If your strata corporation and manager correctly implement these simple basics, your exposure to actions and disputes will dramatically decrease.   Read the entire article……………………………….

If your upstairs neighbour wears concrete shoes or smokes constantly, changes to the Ontario Condominium Act now make these issues easier to resolve.  The changes to the Ontario Condominium Act, amended this fall, come into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.     Read the entire article……………………………….

A B.C. condo owner has won a legal challenge after a tribunal ruled the four roommates the owner rented to could be classed as a “family” and therefore didn’t break any strata rules about only renting to a single family.   Read the entire article……………………………….

British Columbia’s Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) recently dismissed a strata corporation’s claim against lot owner Julia Boyle who allegedly contravened a bylaw by not using her own fob to enter the strata’s parkade, resulting in the damage of the vehicle as well as the parkade gate.    Read the entire article……………………………….

The couple claimed the screen was a “spite fence” but a Civil Resolution Tribunal said “spite fence” is not recognized in Canadian law.  The tribunal also said the privacy screens did not significantly impacted the lake view or violate the strata building’s regulations.   Read the entire article……………………………….

A Vernon couple that claimed their lakeside condo had depreciated by $180,000 because their neighbour’s “privacy screens” blocked their lake view have lost a legal case against the strata.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Dear Tony: Our strata council is being harassed by an owner who insists that we have to give notice of council meetings to owners, and it requires the notice period of seven days plus the notice period required by the Act.    Read the Q&A…………………………………….

Dear Tony: Our strata corporation has gas services to all units in our building in a variety of forms. Some units have gas stoves, others have one or two fireplaces, and some units have gas hookups on their balconies and roof decks for barbeques.    Read the Q&A…………………………………..

Q: We are an older strata corporation in Vancouver considering the sale of our property as a wind up.  Our strata council signed a new management agreement in August. The contract permitted the management company to direct charge owners additional fees for the inspections of records and documents.   Read the Q&A……………………………..

A mixed-use North Vancouver condo building has been ordered to start sharing its visitor parking stalls with the property’s commercial businesses.  The commercial unit owners at the Piermont building, at 108 East 14th St., took their residential neighbours to the province’s Civil Resolution Tribunal after a dispute over who was entitled to park in the […]

Condominium buyers locked in a legal battle over whether the builder of their Tillsonburg homes can cancel the purchase and resell the units have been buoyed by a recent court ruling that prevents the units from being resold.   Read the entire article……………………………….

After two months of pressing for resolution, strata neighbourhood left with new public road two to seven feet from back decks   Read the entire article……………………………….

Dear Tony:  Our strata council is debating the rush fees for the real estate forms that are commonly requested when a unit is sold.    Read the Q&A…………………………………..

According to CalgaryRealEstate.com, HOAs “are formal legal entities established to maintain the quality and value of the properties and common areas involved, and to ensure compliance with their internal rules and obligations.”   Read the entire article……………………………….

Question: I live in a condominium complex high-rise building. There is a dispute between some of the owners and the board regarding the responsibility to maintain and repair the exterior windows to the units. We want to know who will pay for the maintenance and repair of the windows — the owners or the condominium […]

If your strata corporation is interested in converting your strata plan to a bare land, you will need a lawyer who is familiar with the Strata Property Act and development of a strata corporation.   Read the Q&A……………………………………………

As we wrote earlier this year, many in the condominium industry have long been aware that condominium insurance premiums and deductible limits are rising at an alarming rate. For some time, industry stakeholders including our condominium group have made submissions to the Ontario Government for it to step in and address the looming condominium insurance […]

The foundation has been poured for Soraya Palma’s first home and she’s paid most of the deposit. But the 29-year-old says she now has no choice but to walk away from the Barrie, Ont., development.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Dear Tony: As a new condo owner, I am quite concerned by the directions of our strata corporation. We have been advised that owners in the townhouses must clear the leaves and snow from our walkways, driveways, and balconies, cut the grass in our back yards and clear the drains next to our townhouses.   Read […]

A worker was injured after glass fell from an under construction downtown condo building and onto the street below on Friday morning.  It happened at around 10:30 a.m. at an Ellis Don work site on Front Street near Spadina Avenue.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Q: We have been advised that owners in the townhouses must clear the leaves and snow from our walkways, driveways, and balconies, cut the grass in our backyards and clear the drains next to our townhouses.   Read the Q&A………………………………………

Dear Tony: I purchased three units in 2018 in the same building in Coal Harbour. One was for my residence and the other two were for investment that I have used for Airbnb.  At the time of the purchase the agent told me I would be exempt from any rental bylaws because the developer filed […]

The Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) has recently initiated a public consultation regarding the Condominium Authority Tribunal’s (CAT) rules of procedure and the issue of legal costs.   Read the entire article……………………………….

