While police have remained tight-lipped about the active and ongoing investigation, information emerging suggests that Villi was suffering from chronic obstructive lung disease and had made multiple pleas to his condo board to rectify building issues regarding dust and other irritants.   Read the article………………………..

A Burnaby condo owner will have to fix water damage inside his suite himself, but his strata has been ordered to repair the building’s exterior walls to stop them from leaking into his unit.  Read the article………………………..

Dear Tony: Our strata council are proposing we adopt a 55-and- over bylaw for all residents, at our annual general meeting on Dec. 29.  The reason is to limit the potential age of renters and avoid children in our building as our current bylaw is 19-and-over. As a resident in the building who is 34 […]

A B.C. woman who faced $14,000 in fines for renting out her Burnaby condo for short-term accommodations has had her bill cleared by the province’s Civil Resolution Tribunal.  Read the article………………………..

Question: I am the president of a low-rise apartment style condominium complex. We have 18 units in our complex. More than half of the units are rented out. The board wants to make renting units impossible or difficult. My questions are: 1. Can we pass a bylaw that makes it illegal to rent your unit?  […]

Two strata owners have won a B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal battle against their strata, which charged them $1,682 for a leaky shower.  According to the Dec. 8 decision from tribunal member Micah Carmody, in July 2019, the strata’s contractor traced a parkade water leak to Ying Dong Xu and Tien Hua’s shower. (At the time, […]

The District’s elected officials have voted to charge residents of The Main condo complex for utility fees some homeowners allege they do not owe.  During their meeting on Dec. 6, council cast their votes 5-2. Councillors Andrew Hamilton and Lauren Greenlaw opposed charging the 18 residents who say they are being billed for services they […]

Strata council members and owners of older condominium buildings on the North Shore say recent provincial changes to ban rental restrictions could have negative consequences for them – without providing much affordable rental housing in return.  Read the article………………………..

The B.C. Condo Association’s executive director is doubtful the province’s new housing act will create more affordable housing across B.C.  B.C.’s new Premier David Eby recently unveiled the housing supply act that will remove all 19+ or 35+ condo designations in B.C. as well as make every unit rentable in order to increase the province’s […]

A man had to escape a deliberately lit fire in the hallway of his Saskatoon condo building suite in the early hours of Sunday morning by climbing out a window.  Read the article………………………..

Homeowners along P.E.I.’s north shore are worried about destruction from winter storms, as their properties lie unprotected after damage from post-tropical storm Fiona.  They want the provincial government to help, with guidance and financial support.  Arlene Betteridge is president of the Luke Street Cottage and Lot Owners Association.   Read the article………………………..

Dear Tony: Our strata corporation has a bylaw that requires occupants to be 45 and over.  Do the changes affect this bylaw? Is there any kind of grandfathering for strata corporations who already have this bylaw?   Read the Q&A……………………………….

The Condominium Authority of Ontario continues to strengthen consumer protection for the province’s condo sector after it successfully addressed the recommendations made in the Auditor General’s 2020 report.   Read the article………………………..

Owners of The Main say they are wrongfully on the hook for previous owners’ bills; District says purchaser is responsible for payment of these utilities owed.  Read the article………………………..

A Yaletown condo strata that has been wrangling with the CEO of Concord Pacific over who gets to use a massive amenity space is now petitioning the Supreme Court of B.C. for an order.  Read the article………………………..

Proposed legislation aimed at putting more affordable housing on the market by lifting strata bylaws is coming under fire.  Bill 44 was introduced by Premier David Eby earlier this week as an answer to the provincial housing crisis and would see condos across the province have self-imposed rental restrictions lifted.     Read the article………………………..

Q: Our strata corporation held a special general meeting two weeks ago where we considered proceeding with a wind-up process. A developer/buyer approached our council six months ago. Since then, we have held several information meetings and were asked to vote at a preliminary wind-up meeting to authorize legal fees and proceed with the official meeting […]

Council heard from a delegation that residents of the downtown apartment complex just north of the Highway 27-Main Avenue corridor between 2nd and 3rd streets NW continue to harbour concerns about the risk of a collision when egressing from the building’s underground parking lot into the adjacent back alley.   Read the article………………………..

Homeowners in stratas fear proposed changes to laws around rental restrictions in strata complexes will make more work for councils and residents.  On Monday, Premier David Eby announced a plan to amend the Strata Property Act, limiting restrictions on renting in stratas, in a move designed to open up rental opportunities as the province continues […]

A B.C. man who finds his strata lot’s electrical transformer to be a nuisance has lost most of his $385,000 bid at the Civil Resolution Tribunal.   Read the article………………………..

