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Condo News
30 September 2016
Massive condo
sparks concerns about Toronto density
There is a proposal to build an 80 story condo at 8 Elm Street, just
off Yonge, that will be on a tiny lot and have absolutely NO PARKING.
Will there be room to store anything bigger than unicycles, pogo
sticks, roller skates or hoverboards? Better check the Disclosure
documents.
http://bit.ly/2dqm9nk
Neighbours have
mixed feelings about the World Cup of Hockey
fan village
Some love their great views of the concerts, others are bothered by the
crowds and the noise.
http://on.thestar.com/2cWt9HL
Thornhill
ratepayers assoc & condos main concern is noise, trains & empty
shops
Staff from a car dealership across the street from these condo towers
regularly use car alarms to locate cars in the parking lot. Other
residents are bothered by noise coming from nearby trains.
Markham Councillor Valerie Burke said she is very aware of the
issue of
increased freight train traffic. Another problem Burke said she has
heard about in the World on Yonge area is the low number of shoppers.
When the project was in its infancy, she remembers planners
raving about the potential for pedestrian traffic.
Another local issue is the electronic sign on Yonge Street that carries
ads, she said. Residents have complained to her that it is too bright
and they would like to see it dimmed.
http://bit.ly/2dh6l7d
10-tower 'M
City' condo project announced in Mississauga
When finished the $1.5 billion development will include 6,000
residential units.
http://bit.ly/2diPkLC
Winnipeg woman
with Alzheimer's told by condo board to get rid of specially trained dog
Another condo dispute going to a Human Rights Tribunal.
http://bit.ly/2d36z2i
Articles
from USA
Heavy petting:
Cat cam catches sitter in the act
Hidden
video cameras are so cheap these days, you got to expect people to have
them in their condo units.
Renting a condo short-term? There is a chance, maybe a small chance,
that someone is watching.
http://bit.ly/2druEPh
Why Can't
Americans Vote Online?
In one word: Fraud. Can't say it shorter than that.
http://bit.ly/2cIM4YP
Pecan Lakes
homeowner finds herself in knight fight with HOA
Why risk an expensive lawsuit over an ornament. Better to put it into
storage, sell your house (problem) and buy a freehold.
http://abc13.com/1522903/
—†—
Condo News
28 September 2016
Short-term
rentals bigger than Airbnb
I wish reporters, Realtors, industry insiders, politicians and
lobbyists would stop saying "Airbnb" when they should be discussing the
entire Short-Term Rentals (RTS) industry.
The image above shows just some of the larger companies involved in the
unregulated ghost-hotel industry. There are plenty more companies, some
affiliated with condo developers, condo management companies,
independent registered companies, unregistered mom and pop shops and an
unknown number of individual condo unit owners operating on their own.
Some of these companies have insurance and have screening processes to
evaluate guests and others don't have either. It is truly a hit and
miss proposition with the owners who advertise their units on their own.
Airbnb Superhost
program, VRBO & Google
It is starting to look like these players will be pushing the
small-time hosts to the back of the bus by promoting professional hosts.
With new features and product launches and with hundreds of millions of
dollars of investment pouring into the space, it may have been a
monster week for the short-term rental space as an industry.
But please, spare a thought for those self-managing hosts who no longer
stand a chance.
http://bit.ly/2ds4KgY
Tossed to the
curb: condo-seller warns about risk of giving keys early
Kennedy turned into a crying mess after discovering the buyer had
sorted through some of her belongings and threw them into the block's
garbage and recycling bins after he had been given the keys prior to
the August 1st possession date.
She had to stop just short of dumpster diving to retrieve some
"irreplaceable" items like some medical files, some of her son's toys,
and a pair of sculptures.
Never, never give a buyer the keys prior to the possession date.
http://bit.ly/2dk79eN
Deals on wheels
at Kelowna trunk sale
Yearly, Kelowna holds an outdoor garage sale primarily for condo and
rental apartment residents. A very good idea other communities should
copy.
http://bit.ly/2cA7vvg
Vancouver's
Empire Landmark hotel facing demolition
The revolving Cloud 9 restaurant at the top of the 42-storey hotel
tower may soon be demolished—along with the rest of the building—to
make way for condominiums.
http://bit.ly/2cUFDEV
Articles
from USA
Taylorsville
woman posed as maid in order to rob St. Matthews condo owner
A dangerous and stupid armed robbery. A warning to residents to check
references before giving contractors access to your home.
http://bit.ly/2d7x2wZ
Airbnb's
'Rentals of Doom'
First we had overcrowded condo rental units, then student housing and
now short-term rentals. Is anyone really surprised?
I bet the condo's water and garbage costs are huge.
http://dnain.fo/2d6jPDU
Articles
from Asia
Cambodian
investors buying Malaysian condos
Foreigners buy condos in Cambodia and Cambodians want to buy condos in
other countries.
http://bit.ly/2cPWRQK
Articles
from Australia
Drug alert
prompts anger … and humour
http://bit.ly/2cNBQnI
—†—
Condo News
26 September 2016
How not to sell
real estate
It is such a dirty mess, this unit must have been a condo that was
rented out for two years. Yet, for
a buyer who can wait a month before moving in, this unit may be bought
at
a big discount. Make a good flip.
http://bit.ly/2d1MRGB
Toronto realtors
say Airbnb is creating new challenges for homeowners
David Batori, a realtor with more than a decade of experience, says he
often works with clients who want to buy condos to rent out, but now
more than ever they're looking for short-term rentals rather than
year-long leases.
"They tell me how they have very good returns on their properties
compared to when they had annual tenants on them," Batori said.
http://bit.ly/2cWCMsy
Why do condo
elevators in Toronto suck so much?
This snarky-sounding contest sprung up recently at a building in the
the Canary District. Apparently the elevator has been out-of-service
since July. Maybe a fireman poll would actually be an efficient
solution.
http://bit.ly/2d7w9md
Regulations aim
to address short-term rental woes in Vancouver
Vancouver is finalizing recommendations for its second major housing
irritant – short-term rentals – which will likely restrict them to
people renting out their own homes and with some kind of yearly cap on
nights allowed.
http://bit.ly/2cgSsDb
No condo too
small after Victoria changes rules
Victoria councillors, in an effort to promote housing affordability,
agreed to eliminate the minimum floor-space requirement in all 22
multi-unit residential zones. Currently, most of the zones specify that
units of less than 355 square feet are not allowed anywhere but in the
downtown, where there is no minimum unit size.
http://bit.ly/2cWqYIz
In this remote
Canadian housing market, a mobile home can cost you more than a Toronto
condo
Housing is really, really expensive in Yellowknife.
http://bit.ly/2cTv5lq
Articles
from USA
Five signs your
parking structure needs maintenance
An ineffective maintenance routine on a parking structure can quickly
lead to costly repairs and restorations that can be disruptive to
tenants and cause unexpected costs and safety concerns.
http://bit.ly/2b6zJxL
Butane honey oil
lab discovered in garage of Anaheim condo
According to Anaheim police, there have been several incidents
involving butane honey oil labs. In March, two men died from a lab
explosion, and a lab burned down an entire condo in January.
http://cbsloc.al/2cIYsrh
Articles from
Asia
A place to
resolve issues over your condo
In Malaysia, if you have an issue with your condo neighbour or
the board, take them to the Strata Management Tribunal. If you win, you
really win. Ignoring the tribunal's decisions is a criminal offence.
http://bit.ly/2d3e1Ng
B60 million cash, submachine guns in drug boss's condo
The Thai police raided a condo rented by a drug lord and seized
millions in cash, drugs and ten submachine guns equipped with sound
suppressors.
Sound suppressors? Perhaps the condo has very strict rules about noise.
Owners! Be careful who you rent to.
http://bit.ly/2deSDAV
—†—
Condo News
22 September 2016
The 10 ugliest condos in Toronto
I am no expert but I don't agree that all of these
buildings belong on the top 10 ugly list. I actually like the New York
Towers (Bayview & 401). They may be a little cheesy but at least
they stand out from all the window-wall boxes that surround them.
http://bit.ly/2c4gtAL
Windsor to weigh apartment-to-condo conversion trend
Some city councillors think a trend of turning apartments into
condominiums costs the city in taxes and rental property—and that
perhaps tax rates should be adjusted.
