Energy and Water Usage Reporting for Buildings - Mandatory reporting on energy & water use is now here for all condo buildings.  Effective in 2025, owners of buildings smaller buildings will also be required to report their energy and water use. tocondonews.com/archives/energ…

Can a Spouse be a Board Member - Volunteers are hard enough to find in a condominium corporation.  Restricting participation to only one spouse in a family serves no practical purpose. tocondonews.com/archives/can-a…

Condo Community Trends in 2024 - A façade inspection is required every 5 yrs in NYC - every 9 yrs in Ontario.  Deficiencies are not shared with owners or the public.  Evidence of problems become noticeable once concrete starts falling on people. tocondonews.com/archives/condo…

Bulk Internet & Programming Services - Condo communities are adding bulk services to help residents lower their expenses. Should Beanfield prevail in curtailing this practice, all will pay substantially more subscribing to these services. tocondonews.com/archives/bulk-…

A Condo Classic – Chargebacks and Insurance - A toilet valve in the bathroom was deteriorating.  It broke.  Water overflowed. The unit was flooded along with units adjacent & below. Repair costs for the condo corporation’s common areas exceeded $100k. tocondonews.com/archives/a-con…

Sending AGM Packages and Notices by E-mail - Condo corporations are allowed to send notices by e-mail to owners since Oct 2023.  E-mail is faster, more efficient & economical over distribution of paper. E-mail addresses must appear in corporation records. tocondonews.com/archives/sendi…

Security of Package Deliveries - One guest broke into the building’s mailboxes, stealing letters & parcels. The condo owner was assessed a $5k repair bill and over $2k in by-law fines. The owner was using the unit as an Airbnb in contravention of a by-law. tocondonews.com/archives/secur…

Taking Ownership - Few are prepared to take ownership of a problem and work to resolve it. Many are full of ideas but expect someone else to execute or implement. They think the condo board is responsible for everything despite being a volunteer position. tocondonews.com/archives/takin…

Appeal of Low Condo Fees - If your community isn’t setting aside adequate reserves for common elements in your building, what is the long-term plan for maintaining major expense common elements including windows, siding, parking areas and sidewalks?tocondonews.com/archives/appea…

Pre-Construction Surveys - With construction, equipment used during excavation cause vibrations that can cause damage. Documenting the condition of a building pre- and post-construction allows new damage to more easily be attributed to recent construction. tocondonews.com/archives/pre-c…

Court Decisions Affecting Condo Corporations in 2023 - A unit owner and director sought access to corporation records, only some of which were provided.  CAT does not address applications made by a director for records.tocondonews.com/archives/court…

Court Decisions Affecting Condo Corporations in 2023 - An owner received approval to renovate & to use the service elevator - 4 days to complete & elevator access for 20 minutes, twice. The court found this unreasonable, and awarded nearly $40k in damages. tocondonews.com/archives/court…

Curb Appeal Checklist for Outdoor Areas - First impressions count!  Buildings that appear unclean or poorly maintained suggest owners care less. Visitors are less likely to look for problems or walk away with a “bad feeling” when a property looks good. tocondonews.com/archives/curb-…

Auto Theft - Auto theft in Toronto has reached epidemic proportions.  In December 2023, more than 1,000 vehicles were stolen. Auto thefts and carjackings more than doubled in Toronto, Peel and York Region from 2021 to 2022. tocondonews.com/archives/auto-…

Dissatisfied with Management - Management is employed by the board, & ensure they are operating at an appropriate standard, following regs & maintaining safety measures. Owners elect directors to serve on the condo board & represent their interests. tocondonews.com/archives/dissa…

Finding a Great Condominium Manager - Licensure is the lowest level of competency in the condominium management profession.  Finding a good condominium manager or management company requires you to look beyond the basic requirement of a license. tocondonews.com/archives/findi…

Energy and Water Usage Reporting for Buildings - Mandatory benchmarking & reporting on energy & water use for all condo buildings. Toronto has passed Municipal Code 367 & created a portal allowing buildings to report their data to both city & province. tocondonews.com/archives/energ…

The May 2024 issue of Toronto Condo News (#Toronto #Condo) is now available at TOcondonews.com.

Toronto Condo News Message from the Editor for May 2024. TOcondonews.com.

Apathy Threatens Security of Condo Communities - It is shocking that individuals can be empowered to make decisions on a multi-million-dollar asset when lacking any level of expertise, knowledge or training. Yet this occurs daily in some condo communities. tocondonews.com/archives/apath…