Condo Smarts: Strata act sets out quorum conditions (BC)

Dear Tony:  At a recent general meeting, our strata had a lengthy dispute over how quorum was calculated and whether we could continue our meeting near the end as more than half of the registrants had left the meeting. Including proxies, we were well below one-third of the owners present.   Read the Q&A……………………………..

5 escape fire in west Edmonton condo building (AB)

A family escaped an early morning fire in west Edmonton on Thursday.  Three units at Ormsby Place Condominiums at 185 Street and 66 Avenue were damaged in the blaze, officials on scene said: two by fire, one by smoke.    Read the entire article……………………………….

Flood leaves Lethbridge condo residents in the dark (AB)

About 90 units in a north Lethbridge condominium complex have been without electricity, water or heat, after a water main break flooded the buildings main utility room.  Residents of Uplands Manor said they were unable to flush their toilets, and were left scrambling trying to save their perishable food items.    Read the entire article……………………………….

Condo Smarts: How do we know if pipes are common property?

Dear Tony:  Our strata is a typical older three-floor walk-up in North Vancouver. There is no elevator, and we have a common laundry on the ground floor. In many ways, it is a simple apartment-style building with few problems.    Read the Q&A…………………………………

Burst pipe in Toronto condo building ‘catastrophic failure’ (ON)

A Reddit posting shows some Toronto condo residents dealing with massive flooding.  The post labelled “catastrophic failure” and uploaded on Monday identifies the building as Emerald Park Condos at 9 Bogert Ave., in the Yonge St. and Sheppard Ave. area of North York.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Condos navigate ‘nasty little storm’ of rising insurance (BC)

Tony Gioventu doesn’t like referring to surging insurance costs facing B.C. strata corporations and condo owners as a perfect storm.  “It’s a bad description,” said the executive director of the Condominium Home Owners Association of BC.    Read the entire article……………………………….

Condo Smarts: Who gets refunds from special levy? (BC)

Dear Tony:  Our strata highrise was one of many hard hit by the insurance increases last year. Our deductible increased to $100,000 for water escape. Unfortunately, we had a unit that involved a claim resulting from a tragic incident with an owner who passed away. We did not have sufficient funds in our contingency in […]

Mail suspended at Kelowna condo after mask-less residents spotted in lobby (BC)

Residents of a Kelowna condo building will have to pick up their mail at a Canada Post facility for the time being after delivery to the building was suspended.  The reason: a Canada Post courier saw a number of tenants not wearing masks in the building’s lobby.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Condo fees are a case of ‘pay me now or pay me later’ (AB)

Question: In the past three years, our monthly condo fees have jumped from $450 per month (in 2019) to $530 per month (in 2020) to a whopping $650 per month (in 2021). As well, the board has told us that our reserve fund is too low. Some of the money from our monthly condo fees […]

Bikes worth over $11K taken from West Kelowna condo complex (BC)

Bikes worth over $11,000 were stolen from a West Kelowna condo complex earlier this month.  The RCMP said it received a report about a break and enter in an underground parking garage along Upper Sundance Drive on April 3.    Read the entire article……………………………….

Condo Smarts: COVID-19 updates revisited (BC)

Dear Tony:  Our strata corporation has chosen to leave our pool and our exercise room open to residents of our building. Many of our owners are concerned about the risks of spreading the virus and pressuring our strata council to rethink this option.    Read the Q&A……………………………….

B.C. couple wins fight with strata over ‘unacceptable’ repairs

A Lower Mainland strata corporation that held onto $2,000 to cover damages to a garage door after the owners sold the townhouse, has been ordered to pay the money back.  The strata had argued that the repairs that the former owners had done were “unreasonable” and under its bylaw ordered the notary dealing with the […]

Condo Smarts: Costs to obtain strata records (BC)

Dear Tony:  As new buyers, we have been looking at several condo buildings in South Vancouver and Richmond.  Our experience obtaining information for most properties has been that the strata councils have been very cooperative and willing to provide records and documents or access to their websites.   Read the Q&A…………………………………

Shared Spaces: What Can You Do to Common Condo Elements? (ON)

One recent case involved Irving and Nancy Kumer, who owned a luxury condominium townhouse on Lower Village Gate, near Spadina Rd. and St. Clair Ave. W., in Toronto. The owners had exclusive access to a small patio that forms part of the common elements of the condominium.    Read the article…………………………………..