The city’s planning committee on Monday night endorsed the conversion
of the three-storey, 16-unit apartment building at 1805 Riverside Dr.
W. into a condo building—given the Canada Housing and Mortgage
Corporation rules allow it.
http://bit.ly/2cN5TjK
Councillor's link to condos questioned
In a news release Friday morning, the Coalition of Kingston
Communities, said Trillium District councillor Adam Candon would be in
a conflict of interest if he took part in a scheduled vote on The
Capitol project, a proposed condo tower on the site of the former
Capitol Theatre at 223 Princess St.
On Tuesday, city council is to vote on an amendment to the zoning bylaw
that would permit the tower to be built to a height of 15 storeys,
seven storeys higher than is currently permitted.
Candon is a real estate agent and, up until a few days ago, had a
website that advertised the condominiums to be built in The Capitol
project to prospective buyers.
http://bit.ly/2cumOCV
Edmonton's
Artists Quarters: Heating a condo with just a hairdryer
A proposed condo building in Edmonton will be energy efficient. Be
interesting to see how well it holds up over time.
http://bit.ly/2cV15WO
Price too high to silence noisy owner (BC)
None of the council members live near this guy, so never have to deal
with his issues, and while a number of people on floors 24-26 have
complained the council have done nothing. Their excuse is that it will
cost more to enforce the bylaws than we can recover so why bother? A
small group of owners are pretty frustrated and have gone to see a
lawyer, but the cost estimates are very high. Is there no one who can
force the strata to simply enforce the bylaws?
The answer was surprising.—editor
To enforce a bylaw and obtain a court order, the strata corporation
would have been required to either make an application to the Supreme
Court of BC or to commence an Arbitration. Either action would have
required a three-quarter’s vote at a general meeting, and the funding
to proceed with the action. As a result there have been very few such
actions, and in most cases, strata corporations have voted down the
applications because the majority of owners are rarely affected by the
actions of one chronic bylaw violator.
Sounds like BC was the good place for
a resident to act like a complete jerk. —editor
So the answer is for the owner to take the council (condo board) to the
new Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT).
However, we will have to see just how
effective this new cheaper Tribunal will actually be in practice.
—editor
http://bit.ly/2cN7wOe
English not
required for strata council meetings: Ministry of Housing
The BC government will not amend the Strata Property Act, to include
English as the
mandatory language of record in strata council meetings.
The board at one condo in Richmond uses Mandarin to conduct its
meetings.
The Ministry strongly encourages strata corporations to choose an
inclusive
approach to provide accessibility to all strata members.
“One option would be to provide interpretation services to other
languages; however, the technical requirements of strata legislation
can be difficult to interpret accurately and should only be
contemplated by a qualified official interpreter.”
The disgruntled owners plan to take their dispute to a Human Rights
Tribunal.
http://bit.ly/2cYYGxs
Articles
from Australia
Gold Coast City Council application to host property on AirBnb can cost
as much as $8,086
The view from a
property on the Gold Coast available on AirBnB.
Gold Coasters in Australia are to be charged $8,086 to rent out a room
or their homes under changes to the city plan in February.
As part of city council’s enforcement of party houses, most Gold Coast
AirBnb hosts must now apply for development permits to be able to rent
out their properties legally.
Two show cause notices have been issued to AirBnb hosts since February
and another 40 short-term rental owners separate to AirBnb are also
believed to be under investigation.
Hundreds of other AirBnb hosts are potentially at risk of being issued
show cause notices by council for having not applied for permits.
Municipalities all over the world are
taking different tacks on how to deal with unregulated short-term
rentals. It would be nice to see some consistency. —editor
http://bit.ly/2cE0V3K
—†—
Condo News
20 September 2016
The auditor's
name is a secret?
A condo board in northern Ontario sends the owners the
audited financial statements in the AGM package. However, the name,
signature, and contact
information for the auditor and the firm was removed from the
statements.
All the owners can tell from this report is that the auditor is from
Thunder Bay. The
auditor does not attend the AGM and therefore the owners cannot ask
him, or her, any questions.
An owner wrote me saying:
"Nothing we say matters. It is just the manager talking, saying: 'Let
me
tell you something.' Last AGM an owner asked why the Financial
Statements had no logo or signature. He replied: 'This is not a place
to ask that. Come to the office.' He says many things like that so why
go to the AGMs?"
The name of the accounting firm was included in the Treasurer's
Report that was distributed to the owners after the AGM.
After the AGM, the original financial statements were made available to
any owner who requested one.
I ask you: have you ever come across anything
like this?
—†—
Condo News
19 September 2016
Telus seeks
exclusive access to multi-family buildings
Terms of agreements unfair to strata owners, condo advocates say.
http://bit.ly/2c1wd3X
Respecting the
board
An owner responds to a demand that he treat the board with respect.
http://bit.ly/2cCxFMV
Condo developers
could help to pay for Toronto public school repairs, board says
Toronto's public schools are "old," in desperate need of repair, and
the school board says it could start fixing these problems if the
province allowed it to collect fees from condo developers.
This is a brilliant idea. New condo buyers are now paying for new
parks,
traffic lights, affordable housing units, playgrounds, art, sidewalks,
libraries, wind farms, solar panels, carbon taxes and bicycle lanes so
why not have them repair Toronto's
public schools as well.
http://bit.ly/2cqIx0W
Thermal metering
crosses the pond
Technology used widely in Europe expected to gain traction in Canada.
So not only will you pay for your own electricity, you may be paying
for your unit's heating and air conditioning too.
http://bit.ly/2cjdJyW
West End
Vancouver condo owners say they’ve been harassed to sell
Threatening old people with 300% increases in monthly fees and renting
units to drug dealers is
despicable.
http://bit.ly/2cQBIp0
'Leaky condo'
crisis hits Magee Secondary School pushing students into portables
Vancouver's newest high school is leaking so badly students will soon
be sitting in portables while a contractor replaces all the windows and
walls, the Vancouver School Board has confirmed.
"Instead of it being a leaky house, it's a leaky school," he said on
Tuesday.
http://bit.ly/2crl9jL
Articles
from USA
This
bedbug-infested “American Life”: Ira Glass gets sued by
condo board
Radio legend has been accused of causing rodent and bedbug infestation
in Chelsea.
Neither Glass nor his wife, writer and editor Anaheed Alani, have
allowed the building’s management to enter their one-bedroom apartment,
which they bought for $1.27 million back in 2012, the condo board
alleges.
http://bit.ly/2cO9RJf
HOAs meet with
Garner police over embezzlement case
Police officials said they started the embezzlement investigating about
a month ago. Now Garner Police says up to $1 million may be missing.
http://bit.ly/2ceUruM
Articles
from Asia
Cambodia's
capital in condo boom
Phnom Penh has 45,000 new condo units being built.
http://bbc.in/2cX84hj
—†—
Condo News
17 September 2016
Urbancorp home
buyers lose fight to complete their purchases
Buyers in several insolvent Urbancorp projects have lost their bitter
fight to convince a court to let them complete the purchase of their
homes.
On Thursday, an Ontario Superior Court judge approved the sale of six
Urbancorp development sites in the Greater Toronto Area to five
different buyers – including Mattamy Homes and Fernbrook Homes. The
developments are among several Urbancorp companies that filed for
bankruptcy protection earlier this year.
http://bit.ly/2cDYamf
Watermain break
causes another power outage at Minto condo tower
Residents frustrated as only 1 of 3 elevators working in 52-storey
building
http://bit.ly/2ckwCSF
—†—
Condo News
15 September 2016
Fees waived for
older cats adopted in Toronto this weekend
The City of Toronto in partnership with Toronto Cat Rescue and PetSmart
Charities is holding a pet adoption blitz during PetSmart Charities of
Canada's National Adoption Weekend from September 16 to 18.
Residents can go home with a cat more than eight years old without
paying the usual $75 adoption fee. The adoption fee for cats younger
than eight is $75 and it ranges from $185 to $215 for dogs. Standard
pet licensing fees apply to Toronto residents.
Rabbits that are spayed/neutered and other small animals will be
available for a $40 adoption fee.
Dozens of cats, dogs and rabbits are up for adoption at two PetSmart
locations, 835 Eglinton Ave. E. and 2050 Eglinton Ave. E.