Q: With the changes coming to strata rentals, will the current strata corporations somehow be grandfathered? We currently have two ongoing enforcement issues regarding rentals. How do we deal with the enforcement issues if the bylaws are no longer enforceable? Read the Q&A……………………………….

The schedule of standard bylaws of the strata property act apply to all strata corporations in B.C., unless they have been amended or repealed by the strata corporation.   Read the Q&A……………………………….

Dear Tony: How does a strata corporation determine if the standard bylaws of the act apply or their bylaws are enforceable? Our strata, like many we have spoken to, have a bit of a bylaw mess. Over the years we have annually added bylaws that have been consolidated into one package and often contradict earlier bylaws. […]

Carole Benner doesn’t rent. She owns. But the senior is still finding factors outside of her control are hiking up costs and threatening to drive her from the home she loves.  Read the article………………………..

Q: How does a strata corporation determine if the Standard Bylaws of the Act apply or if its bylaws are enforceable? Over the years, our strata has annually added bylaws that have been consolidated into one package and often contradict earlier bylaws.  Read the Q&A……………………………….

Living under the rule of a strata council isn’t always easy because of the many rules and dealing with different personalities.  But usually calmer heads prevail and people find a way to get along.   Read the article………………………..

Q: Our strata corporation is currently holding 1.2 million in a special levy fund, $350,000 in our contingency, and we have $200,000 in our operating surplus. None of these funds are invested, and with increasing interest rates, owners are unhappy that we are leaving the funds dormant.  Read the Q&A……………………………….

A B.C. strata that fined a condo owner $7,400 for placing potted plants around their unit has been ordered to wipe the fines.  B.C. Strata NW 2154 was fining Darnal McFadyen and Elizabeth Amezcua-Emary $200 each week they had 15 potted plants just outside of their patio.    Read the article………………………..

A couple who said they had to sell their condo because of noisy upstairs neighbours has had their claim for $299,000 in damages dismissed by B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal.   Read the article………………………..

A group of residents in three southwest Calgary communities are trying to organize widespread restrictive covenants in the hopes of preventing density in their neighbourhoods.   Read the article………………………..

Question: I live in a four-storey condominium building. My neighbour is a heavy cigarette (and sometimes marijuana) smoker. The smoke seeps into my unit through the vents. The second-hand smoke really bothers me and my health is being negatively impacted.   Read the Q&A……………………………….

A Burnaby apartment owner failed to prove kitchen sink backups that created mould were the strata’s fault, according to a ruling by the B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal.  Read the article………………………..

Q: Our strata corporation was constructed in 2015, and the developer filed a set of bylaws that have created some serious problems for the strata corporation.   Read the Q&A……………………………….

Today, the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO) marks its fifth year of operations to protect consumers in the province’s growing condominium industry.   Read the article………………………..

Q: Our strata council is at a bit of a crossroads in bylaw enforcement. We are a 44-unit apartment building. The noise problems have risen dramatically in the past three months. If we enforce bylaws, we are likely enforcing a complaint against over half the residents  Read the Q&A……………………………….

Residents of The Estates at Creekstone neighbourhood are dealing with smelly drainage problems in front of their condos and want to re-direct that sump pump water into the sanitary sewer system.   Read the article………………………..

A Metro Vancouver couple has been trying to buy into the housing market but was recently denied buying into a Pitt Meadows condo building because their family is too large.   Read the article………………………..

A B.C. condo owner who thought she was prohibited from renting her unit out on Airbnb has won a case against her strata after a Tribunal found that there were no rules in place preventing her from doing so in the first place.   Read the article………………………..

Q: Our strata corporation approved a special levy in August for major repairs to roofing and decks. Each unit paid its share between $51,000 and $68,000 in early September.  Read the Q&A……………………………….

A group of Quebec condo owners is on the verge of bankruptcy after long hidden construction errors left their buildings unsafe. Mike Armstrong looks at the dire conditions and mistakes that have left families at risk of losing their homes.   Watch the news report…………………………..

Condo owners in St-Jerome are worried they’ll lose everything after they say the builder cut corners, leaving them with massive repair bills.  “It doesn’t feel that good,” said Claude Beauvais, one of the presidents of the condo association.   Read the article………………………..

Unfortunately, we cannot regulate common sense, but we can enforce neglect. Most strata corporations never exercise the provision in the standard or amended bylaws that permits a strata corporation to conduct inspections on strata lots.   Read the Q&A……………………………….

The owners of a Coquitlam condo will not be able to to wind-up their strata and sell it to a developer, a Supreme Court judge has ruled.   Read the article………………………..