Suite-hotel units ignored

Bill 106 ignores the problems that residential condominiums have with persons and companies buying residential condo units to use them as short-term rental hotel rooms.

Most purchasers of condo units didn't think there would be a steady stream of strangers flowing through their lobbies, using the amenities and treating the common elements as if they were checking into a hotel.

This constant traffic of people and suitcases add to the wear and tear of the common elements and adds to the security and maintenance costs.

Declarations
Some of the newer condo declarations allow the owners to operate suite-hotels in the residential units. The buyers are often not aware that a "hotel room" may exist next to their new home.

While the condos that presently allow hotel suite operations in their declarations may be grandfathered, this practice should be banned in all future residential condominium corporations.

Bill 106
The new condo Act needs to ban suite-hotels in residential condominium corporations. It also needs to insure that wherever short-term rentals are allowed in existing condo declarations, this fact is clearly stated in all status certificates.

Existing condos
While the board and the corporation's lawyer is figuring out how best to handle short-term rentals, they can call Canada Revenue to say that the unit is being used as a commercial enterprise and they can ask if they should be adding HST to the unit's monthly common element expenses.


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