All cats, dogs and rabbits are sterilized (spayed/neutered),
microchipped, vet-checked, de-wormed and vaccinated.
There is also a wide variety of animals available for adoption at each
of Toronto's shelters, including cats, dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs,
rabbits and birds.
Toronto Animal Services shelter locations:
• West Region, 146 The East Mall (Highway 427 and Dundas Street W)
• North Region, 1300 Sheppard Ave. W. (Keele St & Sheppard Ave W)
• East Region, 821 Progress Ave. (Highway 401 and Markham Rd)
The three shelters are open from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. seven days a
week.
http://bit.ly/2cIcZpw
Pane of glass
falls from balcony of downtown condo building
No injuries have been reported after a pane of glass from a downtown
condo building fell to the ground Wednesday morning. It happened at a
building located on Simcoe Street near Adelaide Street just before 8
a.m.
Police said the pane likely fell from the 25th floor.
It was not immediately clear what caused the window to fall.
As a precaution, police have closed a portion of Simcoe Street, Nelson
Street and Duncan Street.
As the area remains closed, guests at the nearby Shangri-La Hotel have
been instructed not to use its Simcoe Street doors.
http://bit.ly/2cVrZkp
—†—
Condo News
14 September 2016
No batteries in
smoke alarm in Scarborough apartment where fire left man dead, Toronto
Fire says
The Ontario Fire Marshal's office determined the cause during its
investigation, in which it also found that there were no batteries in
the smoke alarm in the ground-floor unit where the flames broke out
before 5:15 a.m.
Toronto Fire is still determining whether charges are possible under
the Ontario Fire Code.
All condo owners should ask to see their building's Fire Inspection
Certificate and read the latest Fire Inspection report.
http://bit.ly/2c0Lwde
Actor J.P.
Manoux’s condo had hidden camera, tenants testify in court
Renting a furnished condo unit? The owner may have installed a hidden
camera to insure that his/her property is not being damaged. It is also
possible that the owner has other reasons.
http://on.thestar.com/2cfN9EE
PMC recommends
condos hire an armed security guard
I found this to be a strange article. It may have been written for
American management companies as I can't see the need for any condo in
Toronto hiring armed guards.
http://bit.ly/2c5eCvi
Condo lawsuit
alleges balconies pose 'serious safety risk'
Owners of units in a four-year-old condominium complex near St. Anne's
Road and Warde Avenue in Winnipeg have launched a lawsuit alleging
multiple defects in their building, some of which they say pose safety
risks.
http://bit.ly/2cOklsb
Articles
from USA
Gated Communities Sued For Negligent Security
Condo corporations in the USA and Canada may want to pay attention to
this.
http://bit.ly/2cfN042
Beach
Condo Sued by Woman in wheelchair for FHA discrimination
The owners at this condo better start saving up their money
because I bet they are going to lose this one and it is going to be
very expensive.
http://bit.ly/2cK09Xh
Judge: Aspen
service-dog dispute likely headed for trial
How could the condo get themselves into such a mess?
http://bit.ly/2cL0fza
Combat vet
fighting protracted battle with HOA over covenants
I figure the odds are against this owner.
http://bit.ly/2czhE9h
Olathe man’s war
with HOA over landscaping: $400,000 at stake
This guy doesn't belong in a homeowners' association. He would also
come to grief in Pyongyang. Too independent minded.
http://bit.ly/2cdZbRN
E-mails from
readers
Boy, your Sep 12, 2016 news is brilliant, especially the "Six reasons you
should promote yourself from landlord to real estate investor."
Most people just don't get it.
I will be circulating this to the board.
Betty—North York
Hi Betty;
That article came from an investment
magazine. The stark differences in the interests of condo "investors"
and resident-owners is so rarely so bluntly spelled out. What an
owner sees as his home, possibly for life, investors see as a cash cow
that is to be dumped before expensive repairs are required.
—editor
—†—
Condo News
12 September 2016
Six reasons you
should promote yourself from landlord to
real estate investor
A Toronto based condo property management company, who also wants to
manage individual condo units, posted a Tweet linking to this article.
It advises investors not to become landlords but to offload all those
hassles onto a property management company. Reading this article gives
an owner-resident insight on why 'investors' act differently than
owner-residents.
"To be a real estate investor, you only need to have business at the
forefront of your mind. You buy an asset with
the intention to offload
such property for good profit as soon as it is profitable ...
Investors
have no sentimental attachments to properties."
These are the type of people who may very well be controlling your
board of directors.
You also should ask your property management company if they are also
managing individual or blocks of units within the corporation. If they
are, then who's interests are they looking after?
http://entm.ag/2bUKfq0
Evidence
collecting is key in resolving conflicts
A lot of residents will complain about their neighbours but they will
not collect evidence nor will they sign an affidavit about the misery
they are subjected too. They are afraid. They want the manager or board
to fix their problem without them getting involved. As Robert Noce—an
Edmonton condo lawyer—writes, this is not how it works.
http://bit.ly/2cpJ3xD
Why Are Condos
So Crappy?
Investors mostly care about how much money they will make. They will
never live in the place, chances are they will just rent out the suite
for a year or two then sell it.
The developer is therefore marketing their product to the investor who
just wants to make money and will never live in the suite.
http://bit.ly/2bQWR2V
Walk-in closet
advertised for $580 a month in downtown Vancouver
The tiny space, which is described in the ad as a “den,” was posted to
a Facebook group for international students this week. The door of the
closet opens into a bedroom that’s rented by a couple, and another
tenant is living in a separate room.
In total, four people are currently paying rent in the two-bedroom,
two-bathroom apartment, though the ad does say heat and internet are
included.
http://bit.ly/2c1cy5f
Articles
from USA
Fla. Condo
Latest to Sue Over Hordes of Pokémon Players
http://bit.ly/2ckWrCN
Negligent
Security Suit Filed in Home Invasion Slaying
of Halliburton Heir
"But Edwards said there is enough information to bring a negligent
security lawsuit against Westridge property manager FirstService
Residential Florida Inc. and security company G4S Secure Solutions USA
Inc."
Condos and other home owner associations need to ensure that security
measures are adequate.
http://bit.ly/2cdiV7z
Articles
from Australia
A crack pipe was
left in our vase
A couple claimed they needed an Airbnb condo to be close to a sick
child in the hospital. They were drug users who robbed the unit and
trashed what was left behind.
http://bit.ly/2cgOMUk
—†—
Condo News
09 September 2016
Can a real
estate agent protect you from biker gangs?
Advertising standards agency says humorous advertisement
'over-promised' real estate agent's powers.
http://bit.ly/2bVvSRu
Don't expect
compensation, Toronto Hydro tells CityPlace residents after 4th outage
in 2 weeks
Will CityPlace ever get a break? Ever?
Got to wonder how many leases will be renewed?
http://bit.ly/2cxkWKg
Billion dollar
fund manager comes out of retirement to bet against Canadian real estate
Investors who short stocks earn fortunes when they get the timing
right. They lose fortunes when their timing is wrong. The doomsday
prophets have been wrong for a few years now. Are they right now?
http://bit.ly/2c6AUw0
Airbnb ban? Not
likely to happen, GTA councillors say
Calls to regulate short-term vacation rental services growing louder
with neighbourhood problems
http://bit.ly/2cEbSHP
Maps show
Toronto's building and population boom
Here is a series of maps showing the downtown areas that are facing the
largest levels of construction and future population increases.
http://bit.ly/2c9gswf
John Tory’s
magical thinking can’t repair broken subway
air conditioning
Toronto's politicians and city planners allowed developers to build
huge condos with too few parking spots along the city's streetcar and
subway lines because in their "socialist dreams" condo owners would not
need or want cars.
http://bit.ly/2bEOg3a
Multi-million
dollar lawsuit filed re: Edmonton condos
A condo lawyer says that construction defects are common so these type
of lawsuits are also common.
So why buy pre-construction when it can prove to be so costly?
http://bit.ly/2bF5MRP
Toronto company
offering DNA testing for doggy doo doo
President Garry Bradamore says he got the idea last year when he
started walking his girlfriend’s dog outside his Fort York condo.
“There was dog waste everywhere,” he said. “It was pure disgust. It was
upsetting to see people were not being responsible for their pets.”
Bradamore reached out to property management in his and other buildings
in the neighbourhood to see if anything was being done. What he mostly
heard were horror stories.
