Businesses in condo units 

Most residential condo Declarations have a provision that the units must be only used for single-family residences. (I would never buy a unit in a condo that does not have that provision.)

Types of businesses
Some owners or renters run commercial business offices out of residential condo units. These include mortgage brokers, small law offices, construction and landscaping offices, import/export companies.

Some owners use residental units for unlicenced commercial bakeries and catering companies. Others run boarding or rooming houses or illegal
day care centres, mosques and churches in residential units. Others offer personal services such as hair dressing, tattoo parlours, music, dance and language lessons.


Textile sweat shops are back

A few owners may operate industrial sewing machines in their units. The constant noise will upset the neighbours.

Some condo units contain body rub parlours, majhong tables, bootleggers, brothels, drug dealers, grow-ops and drug labs.

Problems
1.
 These businesses are not paying commercial real estate taxes. This is costing the city millions in lost revenue.
2.
 These businesses may not meet required municipal safety and fire codes.
3.
 The employees and customers create parking problems.
4.
 The extra traffic prematurely wears out the common elements such as the carpets and the elevators.
5.
 The condo will have higher utilities and waste removal costs that are shared with the other units.
6.
 There may be an increase in security issues.
7.
 The condo may face insurance problems.
8.
 Noise may be an issue.

Board's responsibilities
It is the board's responsibility to close these commercial activities in the residental units.

Failure to act when this first becomes a problem may cause serious difficulties later on when the number of residents running businesses and rooming houses out of their units become so numerous, they can prevent the board from taking action against them.

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