Article Library
CONDOCENTRIC: Reserve Fund Studies - 120 Days From When!?
This is an excerpt from an article by Ben Rutherford from our Fall 2003 Newsletter regarding certain timing considerations with respect to Reserve Fund Studies. It is being reproduced given that the focus in this issue is new condominium corporations.
…CONDOCENTRIC: Budget Deficiencies
On the first year agenda for a condominium corporation is the reporting of any first year budget deficiencies to the Declarant. Under the Condominium Act, 1998 (Ontario) (the "Act"), a Declarant is accountable to the corporation for the budget statements that cover the one-year period immediately following registration of the …
CONDOCENTRIC: Ask The Pros - Common Expense Collections and Offensive Odours
Question:
I serve on a Board of Directors of three members. We used to be a self-managed complex, but found that it became too strenuous to deal with neighbours. We turned everything over to a management company to resolve all the problems that we were having. During our self-management era …
CONDOCENTRIC: Ask The Pros - Unwise to hire owner to do renovation; Lack of tendering increases concern. What is recourse if job goes wrong?
Question #1:
Our condo board has hired one of the owners in the building to be the designer for major renovations to the lobby, residential halls etc. The job was not tendered, just handed over to him. While the declaration and by-laws apparently have nothing to say about this, friends …
Condominium Conflict Resolution: Recognizing the Role of Culture
"Cultural fluency means recognizing that language shows us particular views of the world. Rather than being a direct representation of reality, language reflects our starting points, assumptions, and ideas about how the world works and our places in it. Remembering this, we keep an open mind to diverse …
CONDOCENTRIC: Did You Know?
Superintendents
The provisions of the Employment Standards Act 2000 governing minimum wages, hours of work and public holidays do not apply to superintendents who live on site.
It is a good idea to have a written employment contract with superintendents.
…CONDOCENTRIC: Ask The Pros - All About By-laws
Question:
The following is a two-part question. (1) Can a condo pass a bylaw restricting the number of units an individual can own? (2) We have an individual who rents units from our rental pool, furnishes them and sublets them at an inflated rent. Can a condo pass a bylaw …
CONDOCENTRIC: Bill C-45 - Criminal Code Amendments
"When the death knells of Chernobyl and Bhopal echoed around the world, research on the catastrophic potential of complex technologies went into high gear. Evidence from Westray [the mining disaster which claimed 26 lives] shows a long-standing pattern of safety violations: combustion engines refueled with the motors running, a "volunteer" …
CONDOCENTRIC: Secret Commissions
Following the ACMO/CCI conference last fall, there was much discussion about “secret commissions” including, for example, whether ACMO Associates could invite property managers to ACMO sponsored events (which practice is currently encouraged).
…CONDOCENTRIC: MEETING RULES: Robert's vs. Weinberg and Nathan's
At a recent unit owners meeting to vote on rules, a unit owner stood up and objected to the rules being considered as the condominium corporation was, at that time, also involved in litigation concerning subject matter of the rules. The property manager acknowledged the objection and advised the unit …