“In Liberty Village, Fort York and Queen’s Quay, they’re telling me
they find it in the stairwells, hallways and parking garages,” he said.
“People are throwing it off the balconies.”
http://bit.ly/2bUTkR7
Mandarin
language battle at BC condo resumes
The
settlement between a group of non-Mandarin speakers and their board did
not last long. It fell apart at its first AGM.
Who will win this? The lawyers and the Mercedes Benz salesmen.
http://bit.ly/2bVvKRm
Articles
from USA
The shocking
cost of running toilets in NYC apartments
A running toilet wastes about 25 times more water than a shower
leak and four times as much water as a simple faucet leak. As you can
imagine, the cost of such wastefulness significantly adds up over the
course of a month, let alone a calendar year.
According to the City of New York, where the cost of water has risen
200% over the past decade, a running toilet with a medium leak will
typically waste 250 gallons per day, costing over $100 a month. Got an
open-fill valve? That can waste up to 4,000 gallons per day, costing
about $1,350 a month.
http://bit.ly/2cetR4m
Wrongful
foreclosure claims rock the condo world
According to some lawyers, if this Hawaii class-action lawsuit is
successful, it could be disastrous for two law firms and 72 condo
corporations.
“It’s a gamble. If I’m right, it could bankrupt these law firms and
many condominium associations along with them.” — Jim Bickerton,
attorney
http://bit.ly/2bLxsJr
Superman’s
building goes condo
Units at Brooklyn Heights condo start at $1.3 million for a one-bedroom.
http://nyti.ms/2c0wxSF
Articles
from Europe
Chinese firm to
build Europe's tallest residential condo in London
Plans for £800m Spire London include controversial ‘poor doors’ for 96
units reserved for social tenants and private elevators and for the
penthouses.
It gives us an idea how Queens Park plan for inclusive housing in
condos will most likely be played out.
http://bit.ly/2csv3R4
Articles
from Australia
Condo building
Defect Report
While an essential document if written properly, according to Michael
Teys, a defects report should do more than list every crack and creak
in a building.
https://youtu.be/XaGoHU3Gc8A
Australia's most
expensive balcony and it hasn't been built
This shows that all over the world, only the wealthy can afford to
fight it out in courts.
http://bit.ly/2ckzMUt
—†—
Condo News
08 September 2016
Houses are not
bananas
Economists explain why large increases in the supply of housing will
not led to decreases in prices. Policies that would lower prices would
be politically unpopular so our governments won't do it.
http://bit.ly/2chmDzx
—†—
Condo News
06 September 2016
CityPlace
buildings again without power
Toronto Hydro says a power outage that hit CityPlace buildings Saturday
evening is expected to be restored by noon on Sunday.
It’s the third power outage to affect CityPlace this week, according to
Toronto Hydro, and crews are currently working to replace damaged
cables.
http://on.thestar.com/2cbNDiv
Court rules home
buyers’ group must cover its legal costs
in Urbancorp case
Their home deposits have evaporated. Now there's legal fees.
http://bit.ly/2bS5BVV
Mortgages for all
Any schmuck can get a mortgage, and a great many of them do. If the
major banks reject them, there are dozens of other lenders that won’t.
http://bit.ly/1TTq8a9
Permit problems
leave new Winnipeg homeowners frustrated
They didn't hire a home inspector. Not very smart.
http://bit.ly/2bq2qVw
Mom and pop
landlords
With cities such as Vancouver and Toronto struggling to cope with a
housing-affordability crisis, many people are choosing to rent out
secondary suites in, or attached to, their homes as they try to keep a
handle on outrageous property prices.
In condo apartments, they rent out "dens" and "private spaces" or take
in short-term rentals.
http://bit.ly/2beoWiW
Condo pet owners
protest proposed pet ban
Metro News recently reported that a proposed rule change to ban pets in
a downtown Toronto condominium has caused considerable uproar among
residents. The proposed rule would allow current owners to keep their
existing pets, but no new pets would be allowed. However, service
animals under 25 pounds would be permitted.
It is questionable if the proposed rule change is legally enforceable
for several reasons.
http://bit.ly/2cswQJG
Articles
from USA
Percentage
of voters is declining
The percentage of voters who are voting in US federal elections
is dropping with the biggest collapse in the vote among the lower
income Americans.
If people feel that they have little say in policy, it does not matter
who wins.
Fellow unit
owners creating unbearable condo rooftop noise!
Mr. Condo advises the owner to talk to the board. If that doesn't work
then: "this sounds like a case of “buyer beware”. If so, and the noise
cannot be controlled, I might suggest you also
sell to an unsuspecting buyer during a time of year when the
noise doesn’t exist. Good luck!"
http://bit.ly/29QRVJ7
Brickell House’s
condo association runs into another snag in robotic garage predicament
Another
new condo development where the owners are suing the developer over
defects. This time it is a new hi-tech parking system that does not
work.
http://bit.ly/2bCkR6n
Articles
from Australia
High-rise
apartments are bad to live in and bad for society, says respected
architect.
"Much of the high-rise that is being constructed, we think is going to
be unlivable within a generation," Professor Buxton said, because the
standard of construction was poor and came with high energy prices.
http://bit.ly/2bwDiMO
Police bust
illegal 'pop-up' brothel in Australian apartment
The SICU says its current focus is on illegal brothels operating out of
apartment buildings.
http://bit.ly/2bDsijQ
—†—
Condo News
01 September 2016
Airbnb warning
Fake renters take out a lease and then list the condo unit on Airbnb.
An easy way of using the landlord's unit to make money.
http://bit.ly/2bMDFnA
Dundas &
Jarvis – is this the next big “condo corner?”
As far as the number of units being built, it sure will be. Will be be
a great neighbourhood? Not in my lifetime.
http://bit.ly/2bq4WrO
In a crisis,
condo board needs its own attorney
In a crisis? At all times a condo corporation needs its own attorney.
http://wapo.st/2boFdzP
Edmonton condo
developer faces $5.5M lawsuit
This is why I suggest not buying a unit in any condo corporation that
is not 5-6 years old. You can't tell what expensive problems will show
up.
http://bit.ly/2bxrzPN
Articles
from USA
Ikea's 2017
catalog is a terrifying glimpse into the tiny apartments of the future
Micro apartments. They're all the rage, mostly because they're all that
the majority of metropolis-living millennials can actually afford.
http://bit.ly/2bNr3tu
PwC settles
$5.6B negligent auditing case mid-trial
The bankruptcy trustee for mortgage lender Taylor Bean & Whitaker
Mortgage Corp. sued PwC for allegedly negligently auditing Colonial
Bank, missing a multi-billion-dollar fraud that led to one of the
biggest bank collapses of the recession.
The latest in a long running list of audit scandals with the major
international auditing companies.
http://bit.ly/2bH9ZcA
US company
launches self-driving cabs
The tiny Cambridge startup nuTonomy Inc outflanked Uber Technologies
Inc. with the launch of the first self-driving car service, used in
taxis in Singapore.
http://bit.ly/2brwc9m
Articles
from Australia
Hiring a
property management company
A short video that explains the two management styles and the four ways
management companies get paid.
https://youtu.be/jX4EeFtEud8
—†—
Condo News
29 August 2016
Toronto fire
crews quickly extinguish balcony fire at Scarborough apartment building
Fire crews battled a blaze in a Scarborough building balcony Monday
afternoon. Toronto firefighters and police were called to 5 Brockley
Dr. near Midland and Lawrence avenues for a fire on an 11th-floor
balcony.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze and cleared the scene within 24
minutes. No one hurt and only slight damage. Still, there are too many
fires on apartment balconies.
http://bit.ly/2bR9ax3
Sane people do
not go to the Supreme Court of Canada to evict a cat
Back in 2006, a Condo board failed to have the Supreme Court hear their
appeal to uphold the Declaration and evict a cat.
http://bit.ly/2bHCX80
Mike Holmes:
These are the four red flags to watch for when interviewing contractors
There are definitely a few things you wouldn’t want to hear from any
contractor that you’re thinking of hiring.
http://bit.ly/2c0luew
Airbnb offering
$250 for new hosts in rental-squeezed Vancouver
In an email campaign circulating this week, Airbnb is offering $250 for
first-time hosts in Vancouver who sign up and complete at least one
booking by Sept. 30.
