B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal has ordered an owner to pay $13,193 in fines and legal costs in a dispute about him parking a recreational vehicle (RV) on bare strata property. Read the article……………………………..
Condo Smarts: Strata has right to limit short-term accommodations (BC)
Dear Tony: After five years of noise, security issues and damages, our owners have finally passed a bylaw that prohibits short-term accommodations. We set the limit to be anything less than 30 days for a single use, which allows for owners in our building to negotiate home exchanges and house sitters while they are away […]
B.C. strata dispute included violence, threats to child
B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal has ordered a B.C. strata to pay an owner $2,500 after hearing tales of violence, threats of self-harm, and harm to a child. Read the article……………………………….
Incompetent strata councils threaten financial, emotional security of condo buildings (BC)
As water streamed from the 4th floor to the lobby, my condo building’s long-serving strata council president redefined gravity when she declared that water from a washing machine on the ground floor ascended four storeys to cause the leak. Read the article………………………………….
“Slammed doors”: BC woman sues strata after being tormented by relentless fighting
An eye-popping case at the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal that involved domestic abuse found a strata owing one of its residents a lot of money…….Though the strata tried to intervene, the fact that TM continued to complain for months left the tribunal with the conclusion that the “strata did not act reasonably.” Read the article………………………………..
BC resident sued strata, claiming it passed rules to harass her
A BC resident struggling with her building’s strata decided to sue it, claiming that it had passed rules specifically to harass her. Kanwaljot Gill claimed that the strata, which governed a townhouse property she co-owned, would enforce the rules inconsistently and unfairly strictly against her. Read the article…………………………..
Condo Smarts: Here’s what you need to know about new strata regulations in effect November 1 (BC)
Q: Our property manager advised us that our minimum contributions for our AGM will be effective Nov. 1, but we are holding our meeting on Oct. 25. With the increase of all operating costs, we hoped to delay any contribution this year to offset significant increases in strata fees. Read the Q&A…………………………………
Condo manager suspended after using reserve funds to buy cryptocurrency (ON)
A condominium corporation’s decision to spend $500,000 on a cryptocurrency product called “Pink Piggy Investment Group” has resulted in the suspension and potential revocation of the license of the condominium manager. Read the article…………………………….
Vancouver owners sue strata because assigned parking stall is ‘too narrow’ (BC)
A dispute over the size of a parking stall in the underground garage of a condo building ended up in court. Colin Hawes and Shuyu Kong, who co-own a strata lot in a building in Vancouver, took the strata to the B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal. The reason? The parking spot they were assigned when they […]
Pleasant Hill Community Association calls for preventative response to disproportionate crime rates (SK)
A neighbourhood association wants the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) to take a different approach to policing in the area by investing in prevention. Read the article…………………………….
Condo Smarts: Strata corporations can’t exempt themselves from insurance requirements (BC)
Q: After consultation with our insurance broker, we were advised that we could exempt our strata from a collective strata policy by unanimous vote if all the owners agreed and signed a waiver. Other than one unit owner — who we can’t reach at this time — everyone is in favour. Is this a dangerous […]
Vancouver condo complex resembles a hotel during morning Airbnb rush (BC)
Tourists had positive reviews after their stay in a downtown Vancouver strata complex where about 150 condos — roughly a third of the total — are listed on Airbnb. One resident said living there is “hell” Read the article……………………………..
Burnaby owner loses strata battle to save beloved Christmas spruce (BC)
Qian Wang told the Civil Resolution Tribunal she and her daughter enjoy the little evergreen in front of their townhouse ‘especially at Christmas’ but the tribunal has ruled the strata can cut the tree down at will to protect a retaining wall from its roots. Read the article…………………………….
Convenient clean up in Lakeview Meadows (BC)
Knowing that the best way to fight wildfire is to do the necessary work well in advance, homeowners in the new Lakeview Meadows community in Windermere decided to evaluate the landscaping around their properties. Residents of the community made a mutual goal to improve their resilience to potentially disastrous wildfires. Read the article………………………………..
Condo Smarts: New regulations change contingency-fund contribution (BC)
Dear Tony: Our property manager advised us that our minimum contributions for our AGM will be effective Nov. 1, but we are holding our meeting on Oct. 25. With the increase of all operating costs, we were hoping to delay any contribution this year to offset significant increases in strata fees. Read the Q&A…………………………………
Condo Smarts: How owners can petition to remove strata council (BC)
Q: What do we do if our strata council will not hold a special general meeting that the owners have petitioned? Our council continually violates our bylaws and the Act and fails to enforce bylaws. After firing our gardeners, they purchased landscaping equipment without the authority to spend the funds or terminate the contract. Read the […]
B.C. couple ordered to stop smoking in their unit, on their patio
A B.C. couple has been ordered to stop smoking in their home and on their patio, losing a bid for an exemption to their strata’s bylaw. Read the article……………………………..
