But, since the owners themselves must ratify the assessments, it is possible that the owners of apartments that aren't yet getting wet might balk at the assessment.

Some owners balk, however, at keeping appraisals updated.

A few owners balk at the cost of any but the most basic treatment and have their dogs put down even when a cure is possible.

Allstate thought it was onerous, and that a new owner might balk at such clauses.

At least 11 owners balked at that idea, and 21 of the 28 owners votes were needed for its approval.

The owners balked at both proposals.

"There is no tangible bottom-line justification for a concierge, and most owners balk at even a low cost when they can't do a cost-benefits analysis on results," he said.

But the people familiar with the negotiations also say that the owners and managers of A.& S. Plaza, the vertical mall anchored by the store, are balking.

When environmental contamination was discovered on the site, the owners, BNSF Railway, balked at the high cost of remediation and sought to cancel the sale.

But the Rams' owner, Georgia Frontiere, was balking.