In its promotion, Airbnb suggests new hosts could earn up to $2,309 per
week if they rent out an entire house with two bedrooms. The company
takes a three-per-cent commission.
http://bit.ly/2bEqOQW
Articles
from USA
Threat of
lawsuits crimps condo developments
Denver builders afraid of lawsuits for poor quality work if they build
condos. They want the laws relaxed.
http://bit.ly/2beSqNQ
Grassroots group
meets monthly to discuss HOA issues
An Arizona group of about two dozen homeowners, attorneys, and even a
lawmaker now convene on the third Monday of every month at the state
Capitol to discuss landscaping, parking, garbage bins and anything else
related to home ownership. They say they want more oversight over the
boards and community management companies.
"None of us are making money; we're just there to help people living in
HOAs, even the ones who don't know there's a problem," Schweitzer said.
"I think the playing field heavily favors the homeowners associations
over the homeowner," said attorney Steve Cheifetz. He has been dealing
with legal disputes involving HOAs for the past 15 years. He's part of
the group and said he
wants to see more regulations, like requiring community managers to
disclose gifts they receive from outside vendors.
This is the second time I read of a need for property
managers/companies to disclose gifts or commissions from contractors
and vendors.
http://bit.ly/2c1Kljk
Key West
business leaders cited a third time for illegal vacation rental
For the third time in 15 months, Chris Belland and Ed Swift, of
Historic Tours of America, have been accused by the Code Compliance
Department for agreeing to rent two luxury condos at Key Cove Drive for
six nights at roughly $4,000 each to an undercover code officer via
HomeAway.com and vrbo.com.
The sightseeing tour operators and real estate developers face up to
$24,000 in fines for the two condo rental cases.
http://bit.ly/2bih12x
Articles
from Australia
City of Sydney
cuts apartment levies (taxes) by up to $60,000 in global warming battle
One building, the 15-storey Aria Apartments in Waterloo, is saving
$61,000 in annual levies through measures such as lighting upgrades and
adjusting timers on car park exhaust fans to match peak traffic flows,
while introducing new recycling stations and an e-waste bin.
http://bit.ly/2c5pUly
Unlockproperty
An Australian website where condo owners rate their condo building and
the developer/builder.
“This is a fantastic initiative which will empower purchasers to make
better choices,” says Karen Stiles, executive officer of apartment
owners lobby group the Owners Corporation Network.
http://unlockproperty.com.au/
—†—
Condo News
25 August 2016
Residents
fighting back after condo board proposes pet ban
The board at two City Place towers are planning to ban all new pets
from the property. Some owners are planning to fight.
A ban on all new dogs has been done by changes to the rules at three
condos that I am aware of but banning all pets may not be found
reasonable by the courts.
http://bit.ly/2bNLbgn
Here is an undated article from Metro.
http://bit.ly/2bPt88f
Water leaks into
the unit below
In two recent Small Claim lawsuits, unit owners sued the corporation.
The owners were blamed by their condo corporations for being the cause
of water leaks in the unit below. The corporations put a lien on the
two units to collect damages.
In one case, the owner lost but in the other, the owner won.
http://bit.ly/2bDoiem
Why you need
fraud controls
Articles
from USA
Property
management signs the cheques
One property manager signature on the cheques is all this
homeowner's association requires. Sounds dangerous to me.
http://bit.ly/2bw6Mga
Porsche apartments take car loving to new heights
A look at how the other 5% live at a new condo being built in Miami.
http://bit.ly/2b6B9UD
Thousands
ordered to repaint their homes in Rancho Sahuarita
Half of the houses in this Arizona HOA, some that just were painted,
were given orders to re-paint their homes.
What is interesting is that the one man who talked on camera, insisted
on staying autonomous. Is the fear in these HOA's that strong? If so,
it is time to sell and get out.
http://bit.ly/2ban6B3
Articles
from Australia
When the courts
appoint an administrator
This article explains how an administrator is appointed in Australia.
What I found interesting is the risks one takes in owning a unit in a
small condo corporation where the majority of units are owned by a
single family.
http://bit.ly/2baza4W
Becoming a condo
owner ('Owners Corporations')
An excellent three minute video on what it is like to become a new
owner in a condo corporation. (the terms are different than what
Canadians are use to but the concepts are identical.
http://bit.ly/2bUoYzi
—†—
Condo News
22 August 2016
Motorcyclist
dies in Toronto condo parking lot after being shot
multiple times
A man was pronounced dead on Sunday afternoon after he was found in the
King Street West area with multiple gunshot wounds, Toronto paramedics
say.
Police were called to an underground parking lot at a condominium at
954 King St. West near Strachan Avenue about reports of a motorcycle on
the ground and a man injured.
They arrived to find the man's injuries were not consistent with a
collision as was initially reported, and are now treating the incident
as a criminal one.
There is no word on the man's age at this time.
Toronto police dog services and forensics were on the scene, and the
homicide unit is now investigating,
http://bit.ly/2bHUPkx
http://on.thestar.com/2bodd32
City of Toronto
challenges Queen's Park over affordable housing
The city says the proposed legislation creates an impossible choice for
the city - asking councillors to choose between badly-needed affordable
units and badly-needed community infrastructure.
So does your local councillor get to decide whether a new condo tower
will give the neighbourhood some low-income housing units, a new park
or a playground?
The proposed new Act says that the councillor can't ask for both.
http://on.thestar.com/2bE6LpJ
Ontario to
License Home Inspectors
Minister of Government and Consumer Services Marie-France Lalonde
announced Ontario's intent to introduce legislation this fall that
would, if passed, regulate the province's home inspection industry in
order to better protect consumers.
The proposed changes would:
• Require home inspectors to be licensed with proper qualifications
• Set minimum standards for contracts, home inspection reports,
disclosures,
and the performance of home inspections
• Establish an independent Administrative Authority to administer and
enforce
the home inspection licensing legislation and associated
regulations
These changes would ensure consumers benefit from quality advice, are
protected from surprise costs and aware of safety issues before buying
a home.
The standards for condos should be higher than detached homes because
condos include very expensive common elements.
A condo home inspector should, at a minimum, be able to advise the
potential purchaser if the underground garage, the building envelope,
the balconies, the hot water risers and the windows are in good shape.
http://bit.ly/2bj3F6G
http://bit.ly/2b9Ed2Y
Articles
from USA
Solar snare:
spend thousands and cut power bills by $9 a month
Global Efficient Energy promised to cut our energy bill in half with a
solar power system that it would install at our house. The system cost
$19,900, which we would pay off in monthly installments over the course
of six or seven years. Once we owned the system outright, the company
said, we’d pay next to nothing for energy.
That sounded great. But after the company installed solar panels on our
roof, solar-powered fans in our attic and a bunch of energy-saving foam
and sealants, our electricity bill barely changed. We saved about $9 a
month.
http://nyti.ms/2aT1kyl
More information
on the Kornerstone investigation
The homeowner
associations allowed their bank accounts to be kept in the property
management company's name.
http://bit.ly/2ba0QrF
Article
from Europe
Nash
Kray Party launches first online rating of housing management
companies, homeowner associations in Kyiv
The Nash Kray Party has launched a first
social network in Ukraine for residents of multi-apartment buildings in
Kyiv with an online rating option for housing management companies and
homeowner associations.
What a great idea.
http://bit.ly/2bRhb6C
—†—
Condo News
19 August 2016
CRTC could
suspend residents’ Internet service unless condo grants access to
fourth telecom
It looks like the days of single-source cable TV and Internet services,
in the areas with high-density condo towers are over.
http://bit.ly/2b38XEt
Mississauga
council approves three more high-rise condos along Hurontario’s LRT
corridor
Rivalling the 50 and 56-storey Marilyn Monroe towers near the city
centre, council approved the new condo units for the southwest corner
of Hurontario Street and Elm Drive west. Slated to be 35, 40 and 50
storeys respectively, the new condos are part of a growing trend to
build high-rises along the future Hurontario light rail transit (HLRT)
corridor.
