news-Dec-2016

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Condo News
27 December 2016

Owner's request for an administrator denied, but he got partial costs
This is a very interesting judgment for the following reasons:

1. The owner failed to get an administrator but he was awarded token costs
    equalling 7% of his total legal costs.

2. The owner was given leave to return to the courts to apply for an
    administrator if the board backslides in it's duties to maintain the property.

3. The judge took into consideration the market value of each unit holder’s
    investment and whether that had deteriorated.

4. The judge concluded that the actions of Board had been sub-standard in the
     past. (I know of dozens of boards who do no better and many far worse.)

5. Mr. Torok's legal costs were twice as high as the corporation's.

6. Each owner, including Mr. Torok, will need to pay an average of $550 per
    unit for the corporation's legal costs.
http://bit.ly/2ifZU5z

Why short-term rentals attract renters
Here are a couple of online ads that popped up on my computer screen as I opened a couple of news reports.

As you can see, a person can rent a CityPlace condo unit for 25% cheaper than a downtown Toronto commercial hotel.

Here is a second ad.

Now the same CityPlace condo unit is compared to a condo-hotel suite that is right downtown. It looks like One King West is fighting back with cheaper pricing plus it has a better location.

Articles from USA
Can HOA use minimum credit score to weed out potential buyers?
They can in the United States but they should be careful so they avoid getting sued.
http://bit.ly/2ipjSON

Gay Author Who Harassed Ivanka on JetBlue Flight Gets Immediate Payback From Her Fans

Lasner, an urban studies professor at Hunter College who was very vocal about his distaste for Trump on Twitter, wrote a book in 2012 titled High Life: Condo Living in the Suburban Century.

Only one of the 106 reviews left on the book’s Amazon page was written by someone who made a verified purchase in 2013.

The others were written on December 22-25 following the incident with Ivanka Trump on a commercial aircraft, with several many of the reviews making personal attacks on Lasner.

Makes it hard to tell if the book, ($17,06 CDN, is worth buying.
http://bit.ly/2hoexWk

Definitions
Right-sizing
Buying a condo so small that the kids can't move back home.

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Condo News
24 December 2016
Merry Christmas
I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a healthy and prosperous
New Year.

Developers want to buy out owners of troubled Burlington condo
Only, I believe, if the city is very generous with concessions or the owners become more realistic with their demands.
http://bit.ly/2hZMOg3

BC vote signals first condo wind-up approval under new law
Condo corporations in BC can now terminate with only 80% of the owners agreement. Same as in Ontario.

There seems to be a lot of interest in terminating older condos in the Vancouver area. I believe that is because the land is so valuable the developers can offer decent prices for the units.
http://bit.ly/2h4zsPz

Langley City fire due to smoking on balcony
City of Langley Fire Chief Rory Thompson says the fire was caused by someone disposing of 'smoker's material' on a fourth floor balcony.

Thompson adds that City of Langley fire crews often respond to balcony fires that are a result of someone butting out in a planter.

"Smoker's material needs to be disposed of in proper ashtrays," said Thompson. "Potting soil often contains peat moss which is combustible."

Langley City councillor Rudy Storteboom, who lives in a different building in the same complex, said it appears the fire-damaged four-storey will likely have to be demolished and rebuilt.
http://bit.ly/2h3bC4W
http://bit.ly/2hC7d9P

Judge rules dogs should not be treated like kids
What a messy divorce. This judge makes so much sense.
http://bit.ly/2hx4caM

Articles from USA
Ramona Property Manager Charged with Wire Fraud
Robert Walsh, 37, faces four counts of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud a homeowners association of $247,000.
http://bit.ly/2iecMIG

Uber driver thwarts robbery attempt by fatally shooting would-be thief
An Uber driver picks up a passenger from a Florida condo and then, while the passenger is in his car, gets into s shootout with a two-gun highwayman and he kills the bad guy. The unexpected joys and thrills of the sharing economy.
http://bit.ly/2hV0upr

Definitions
Porch pirating
has become one of the easiest forms of petty theft. Porch pirates operate in the middle of the day, when many residents are at work and the delivery vans are making their rounds. They tend to follow FedEx, UPS and U.S. mail workers down streets, on the lookout for packages they can steal. Some even dress in uniforms to avoid suspicion.

