Mark Weisleder – Yourhome.ca

I have received a growing number of complaints since writing about how condominium boards operate.

These include:

Inexperienced property managers who keep poor records, are delinquent in collecting common expense payments or enforcing condominium rules and procedures.

Systems falling apart because they were not maintained properly.

Budgets not being prepared in a timely fashion.

A small group of owners who fight any attempt to raise the common expenses, even if it means that systems fall into disrepair.

Unfortunately, there is very little government regulation as to who can be a condominium property manager. Yet the property manager, in most cases, has a tremendous impact not only on the condominium building being properly maintained, but on the actual resale value of the inside condominium units.

For example, if reserve funds are depleted to deal with unanticipated repairs and replacements, this will make any potential buyer wary of investing in that building.

The Condominium Act of Ontario requirements for a condominium director are that you be over 18 years of age, not be bankrupt and not be declared mentally incompetent.

That is hardly sufficient qualifications for the responsibilities of being a director who will be overseeing and approving budgets that could total millions of dollars and affect hundreds of unit owners. There are no other real educational or financial requirements.

Many condominiums look to retired accountants, who are owners, to appoint as directors. But not all buildings have these types of resource people who both live in the building and have the time to devote to being a board member.

The good news is that there are some things boards can do immediately to assist themselves.

They can join the Canadian Condominium Institute and attend educational programs that are offered during the year, to remain up to date on industry developments and obtain referrals for reputable professional managers.

There is also an interesting website called www.condoinformation.ca, which offers useful practical tips for condominium owners, such as how to deal with bicycles, bike racks and security – given that bikes are usually not permitted in the elevators, dealing with the number of pets in the building and preventing owners from endangering others by throwing things off their balconies.

Don’t just wait for the government to get involved because that may take years. Every unit owner needs to take some responsibility as to how his or her building is being run. The decisions made not only impact your rights to enjoy your common area facilities, they will also have a large impact on the resale price that you can expect to get.

For potential buyers, find out who is managing the building you are interested in. How many years have they been in business and do they manage multiple buildings or just this one?

What is the business background of the directors of the condominium corporation and how long have they been in the position?

Ask all of these questions in advance so that you are not surprised after closing.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information  -  416-388-1960

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