In return the city will get $3,020,000 in section 37 community benefits
and a small park.
http://bit.ly/2bw7C9z
You’ve Really
Got To Be Your Own Lawyer First In Condoland
Charles Hanes
on why you need to read the pre-construction documents and then give
them to an experienced lawyer to read.
http://bit.ly/2aXOgHM
Ontario hospital
executive dismissed over ethics breach,
documents say
A high-ranking hospital executive overseeing a massive redevelopment
project enlisted five of the hospital’s contractors to help renovate
and decorate her custom-built home, doled out work to her friends and
family, and became a paid consultant to one of the vendors, a forensic
audit found.
The findings led Markham Stouffville Hospital to obtain court orders
for several banks to hand over financial records for Suman Bahl, the
former vice-president of capital development and corporate services, as
well as companies linked to her friends and family.
This investigation is not related to condos but it does show that
corruption is a serious problem in Canada and that it affects all kinds
of our non-profit corporations.
http://bit.ly/2buwApN
Articles
from USA
Homeowners In
sinking, tilting Millennium Tower file class-action lawsuit seeking
$500 million
After news broke that the 58-story, 419-residence Millennium Tower,
completed in 2009, had sunk 16 inches in height and tilted two inches
northwest, pissed and panicked homeowners were pretty sure to sue, and
you know what? They did just that, filing a class-action lawsuit
against both the developer of their shifting building and the public
entity developing the neighboring Transbay Transit Center.
http://bit.ly/2aWZ6Qd
Congress Avenue
shut down after glass falls from Austin's tallest skyscraper
No injuries have been reported, and the reason for the falling glass is
unknown.
Standing 683 feet high, the 56-story tower at 2nd Street and Congress
Avenue is the city's tallest skyscraper. It was built in 2010.
http://bit.ly/2aW9kQY
Condo
inspections should include evaluation of exterior, common elements
This article spells out the many costly headaches a condo owner can
face – from uneven heating to unsafe balconies to bad brick facades.
It’s a must read for condo buyers.
http://bit.ly/2bhGixn
Mould killed my
cat
When my kitten started getting sick, I just panicked. I was so scared
he was going to die like my cat had. My landlord didn’t seem concerned
about the mould and didn’t want to have a professional come in and take
care of it, so I decided to move.
After we moved, the kitten’s symptoms cleared up almost right away. I’m
still really sad and angry about losing Bengy, though. I just had no
idea mould could make a cat that sick.
http://bit.ly/2b8hK9G
—†—
Condo News
17 August 2016
Person dies
after condo apartment tower fire in north Scarborough
Toronto firefighters say they were called to 150 Alton Towers Circle,
south of McCowan Road and Steeles Avenue East, for a report of a fire
on the 16th floor of the building.
Firefighters were trying to determine if the person was attempting to
escape the flames or slipped and fell off of a balcony.
http://bit.ly/2bcEXcz
The trouble with
POPS
The developer makes a deal with the city to build extra floors in a
condo building in exchange for a privately owned public space (POPS),
and then a ground floor business ignores the agreement.
http://bit.ly/2biscZJ
By the way, The Globe and Mail rates their ice cream as:
Toronto’s most overrated ice cream (and where you should go instead)
http://bit.ly/1Vp7yKx
Here is another great article about this misuse of POTS.
http://bit.ly/2aPpf7I
The restaurant caves in. I guess they did not like the publicity.
http://bit.ly/2bjEJil
Buying a home in
the GTA requires a six-figure income
A study being published Friday by real estate brokerage TheRedpin shows
that the average required to buy a home in the GTA, anything from a
condo apartment to a detached house, is $124,153, including the income
needed for property taxes and utilities.
I don't think so. People can decide to live "house-poor" by forsaking a
second car, expensive vacations and skimping on a lot of unnecessary
spending. The condo or house can earn income by the owner renting rooms
(to roomers, students or Airbnb) or by renting out the complete
basement.
http://on.thestar.com/2bcI0S1
Some lawyers are
clearly overcharging their clients for the amount of work they actually
do
Three recent cases dealing with lawyers’ fees illustrate a pressing
need for Law Society study and intervention.
http://bit.ly/2aUQJoo
‘Memorial
garden’ disrupts needed repairs
I can't understand a condo corporation allowing a "Memorial Garden"
above an underground parking garage. The soil will need to be dug up so
repairs can be made sometime down the road.
What about termination in the years ahead? Could a legal challenge
derail that?
http://bit.ly/2boXDGe
Airbnb
Investigation—video
What happens when renters spend their entire vacation solving the
mystery of who their Airbnb host really is? A groundbreaking procedural
drama you don’t want to miss.
Watch this spoof trailer for an upcoming television reality series. It
may give you something to think about before renting out your apartment
to strangers.
http://bit.ly/2aFdIGW
Articles
from USA
East Lansing in
court again over nearly $20K in rental fines
Renting out a condo units without a licence can be expensive in some
municipalities. There are the fines and the legal fees.
http://on.lsj.com/2aQ6hbg
Underwater in
the Las Vegas desert, years after the housing crash
To visit this underwater America is to take a tour of too-easy money,
bad choices and worse luck, and of the way the economic toll of the
Great Recession still haunts much of America.
The crash tarnished their faith in that core American belief that
buying a house was a foolproof path to security and prosperity.
http://nyti.ms/2boGkoL
New law says
Uber, Lyft must be accessible to all
Companies such as Uber and Lyft must accommodate everyone in
Massachusetts, including those with disabilities, thanks to the new
state law regulating ride-hailing firms.
http://bit.ly/2aTAqJP
Articles
from Australia
High rise condo
towers use 25% more energy
People living in high-rise towers use about 25 per cent more energy
than detached homes, Melbourne city hall councillor Arron Wood said.
Almost half of that energy was consumed in common areas such as foyers,
corridors, pools, gyms and carparks, he said.
http://bit.ly/2aAPn4K
—†—
Condo News
15 August 2016
Toronto
dealing with elevator technician shortage, industry says
There aren't enough elevator technicians in Toronto to keep up with the
city's demand to build new elevators and fix aging ones, two industry
experts say.
http://bit.ly/2aFT4Bo
Don’t be tempted
to waive the home inspection when buying a home
Whether a house or a condo, a home inspection is critical.
http://bit.ly/1eUTXYr
Pulver on Condos
Here is the link to subscribe to "Pulver on Condos" newsletter. Shawn
L.
Pulver is a litigation partner at Macdonald Sager Manis LLP. He focuses
on condominium and real estate disputes.
http://bit.ly/29UYOXK
Lawsuit alleges
Alberta Motor Association victim of $8.2-million fraud
The court documents detail an alleged fraudulent scheme that was
surprisingly simple and easy to sustain because the AMA appears to have
trusted Gladden. It had given him sole authority to
approve the payment of invoices for goods or services used by
the AMA's information technology department.
http://bit.ly/2aFSIgq
Articles
from USA
Condo owners see
dead people, sue cemetery for $17M
Residents of a Lomita condominium complex filed suit Friday against the
city of Rancho Palos Verdes and a cemetery, seeking $17 million in
damages and a court order to stop rooftop interments that occur within
eyesight of the homeowners.
They are interning people on the roof-top. There is a first time for
everything.
http://bit.ly/2aSij52
Senator wrote
HOA bills while working for HOA
Ethics? What's ethics? A Nevada state senator wrote bills that favoured
the industry she works for. An example on how close some politicians
are with the housing industry.
http://bit.ly/2aS9mIz
Historic
Bulfinch facade to be part of condo project
A 211 year-old wall will be part of a new 12 story condo in downtown
Boston.
The condo project will have a four-story underground garage with an
automated parking system, a first in Boston. It will allows drivers to
leave their car on a platform, where a computer system will then
deliver it to a designated slot by way of treadmill-like technology. No
valets will be needed.
http://bit.ly/2bgyJEP
Know your duty
as HOA treasurer: 6 helpful tips
It is the treasure’s responsibility to protect the association’s assets.
http://bit.ly/2aXMOYJ
Battling dog
owners square off at HOA meeting in Maryland
Debo has been listed as a dangerous animal, but the board has not
kicked him out of the sub-division as of yet.
http://bit.ly/2aTrxjK
Articles
from Australia
Condo/strata
sales contracts
A very good explanation on how the sales contract for a
pre-construction sales agreement protects the developer more than the
buyer.
http://bit.ly/2aBj15v
—†—
Condo
News
12 August 2016
Ontario
electricity has never been cheaper, but bills have never been higher
Ontario signed long-term contracts with a handful of lucky
firms, guaranteeing them 13.5 cents per kWh for electricity produced
from wind, and even more from solar. Obviously, if the wholesale price
is around 2.5 cents, and the wind turbines are guaranteed 13.5 cents,
someone has to kick in 11 cents to make up the difference. That’s where
the Global Adjustment (GA) comes in. The more the wind blows, and the
more turbines get built, the bigger the losses and the higher the GA.
