Condo measurements differ

Q:

When I bought my condo in Boston several years ago, it was marketed at 650 square feet. The documents came with a very old-looking, very simple drawing with 650 square feet written on them.

The condo always felt much larger to me so I hired a Massachusetts registered architect to do complete measurements of the unit. Sure enough, it turned out that the unit is nearly 750 square feet.

Should I register these documents with the City of Boston, and if I do, will I have to pay more taxes?

What about condo fees? Will I have to pay more condo fees too? If so, should I wait to file these documents until I am ready to sell the unit?

A:

Hmmm. I’m not sure how to answer this one. My impulse is to say, “Congratulations, you have a bigger unit than you thought,” and move on. Next question, please.

But since you went to all the trouble and expense of hiring an architect to measure the unit, I guess you think you deserve a few more thoughts. So here goes.

Yes, you can register the documents with the city, but I think you might be opening a can of worms. Not only could it adversely impact your taxes, but also how do you know the other units in the building are also not correct?

Did you use the same architect as the original? What were the parameters of measurement the first time around and this time?

How do you know the other units are also not off according to the current architect’s parameters?

As for the condo fees, they may not be impacted by the new measurement since the condo fees are set by the master deed, and the master deed cannot be amended unless everybody agrees.

I am assuming (although in your case, I guess I shouldn’t assume anything) that you would not agree to pay more fees. On the other hand, if you don’t pay more fees, the other owners might get a little grumpy.

Finally, you said something about waiting until before you sell the unit to file the new measurements.

Does this mean you think 750 square feet is worth more than 650 square feet? It’s the exact same unit. A buyer is going to come in, calculate in his/her mind what it’s worth based on what it looks like, location, condition, etc.

Those things are the same whether it is listed on paper as 750 or 650 square feet.

As I said, “Next question, please.”