City of Williams Lake extends state of emergency for Terra Ridge complex (BC)
The City of Williams Lake has renewed its State of Local Emergency (SOLE) for the Terra Ridge strata development at 500 Wotzke Drive. Four of the 80 units in the complex were issued a ‘Do Not Occupy’ order on September 15 after the city received a concerning engineering report. Read the article…………………………….
B.C. condo owner can’t use her unit as an Airbnb, tribunal rules
A B.C. woman who bought a condo with plans to use it as an Airbnb part-time has lost her bid for an exemption to the strata’s bylaws prohibiting short-term rentals. Read the article………………………………
‘It was like Niagara Falls’: Montreal condo residents sue city after building floods several times (QC)
A group of condo residents in Montreal’s Ville-Marie borough is suing the city after their building flooded several times. They say experts have proven the building is up to code—the problem is on the outside. Read the article……………………………….
Condo Smarts: Strata act clear on petitioning council (BC)
Q: Dear Tony: What do we do if our strata council will not hold a special general meeting that has been petitioned by the owners? Our council are continually violating our bylaws, the Act and failing to enforce bylaws. Read the Q&A………………………………
Fire burns multiple vehicles, spreads to condo building in Winnipeg (MB)
A fire forced residents to evacuate a condo building in Winnipeg’s North River Heights neighbourhood on Thursday night after the flames spread from burning vehicles. Read the article………………………………..
Condo Smarts: How strata corporation votes are calculated (BC)
Q: Our strata corporation is a mixed-use of residential and retail. Since its opening in 2014, all the property owners showed up at the annual meeting, and each person was given a voting card, whether in person or an electronic meeting. Read the Q&A……………………………..
Green Renovation For Condos: Canadian Trends And Innovations
As the world becomes more “green,” Canadians are staying on top of the trends in housing to make their condos as energy-efficient as possible. This goes especially for condos, where builders are able to create systems that affect multiple owners simultaneously. Read the article…………………………….
B.C. strata council fight winds up at tribunal
B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal has found a Vancouver strata council treated a member unfairly in removing him but said it can’t reinstate him as his term ended. Read the article…………………………….
Williams Lake, B.C., declares state of local emergency, four homes evacuated
Four homes in a Williams Lake, B.C., group of duplexes have been ordered evacuated and the remainder are on evacuation alert over concerns about their structural integrity. Read the article……………………………
Condo Smarts: Commercial portion of strata can have more votes (BC)
Dear Tony: Out strata corporation is a mixed use of residential and retail. Since it’s opening in 2014, all the property owners showed up at the annual meeting and each person was given a voting card, whether in person, or shown in an electronic meeting. Read the Q&A………………………………
What the heck are ‘restrictive covenants’ and how do they affect Calgary’s housing situation? (AB)
Arcane legal documents can stand in the way of new builds, even when city has approved them Read the article………………………………
Burnaby strata ordered to drop $22K in fines for room rental (BC)
A Burnaby apartment owner battling $22,000 in strata bylaw fines for renting out one of his rooms to a roommate has won a victory at the Civil Resolution Tribunal. Read the article………………………..
Condo Smarts: Stratas can’t unreasonably refuse EV charging stations (BC)
Dear Tony: I purchased my condo in 2019, and with it came two parking spaces assigned to the previous owner by the developer. Those spaces were correctly disclosed to me on purchase, with no debate. Read the Q&A………………………………
Owner wins use of parking spot Burnaby strata said never existed (BC)
The owner of a Burnaby apartment has won the right to use a parking spot she parked in for 12 years before her strata declared it was actually a walkway. Read the article………………………..
3 Terra Ridge units in Williams Lake deemed unsafe, foundations shifting (BC)
Williams Lake residents living in three units at Terra Ridge have been asked to move out due to safety concerns, confirmed the city’s building inspector. Gary Deane said the strata council at Terra Ridge hired a structural engineer to go through all 80 units at the development and provided the city with a copy of […]
Townhouse owner wins court case against strata over parking changes (BC)
The allocation of parking stalls at strata properties around Canada is a big deal for residents, generally regarding matters of convenience and accessibility, and one townhouse owner took his strata corporation to court over the issue. Read the article………………………..