It gets worse. If people conserve power and demand drops, the GA per
kWh goes up, so if everyone tries to save money by cutting usage, the
price will just increase, defeating the effort.
http://bit.ly/2aLwLk4
Ontario consumers, are getting hit with huge electrical bills that are
rising every year. Condos are hard hit because of all the electricity
used in the common elements. People living in high-rise towers use
about 25% more energy than detached homes, Melbourne city hall councillor Arron Wood said.
Articles
from USA
Garner police
investigate after HOAs say money missing
Police said Wednesday that they are investigating the possible
embezzlement of tens of thousands of dollars from at least six
homeowners associations in the Triangle.
Accounts for all six HOAs were, at some point, maintained by
Kornerstone Community Management in Garner. Two of the HOAs have filed
reports with Garner police, and four have filed complaints with the
Consumer Protection Division of the state Attorney General's Office.
Kornerstone provides management services to about two dozen HOAs in the
Triangle. Its office was locked on Wednesday – the company is listed as
"permanently closed" on Google – and president Diana Ellis Kelly didn't
return phone calls and emails seeking comment.
Tony Losada, an HOA vice president for the Greystone Crossing
neighborhood in Garner, said about $52,000 is unaccounted for after the
HOA decided to leave Kornerstone in May and tried to transfer its funds
to another management company last month.
"We're still in the preliminary stages of that investigation and trying
to get our victims together, trying to ascertain what happened and then
where to go from here," Garner police Capt. Joe Binns said.
Binns said the investigation could be long and complex, giving the
number of HOAs that might be involved.
"We have a lot of other victims to contact and a lot of potential
victims to contact," he said. "Once we've made those contacts and kind
of get an idea of what we're talking about, then we can proceed on to
the other pieces of that investigation."
http://bit.ly/2ba0QrF
—†—
Condo News
11 August 2016
The tallest
residential building in the country operating on just three elevators .
. . . how’s that for “Lifestyle”?
Charles Hanes at his best. Naming names and describing problems.
http://bit.ly/2aG7Z2g
Condo insurance
primer
For those thinking of buying a Toronto condo for sale, existing condo
owners considering a change of providers or renters looking at Toronto
condos for rent, there are several aspects of condo insurance that make
it unique, though similar in some ways to standard home insurance, that
you need to know about.
http://bit.ly/2b5Iqqm
Two short-term
rental reports from Quebec
A
Montreal man to pay $62,000 in hotel taxes after renting out properties
on Airbnb and Régie rules that an apartment owner has right to change
locks on tenant for Airbnb abuse.
http://bit.ly/2b9bP4Q
Reserve Fund
Fraud
In 2004 Chris Gaglowitz wrote an article about the owner of a
management company who ripped off two condo corporations for $500,000.
The boards and the auditors were asleep on the job. So were the owners!
http://bit.ly/2b7sxQf
Articles
from USA
Luxury condo
residents sue over broken promises
The residents of a Midtown high-rise were promised a building of
“premier luxury caliber” — but all they got was a crumbling, leaky
mess, a $67 million lawsuit charges.
http://nyp.st/2aKrA0b
Little
plot of pansies costs homeowner $19,000
It appears that the board decided to teach this "wise guy" a
lesson.
According to a statement from the HOA’s legal advisers, “Mr. Lane is
known locally as a vocal opponent of homeowners associations while at
the same time he markets himself as a for-hire consultant to HOAs and
as a management company.”
Lane, who previously had served on the HOA board, said he believed the
board went after him over the pansies because he had angered members by
raising a legal liability issue during his tenure.
http://bit.ly/2awt5Q3
Condo board sues
tenant, alleging vacation rental violations
A Chicago condo board wants the tenant evicted. The unit owner is a
co-defendant.
http://bit.ly/2axmeES
How low will it
go? Millennium Tower’s troubles haven’t peaked
The Millennium Tower, a leading symbol of San Francisco’s new high-rise
and high-end living, is sinking — setting the stage for what could be
one of the most contentious and costly real estate legal battles the
city has ever seen.
Not only is the condo sinking, it has a two to six inch tilt. Is this
going to become the Leaning Tower of San Francisco?
http://bit.ly/2aH7EPo
Hollywood condo
association considers lawsuit against
'Pokemon Go' creators
Villas at Positano residents want game's maker to remove location as
stop.
http://bit.ly/2aBsrRq
Articles
from Australia
Airbnb guests
just too noisy
Julie bought the harbourside property to list on Airbnb 18 months ago
and was shocked when she opened the letter.
Airbnb tenants in a city strata apartment are driving their neighbours
bonkers by having loud, early morning sex.
The owner of the Darling Point, Sydney unit has even been threatened
with a fine, if the boisterous bonking continues.
http://bit.ly/2aCOVjB
—†—
Condo News
08 August 2016
Palace Pier
condo gets a luxurious renovation
A $850,000 condo unit at Humber Bay got a seven-month $600,000
make-over. Shows that there is still perceived value in some older
condos.
http://on.thestar.com/2adFVUQ
Associa Expands
its Canadian Operations into Ontario
A second very large American condo/HOA management company has entered
the Ontario market. (The first was First Service Residential.) By
partnering with Maple Ridge Community Management, Associa has gained a
solid
footing in the GTA.
http://bit.ly/2arGtWy
Bleecker St.
residents say ‘ghost hotels’ ruining neighbourhood
They are having the same effect in some condo buildings.
http://on.thestar.com/2aGlw7I
Condo board must
order offending owner to disconnect washing machine
The question is what does the owner do when the resident upstairs
ignores the manager's letter and the board then does nothing more to
enforce the rules/by-laws? That is the question that many condo owners
have.
Will the Condo Authority solve this when it is up and running in the
next year or two?
http://bit.ly/2aUnuoX
Strata council
(condo board) lifers
A blogger believes that a strata corporation (condo) with long serving
members is not a good
thing. It's not a good thing in national politics so why small
communities of people believe it's a good thing is baffling.
http://bit.ly/2aHoPyF
Changes will
benefit owners of older strata properties
Changes to B.C.’s Strata Property Act will give strata owners greater
flexibility when their property reaches the end of its life cycle or
when the strata members want to sell the property.
The changes will allow strata owners to terminate their strata
corporation by an 80% vote of all owners instead of the previous
difficult-to-achieve unanimous vote, which also required the signatures
of all lenders and other registered charge holders. Most other
jurisdictions, including Alberta and Ontario, do not require a
unanimous vote to terminate a strata corporation.
http://bit.ly/2aRMo8M
Condo owners
lose legal fight with Vancouver strata corporation over renting their
units
BC Appeals court rules that a strata (condo) with 158 units can limit
the number of rented units to one (1). Lucky devils. In Ontario, we can
just drool.
http://bit.ly/2awuMdk
Articles
from USA
Seattle’s push
for ‘affordable’ condo construction
The problem, as we see in Colorado, is that in order to motivate
developers to build non-luxury condos that moderate-income people can
afford to buy, condo owners would have to give up some of their rights
to legal remedies involving defective construction.
http://bit.ly/2ar2NyP
Anaheim
California says "Lights Out" to Airbnb
Anaheim, California lawmakers approved new regulations targeting
companies such as Airbnb, a peer-to-peer economy company connecting
tourists seeking short-term housing and hosts who provide places to
stay.
Part of the ordinance, which takes effect on August 11, requires the
city government to deny electric and water utility service to any
homeowners “who rent, offer to rent, or advertise for rent” space in
their homes to individuals for fewer than 30 days. The Anaheim Public
Utilities Department, a government agency, holds a monopoly on all
electricity and water services for consumers in the city.
