”
Julio is probably right, 164 apartments on the Miami River in a nearly perfect location.
Julio Pino: “Because it’s centrally located. Obviously, we’re very close to Brickell, Downtown, Wynwood is down the street, on-the-river beautiful views.”
A wash with views and a wash headache…
Julio Pino: “Well, we’re pretty much being held hostage by a company that we contracted to run our laundry service.”
Back in 1992 the association signed a contract with a company to supply 24 washing machines and 24 dryers for the residents.
Julio Pino: “Basically it’s for their convenience. They don’t have to haul their laundry to a local laundromat.”
Julio says the association gets a small percentage of the money the machines make. Since 1992 the contract has been renewed four times.
Till 2022, when the board voted to go with a different washer and dryer company.
Julio Pino: “We gave them the notice that was required. They were supposed to be out, I believe, by February of this year, and they’re still here collecting money every month.”
Julio says when they contacted the company to ask when they were removing the machines they told them they didn’t know they had to.
Julio Pino: “That they did not receive the notice of cancellation required by the contract. We have a certified receipt that it was signed for it, their headquarters.”
In the meantime, the new company supplying new machines has to wait. Leaving the board with two options, sue to remove the old machines, which would be too expensive, or just drag the old machines out.
Julio Pino: “We’ve thought of it, but obviously that opens up the association to liability, claims of damage.”
Simply put, Julio and his fellow residents want to bring in the new company that will pay the association more money, but they can’t because the old company won’t remove its machines.
Julio Pino: “So pretty much that’s why I say we’re being held hostage.”
Well, Howard, can you evict washers and dryers?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “Yes, just like a tenant. In this case, the vendor put a clause in the contract that said the it didn’t begin up to 60 days after they signed the document, to give them time to install the new machines. That meant the 7-year contract should have expired in April. If they refuse to remove them and the association is forced to go to court, they could get double the rent the company pays them to put their machines there.”
We contacted the corporation that owns the machines. They told us they would remove them in the middle of May.
They then wrote, they didn’t feel the contract expired till the end of May, and that’s when they came and took them out.
Julio Pino: “Finally, it was a long road, but they’re finally gone.”
The 48 old machines are gone, now the new company can install their equipment.
As Julio put it, finally.
Julio Pino: “Every day that they kept their machines is another day of profits, so they would delay it as long as no one said anything or no one pushed it, and if it wouldn’t have been for you, I think they would have still been delaying it.”
Glad everything got worked out. I have heard of evicting tenants. I have never heard of evicting a washing machine. You see something new every day.
Feel like you have been hung out to dry? Ready to air out that dirty laundry? Take a spin with us and see if we can rinse away your headache.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
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