Mistakes to avoid
“Experience
is simply the name we give our mistakes.”
—Oscar Wilde
Condo-fees
strike
The
idea seems brilliant. You withhold your fees, possibly even putting
them in a trust fund and then you tell the board that you will release
the funds once they hold an AGM, hold elections, show corporation
records, fix the leaks in your unit or whatever you are upset with.
New York City Rent Strike 1919
It seems even smarter to have a large group of owners join together in
a condo-fees strike. Here are two examples I have read:
A
special note to the home owners who have cancelled their pre-approved
payment and are now refusing to pay their condo fees
First
of all, good for you for having the courage and intestinal fortitude to
do this! The PMC has now issued a notice that they will be putting a
lien on your property. This is an intimidation tactic and we have to
band together against this fraud! United we stand!
From
an Owners blog Feb 2012
Here is an e-mail that was sent to the owners of a
large condo in June 2013:
Since
we have been demanding the board to show us the expense and the budget
how the money was spend and they are not doing it.
Lets
say the first or the last day of the month, we ALL don't pay our condo
fees to make a point like a protest to demand a budget and expense
report.
Now in order for this to happen we all
have to be on the same boat and spread the word out the our neighbours
and residents we see in our floors or elevators to do the same.
This
has to be done like a proper planning so we have to pick a date, like
in July or August payments to make a point. And it has to be taken
seriously. We would have to also notify the off-shore owners to do the
same, not to pay.
Now let me know your ideas about this plan.
I even had the owner of a small property management
company suggest
that I organize a condo fees strike when I was battling against the
board at my previous condo.
However a tactic that sometimes works for renters will definitely
backfire on condominium owners.
This is one of the biggest mistakes that an owner can make and it is
definitely a very expensive one. Everyone who joins this strike
will
face identical penalties so your protest will end in a disastrous
defeat.
Once you go into arrears, you will get a letter or two saying so from
the corporation. If you ignore those letters, the condo lawyer will
send you one that will include a demand for legal costs of around $800.
If you are still in arrears after two months, even sooner than that
actually, the corporation can
start lien proceedings against your unit and if you still hold out,
they will get your mortgagee pay your fees. The costs then
will run into the thousands.
Overestimating
your
support
In the beginning, only a small minority of owners will support you
in your battle against the board. If you have the majority with you,
you would have requisitioned a special owners' meeting by now and you
would have already voted them out of office.
You have to build support and that usually takes a good cause, time and
a lot of hard work.
Negative
attacks
“You are all a bunch of crooks.”
—an upset owner to the head table at
an AGM
It is a mistake to make negative personal attacks against the board
members, the property manager or the owners who disagree with your
views about reforming the management of the property.
The board members are your neighbours and when the fight is over, you
will still be neighbours. It will create unnecessary bad feelings and
it distracts from the issues.
You may end up on the board as a minority board member and will have to
work with the other board members and that is a lot easier done if they
do not hate you.
Focusing on
personalities
It is the issues that are important, not a person's characteristics,
personalities, quirks or habits. Calling the president a drunk, the
treasurer a fool and the manager an
idiot and a crook will not buy you much.
You will have more trouble getting other owners to support you if call
your opponents names rather than give reasons why you and your group
are better qualified to run the corporation.
Promises
Don't make promises that you will not be able to deliver.
Some
candidates promise to lower the fees, improve services and
raise
property values; all at the same time.
Don't get into a trap of promising one owner one thing and another
owners something quite different.
Wasting
time
Don't waste time arguing with an owner who is a die-hard supporter of
the board. You are just wasting your time and energy that is better
spent talking with potential supporters.
Swearing,
shouting
and name-calling
Never take the low road. Yelling, swearing, threatening or taking cheap
shots and mouthing put-down jokes will just lose you support.
Don't grand-stand at the owners' meetings by interrupting other
speakers or arguing with the Chair. That will just hurt your
credibility.
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