Homeowners violating the restrictions will be charged $500 per
infraction, and companies accused of facilitating the voluntary
transactions, such as Airbnb, will also be charged $500 for each
violation.
http://bit.ly/2b0AjNU
Neighbor
disputes turn wealthy areas into war zones
The wealthy can afford the legal fees. The rest of us can't.
http://on.wsj.com/2afqmw3
Wrongful Death
Suit Against Association Illustrates Perils of Negligent Security,
Screening
This case appears to be the result of a perfect storm of failures on
behalf of the three defendants. The contractor looked the other way to
accommodate the company owner's criminal son; the homeowner turned over
the keys to her residence containing a loaded gun to the employee and
apparently enabled him to become a permitted resident of the community
under her authority; and the association's security and screening
protocols were completely disregarded by its staff, who also failed to
contact the homeowner after becoming aware that the killer had taken up
residence at her property.
http://ht.ly/qbDj302OeU2
Articles
from Australia
Is Airbnb
Destroying Strata Living?
Headlines about hired out apartments being used for all-night parties
and pop-up brothels mask a larger battle which is gathering pace
between some apartment owners on one hand and the growing prevalence of
short-stay accommodation within residential complexes on the other.
http://bit.ly/2aBEkDL
Security FOBs
are easily copied
Condos believe that electronic FOBs insure that only authorized people
can enter their buildings. As this "A Current Affair" news story shows
FOBs are easily copied and sold in food courts or coffee shops.
http://bit.ly/2auo6fC
—†—
Condo News
07 August 2016
How we are
affected by fraud
This recent graph by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
explains why Canadians should not think we are somehow more honest than
people from other countries.
It's worse here, in losses, than in the United States and in
Sub-Saharan Africa and even Southern Asia.
This chapter on corruption will help you understand what you need to
know about the potential for fraud in your condo.
http://bit.ly/2aEa3rh
Please checkout our new Twitter address:
https://twitter.com/condo_madness
—†—
Condo News
04 August 2016
Ontario
ministerial aides tapped to sell tickets to fundraisers
Political staff of many Ontario cabinet ministers double as fundraisers
for the Liberal Party, encouraging companies that do business with
government to buy tickets to private events hosted by the same
ministers who make decisions on contracts and policy.
In some cases, staffers would tell stakeholders that a minister they
wanted to meet with did not have time to see them during regular
business hours, many of the sources said – but they could instead buy a
ticket to a fundraiser and meet the minister there. The consequences to
companies of not going was that their phone calls would not be returned
and they would be treated more brusquely, some sources said.
http://bit.ly/2aaKkmI
What happens
when elevators stop running at one of Toronto's tallest condos?
You take the stairs or rent a hotel room. What else are you doing to
do? Hire Justin Beiber's bodyguards to carry you up the
stairs?
http://bit.ly/2agL1zV
http://bit.ly/2alSLft
fairbnb.ca
This Canadian coalition, formed to urge politicans to regulate the
short-term rental industry, is now on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/fairbnbcanada
Insurance
evaluations – no longer a luxury
An intersting article that all condo directors should read.
http://bit.ly/2awzlHT
Rural P.E.I.
condos aimed at baby boomer market
Don Reid looks to build condos in New London, Souris and Summerside.
The Summerside developer is betting that baby boomers would be happy to
settle down in one of P.E.I.'s smaller communities.
http://bit.ly/2aykDlp
Articles
from USA
Couple sues
homeowners association over pink house
The HOA says the house needs to be re-painted. Instead the couple is
suing the association. I can't see anything good coming out of this.
http://bit.ly/2adOQBD
It’s not easy to take on an HOA, but it’s possible to win
In this Kansas City Star article, we read about a group of old ladies
who beat their HOA who barred them from the clubhouse and a family that
moved out of their HOA controlled home because of a petty rule
violation.
http://bit.ly/2aC4M5h
HOA tells man to
stop building treehouse
The owners says he will fight the HOA in court. I think he would be
better off selling and buying a free-hold house where he free to do as
he pleases.
http://2wsb.tv/2agrEEc
Articles
from Australia
Condo funds
can't be used for Christmas parties
An Adjudicator also cited two earlier adjudications where it was
decided that body corporate funds cannot be used for Christmas parties:
Kensington Gardens Retirement
Villages [2005] QBCCMCmr 269 and Pivotal Point Residential [2014] QBCCMCmr
370.
It is suspected that many bodies corporate (condo boards) in Queensland
are not aware of this clear, consistent and long-standing prohibition
of the use of body corporate funds for purely social events.
http://bit.ly/2abXJy6
—†—
Condo News
02 August 2016
A home
Inspection is an “investment”
A very good blog on why buyers should hire a qualified home inspector.
http://bit.ly/2a5aPvI
Toronto Real
Estate: Condo Maintenance Fee Crisis
This article describes the history of 40 Panorama Court and suggests
that the owners sell. However, the bricks & concrete have been
repaired and so the building has another decade of life in it—at
least—and the author doesn't say what the owners could do with the
little money they will get if they sold.
http://bit.ly/29VXjNX
Subway station
called an 'underground palace'
Getting bored of the uninspired interior design found in
TTC subway stations? One subway
stop in Chongqing has been decorated magnificently enough to be called
an
"underground palace."
The Scarborough, one-stop line should be able to afford something like
this.
Short-term
Toronto house rentals jump 350% over last year
As tourists flock to Toronto they are adding fuel to an already hot
housing market.
http://bit.ly/2aa69pN
Why a condo
needs anti-fraud controls
This graph by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners explains why
proper financial controls are so important.
http://bit.ly/2a0be6T
How the CRA is
cracking down on non-compliance in Canada’s hottest housing markets
The tax man thinks he can help cool down the housing markets in
Vancouver and Toronto. We'll see.
http://bit.ly/2a0cyjS
Condo vs. house
David Fleming writes on when buying a condo may be better than buying a
detached house.
http://bit.ly/2aNriDx
Broken elevators
reaching 'crisis' proportions across Canada
Every day of the year, Canadians across the country are finding
themselves trapped in faulty elevators, while countless more are
suffering through inconvenience and isolation because of elevators that
are out of service — and the problem is worsening, an investigation by
The Canadian Press has found.
http://bit.ly/2ac0Upc
Hamilton
Pasadena Apartments to become upscale condos
Built in 1914, the historic property will retain its façade of
balconies, bay windows, bracketed eaves, galvanized-iron cornice and
stone-and-brick pattern work. These attributes make it one of the
earliest examples of the apartment house that came to be common in
Hamilton during the Roaring Twenties.
http://bit.ly/2acg6Wh
Articles
from USA
Resident stunned
when HOA sends her a bill for $16,000
Special Assessments coming out of the blue are always a shock. However,
condo owners need to pay attention to what is going on with their
board, realize when major repairs have been neglected and they must
read and understand their condo's financial statements.
http://bit.ly/2a9zRLF
‘Upstairs,
downstairs’ redefined by staff quarters in today’s luxury condo towers
Accessory suites are small condo units in luxury buildings used to
house the wealthy owners servants, nannys, personal medical personal,
offices or even just storage space.
http://on.mktw.net/2alC5XH
New Chicago
ordinance helps condo associations enforce short-term rental
restrictions
On June 22, 2016, the Chicago City Council adopted an ordinance that
now requires property owners wishing to rent on a short term basis to
apply for and obtain certain licenses. A
part of the application involves confirming that the owner’s unit is
not located in a condominium property that restricts short-term rentals.
The city of Chicago plans to maintain a list of buildings that do not
allow short-term rentals and will refer to that list before issuing
renting licenses. Associations however, will have to report their own
restriction status to the city. Each association must report their
rental restricted status by submitting an affidavit form which is
available from the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer
Protection.
Additionally, the new ordinance will place requirements on unit owners
who are selling their properties. If a unit owner knows that their
property is on the prohibited buildings list, the unit owner must
disclose that information when leasing or selling their unit.
http://bit.ly/2atH7Eu
Article
from Australia
Young child in
hospital after falling from a non-compliant window
A five-year-old boy is in a serious condition after falling from a
third story unit window. This unfortunate incident is a firm
reminder of the importance to install your child window safety devices.
http://conta.cc/2alziOp
Apartment
dwellers lose out as Airbnb here to stay, court rules
In a decision that clears the way for Airbnb and other short-term
leasing sites to freely operate in Melbourne's apartment buildings, the
Victorian Supreme Court found owners corporations could not make rules
to ban short stay operators.
http://bit.ly/2aaX8tz
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