Condo Smarts: Long-term planning a challenge for many stratas (BC)
Dear Tony: Our 14-floor building in Burnaby is experiencing chronic failures of our hot water. The strata corporation maintains, or rather avoids maintaining, our four boilers, which provide for hot water for the units. Heating is electric in each unit and each unit has a gas fireplace. Read the Q&A……………………………….
City, condo associations working out cost-relief details (AB)
City billing officials are now engaging condo associations in Medicine Hat to extend a “cost-pressure relief” program to individual unit owners who pay bills via their condo fees, officials tell the News. That program, passed last, week provides $800 over the next three months to residential – $2,000 for businesses – utility account holders on […]
Condo Smarts: Bylaws must set conditions for insurance deductibles (BC)
Q: Our bylaws require an owner to pay for any strata insurance deductible when they have caused a claim, but does this also apply to a flood caused by the owner when there is no claim? Read the Q&A……………………………..
B.C. tribunal dismisses strata fines after grandson helped disabled grandma
B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal has dismissed a strata’s claim against a disabled elderly grandmother after it claimed her grandson did not meet the complex’s 55-year-old age requirement when he provided the woman overnight medical care. Read the article………………………..
A history of Alberta condo evacuations: Owners of Castledowns Pointe aren’t alone
In just over a decade, several hundred Albertans have been forced out of their condos in high-profile evacuations. Previous cases provide a troubling blueprint for the challenges ahead for the displaced residents of Castledowns Pointe. Read the article………………………..
Condo Smarts: Deductible provision not ‘catch-all’ (BC)
Dear Tony: Is a strata entitled to collect the amount of damages from an owner when the origin of the claim is from their strata lot? Our bylaws require an owner to pay for any strata insurance deductible when they have caused a claim, but does this also apply to a flood caused by the […]
North Edmonton condo evacuation will last months, residents told in emotional meeting (AB)
No one will be living in the Castledowns Pointe condos anytime soon, even though the bills still need to be paid, in what is being described as a “financial tragedy” in north Edmonton. Read the article………………………..
North Edmonton condo evacuation will last months, residents told in emotional meeting (AB)
No one will be living in the Castledowns Pointe condos anytime soon, even though the bills still need to be paid, in what is being described as a “financial tragedy” in north Edmonton. Read the article………………………..
B.C. court upholds finding that strata hot tub is patio furniture
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has upheld a B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal decision finding that a strata hot tub is patio furniture that can be allowed on balconies. Read the article………………………..
Prominent Edmonton developer linked to Castle Downs condo at risk of collapse (AB)
As evacuated Castledowns Pointe residents prepare to meet Wednesday to hear more about the structural issues that have forced them from their condos in northwest Edmonton, a question hangs over their heads: who built the property engineers say could collapse and what happens next? Read the article………………………..
Fears of building collapse prompt plea to evacuate north Edmonton condo building (AB)
More than five months after a fire damaged a condominium building in northwest Edmonton, an investigation by an engineering firm has revealed the building was not constructed properly to begin with and could collapse at any moment — so residents are being urged to leave immediately. Read the article………………………..
Condo Smarts: Strata can prohibit outdoor cooking on balconies and decks (BC)
Dear Tony: Our neighbour recently had a fire in their barbeque. The damage to our two townhouses was siding, decks and extensive smoke damage as everyone had their windows open. Our home insurance is covering the damage to our personal property and interior of the strata lot, but the neighbour does not have home owner […]
Condo Smarts: A well-crafted alteration agreement is essential (BC)
Q: Our council permitted an owner to install a charging station and a heat pump in 2022. The owner has sold their unit, and the new owner has declined the use of the charging station but has accepted the continued use and obligations for the heat pump. Read the Q&A……………………………..
An e-voting gaffe, a three-way tie and condo election chaos (ON)
An error attributed to an electronic voting platform for condominium corporations has unleashed chaos at a Toronto-area townhouse complex and is raising questions about the rules governing condominium election disputes. Read the article………………………..
BC strata denied attempts to fine, kick out caregiving family member
A BC strata tried and failed in its attempt to fine an elderly resident’s family members and kick her caregiving grandson out of the property. The Chilliwack strata levied $2,400 in fines, then went to the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal when the family didn’t pay. Instead, the Tribunal found it failed to make accommodations for […]
A Penthouse Owner Doesn’t Want To Share Amenities. He Developed The Building (BC)
In 2004, Concord Pacific submitted a development permit application to the City of Vancouver to build what is now called The Erickson, an 18-storey strata condominium building that sits on 1560 Homer Mews, right along False Creek. The Erickson is equipped with an array of amenities that are common in luxury condo buildings: a theatre, […]