Surveillance video obtained by CTV News shows brawls, vandalism inside beleaguered Saskatoon condo building (SK)

Surveillance video captured inside a problem-plagued Saskatoon condominium building paints a startling picture of the challenges residents face there.  Prairie Heights, located at 1416 20th Street West, is a known hotspot for police, with 410 calls to the address recorded last year by Saskatoon Police Service.    Read the article…………………………………..

Strata unit owner loses $5,000 claim after mice chew through dishwasher line (BC)

In the case of a flood caused by a mice infestation, a B.C. strata unit owner was not allowed to recover her $500 insurance deductible or $273 premium increase from the strata corporation despite having warned the strata corporation about the rodent problem six years in advance of the flood.   Read the article……………………………….

Hemlock Valley homeowners donate $1,000 to fire department (BC)

The Hemlock Valley Homeowners Association pulled together to donate $1,000 to the local volunteer fire department.  On Saturday, March 20, the Hemlock Valley Volunteer Fire Department was up near the ski hill on Sasquatch Mountain to raise awareness and funds for the volunteer firefighters.    Read the article……………………………….

How can a condo owner deal with noisy neighbours? (AB)

Question: We moved into our condominium complex two years ago. Lately, noise from an adjoining unit during the day and night is becoming unbearable, and often we cannot sleep. We have contacted the condo board about this, and were told to talk to the owner directly, which we did. However, the owner denied making any […]

Fire breaks out at old Toronto church converted into condos (ON)

Toronto Fire Services say firefighters are still battling hotspots after a fire broke out at an old church that was converted into condominiums……..Fire officials said the bulk of the fire is knocked down but they believe there is still some fire in the walls of the church.     Read the article……………………………………….

Condo Smarts: Owner, occupant education is critical (BC)

Dear Tony:  We had a dreaded flood in our building caused by a defective washing machine where the pump switch failed to turn off. The tenant had started a load of laundry and left to get groceries. By the time she had returned, we had to access the unit to turn the water off, and […]

Regina-Based Thornton Place Condominium Corporation Invests in Bitcoin (SK)

Thornton Place Condominium Corporation (“Thornton Place”), a Condominium Corporation incorporated pursuant to The Condominium Property Act, 1993 (Saskatchewan), today announced that it has purchased 0.4 bitcoin for its reserve fund with $25,000.00 (CAD) in cash at an average price of approximately $62,500.00 (CAD) per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses.   Read the article……………………………………….

Smoking mad: Frustrated condo-dweller sues strata, neighbour for $30,000 (BC)

There was smoke but not a lot of fire after a three-year dispute between condo neighbours over smoking in their Burnaby tower made its way to court.  The complainant, who filed almost 150 complaints about the smell of cigarette smoke in her suite to the strata council, sued her smoking neighbour and the strata for […]

Another “3 Ps” in Condos? Policies, Programs, and Plans (ON)

Most people are familiar with the declaration, by-laws, and rules of condominiums, but many are less familiar with policies in condominiums. This is not surprising as the only references to “policies” in the Condominium Act, 1998 (the “Condo Act”), are for insurance policies. In recent years, condominiums are more regularly creating policies to address a […]

Even Toronto’s worst condos not as bad as Saskatoon building: landlord association

he current state of the Prairie Heights condo in Saskatoon is the result of condo owners not properly screening renters, according to the Saskatchewan Landlord Association CEO.  “We’ve all seen pictures of the state of this property and it’s deplorable and something needs to be done,” said Cameron Choquette. “You don’t see this in bigger […]

Aluminum wiring an issue for Sudbury condo residents (ON)

A condo owner in New Sudbury is appealing to political representatives for support after learning she and other residents will be on the hook for a costly electrical upgrade.  “Out of the blue the insurance company said they wouldn’t be insuring us anymore because of aluminum wiring,” said Lesley Bramah, who resides at the Parkland […]

Condo Smarts: Who decides if owner should pay deductible?

Three years ago, my washing machine hose ruptured, causing a flood in my unit and the two units below me. It was managed well by the strata insurance provider without any delays, and as expected, I was responsible for the deductible, which at the time was $5,000.   Read the Q&A…………………………………..