Eldon Hardy can hardly wait to meet
Virgil Rizzo.
"I'm glad there's another one," said Hardy,
Nevada's ombudsman for condominium and homeowners associations. "I'd like
to talk to him, and see how much authority he has."
Until Rizzo was named Florida's condominium ombudsman
last week, Hardy was the only known official in the nation overseeing condos
and homeowners associations.
Hardy, 69, has been ombudsman for 3 1/2 years. He earns
$50,000 a year and manages a budget that comes from a $3 assessment on
association members.
"For a long time, all I did was take 1,000 to 1,500
calls a month," he recalled.
He and his staff of one started by combing through an
8-inch stack of Nevada nonprofit corporations and creating a database of 2,000
homeowners associations. More than half of Nevada citizens live in communities
with homeowners associations.
He soon requested — and got — two more staff
members. This year, the Nevada Legislature increased his staff to 14.
Hardy went on a publicity blitz when he first took the
job.
"I wanted to let people know that we exist."
he said. "Now, there are not too many people in Nevada whose name is more
recognized than mine."
More than half the disputes are resolved before
arbitration, Hardy said.
"But of course there will be some cases where an
example will be made," he said.
When developers, sales people or others don't conform to
the law, they can be fined.
"It sounds dictatorial, but it's critically
important to have penalties," he said.
A former arbitrator and owner of an automotive business,
Hardy moved to Las Vegas 48 years ago, when only 60,000 people lived in the
area. Now there are 2.5 million residents. The state of Nevada gains 6,000 new
citizens a month, many seeking to escape the even higher real estate prices in
neighboring California.
Hardy lives in an older community without an
association.
"The concept of an association is fine," he
said. "It provides amenities people might not be able to afford, the
tennis court, the pool, the clubhouse. But getting people to live together is
a challenge. Some people are so prideful that they will not back off."
Hardy prefers to use a one-to-one approach to problems,
which sometimes works better than others. He has had association officers hang
up on him. He calls back and gently reminds them that Nevada law requires them
to answer his questions. He sometimes attends homeowner meetings incognito.
Homeowners are not always blameless, he said, noting
that few people read their association rules after they buy their homes.
Now a veteran, he retains his original sense of mission.
"I'm committed to getting it better," he said.
"I'll be here till I get exasperated and quit."