A Saskatoon Queen’s Bench judge has ordered the termination of the Prairie Heights Condominium Corp.(PHCC), and has granted the administrator the authority to proceed with the sale of the building.    Read the entire article……………………………….

Video released by a condo resident in Etobicoke shows fireworks being set off from a balcony late evening on Saturday.  The video was posted on a public Facebook group for residents of Humber Bay Shores. It shows fireworks exploding out the balcony of the Nautilus at Waterview building    Read the entire article……………………………….

A B.C. condo owner who was fined more than $15,000 by his strata following multiple noise complaints won’t have to pay a penny after a tribunal ruled the fines were “significantly unfair.”  Read the entire article……………………………….

When condo fees more than doubled in a North York building, it sparked a nasty dispute involving legal threats, frightening e-mails, and accusations of a conspiracy, according to a new Ontario Superior Court judgment.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Dear Tony:  Our strata council has an ongoing dispute between our treasurer and property manager about our annual insurance policy payment.  Our owners approved a budget of $82,000 for this year based on the previous value of the policy. We had not anticipated a substantial claim this year that had a significant impact on our renewal […]

Residents of condos managed by Crossbridge Condominium Services are taking their frustrations to the streets in a series of funny posters.  Life in a condo or apartment can be horrifying if you live in Toronto’s ICE condominiums or just annoying if hot water is shut down or Amazon packages go missing.   Read the entire article……………………………….

BC Supreme Court has upheld a Surrey strata council’s ban on a suite owner building a 11-metre amateur radio antenna on a patio.  Sometime in 2017, Stanley Williams built the antenna in a backyard patio area adjacent to his unit. He secured it with ropes extending over the suite’s roof and attaching them with an […]

A gay couple renting a condo in downtown Toronto say they have been told by the condo’s management they need to get married — or get out of their unit.  The dispute seems to stem from the condo’s interpretation of a rule restricting the occupants to “single families” — apparently designed to keep out short […]

The condominium market in Canada is no stranger to change. In a tightening market, with fewer and fewer insurance companies in the space, brokers have been having a tough time trying to find carriers that offer adequate coverage.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Dear Tony:  At our recent AGM, our owners approved a special levy for balcony repairs with a specified contractor who had bid on the project. Two owners attempted to hijack the meeting and impose their own contractor on the project under a section of the Act that permits owners to direct or restrict council.    Read […]

Dear Tony: We bought our townhouse in 2014. At the time, it was a new development in Burnaby and the owner developer filed a rental disclosure document that exempted all strata lots, 1-68, from rental bylaws until June 1, 2064. Basically, our building is exempt for 50 years.   Read the Q&A………………………………….

An East Vancouver strata council that has been dealing with an alleged hoarder for years may soon be able to address the situation.  The condo building has experienced rodent infestation, which the strata blamed on the supposed hoarding of one of the owners, Patricia Faith.     Read the entire article……………………………….

Though Ontario cities like Toronto are known for doing a good job protecting the rights of renters in disputes, there are some changes on the way to the province’s Condominium Act that will place tougher restrictions on how tenants conduct themselves in an effort to curb “problem” individuals.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Condominium owners who rent out their units without credit and reference checks run the risk of being financially responsible for their tenant’s misbehaviour.   Read the entire article……………………………….

Dear Tony: What happens when there are funds left over from a special levy? I sold my unit six months ago and was informed at the time by council, and it was posted in the minutes, that the balance in the special levy fund for the roof was less than $5,000. The result of this […]

Toronto police are warning the public about a rental scam having to do with condos in the downtown core.  Police issued a news release Friday detailing an alleged scam having to do with units located at 12 and 14 York St.     Read the entire article……………………………….

Q: Our strata corporation was unprepared for the recent rainstorms. We have gutter and roof cleaning scheduled for the first week of October, but several units suffered drywall and flooring damage during the rain cycle as owners had left their windows open for fresh air, and the rain overflowed down the walls into the units.  Read the […]