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Condo News
19 December 2016

Condo wins court case against short-term rentals
This is an important win for all condos that restrict their residential units to "single family use" in their Declarations and /or have a rule stating that all leases must be a for a minimum period of four or six months.
http://bit.ly/2hCEDD5

Airbnb—Why the recent Ottawa court decision is only the first step.
One way to truly deter owners and tenants from using Airbnb will be if the City of Toronto begins imposing significant fines on Airbnb (as a company) for allowing short-term rentals in buildings that specifically prevent short-term rentals.
http://bit.ly/2hJpumt

Realtor responds to this court decision
Some things to consider about short-term condo rentals:

1.	What does your condo’s declaration say about short-term rentals? Is it permitted? Could you be sued? On average, a short-term rental is anything less than six months.
2.	Think about insurance. If you have property insurance, the coverage may not extend to rental coverage on a short-term basis. Damage to walls, floors, appliances, etc. might not be covered, and who’s liable if your guest skips town after a single night?
3.	Do some research into the percentage of owner-occupants. Buildings with majority owner-occupied units tend to be less open to short-term rentals. But buildings with high renter-occupants, such as the condos in CityPlace, might be more welcoming to short-term rental opportunities.

Remember, condos are not hotels. They are versatile homes with conveniences and amenities that make them truly unique properties and smart investments. You can get a lot from a condo, but you want to plan wisely.
http://bit.ly/2hRyrX3

Major fire in Langley condo, residents homeless
Last week there was a serious fire in a low-rise wood frame condo in Langley. Eighty-six families were made homeless and it will take 18 months to two years before they can return home.
http://bit.ly/2hM8zj8

My Favourite Condo Lessons of 2016
A list of condo legal issues from Michelle Kelly.
http://bit.ly/2hHycPD

Condo buyers in Quebec
Condo inspection alert: Before purchasing a condo, potential buyers should find out if the building is subject to inspection under 2015 amendments to the Quebec building act, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation advises in a report made public today.

CMHC estimates about 1,400 condo and rental buildings in the Montreal area are subject to the regulations that were amended in the interests of public safety. Now required: mandatory inspection and maintenance of facades for buildings with five or more storeys or multi-storey garages.

The cost of the inspections, and any problems they might detect, is something building owners need to be aware of, CMHC said. Inspections alone could run as high as $15,000 per building, it said, a cost that condo owners would have to shoulder collectively.

If dangerous conditions are detected, the Régie du bâtiment du Québec needs to be informed and the required work performed.

“Owners (and co-owners) will naturally be responsible for managing the inspection and repair operations and paying the associated costs. They will therefore have to take into account this new reality in their annual planning,” CMHC said.

Articles from USA
Diana Kelly, 54, arrested by Garner Police on 25 counts of embezzlement
The owner of Kornerstone Community Management in North Carolina has been charged and is now out on bail.
http://bit.ly/2gzzlGF

Developer in prison, but Clearwater condo owners still paying the price
Although the mastermind of the failed Grand Venezia luxury resort project in the Clearwater Cay Development District is serving a 40-year federal sentence for fraud, residents of the 336-unit complex are still paying for his crime.
http://bit.ly/2gzRQKR

Two condo Christmas stories
Neighbors fight to keep evicted nuns from moving soup kitchen into SF condo

A rich man buys the nuns an expensive condo unit so they can keep their soup kitchen going. However residents at the condo at 1930 Mission Street are trying to block the nuns from relocating their soup kitchen to the building.
http://cbsn.ws/2hMiRA6

Citrus Springs HOA board members brawl during Christmas party
Cops called but no charges will be laid.
http://bit.ly/2gQTOtX

Twitter
There are more news stories on the CondoMadness Twitter page.
https://twitter.com/condo_madness

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Condo News
13 December 2016

Condo manager to enter plea
Rhonda McCarthy, accused in Collingwood condo fraud case expected to enter plea in February.
http://bit.ly/2honEEr

1st residents moving into One Bloor
The first residents are moving into the massive condo tower at One Bloor East. The building is still a construction zone but the occupancy period has started for a few owners.

771 Yonge Street condos

A developer is planning a new condo towner at 771 Yonge Street, just two buildings north of One Bloor.

The proposal is for a 48-floor tower with 257 units residential units a combined 26 autoshare and residential parking spaces plus 291 bicycle parking spots. The building is beside two subway lines.

Article from USA
“Super nice guy” accused of HOA fraud
Most organizations that have been victims of embezzlement don’t prosecute, said Ruth Crane, managing partner for Auditors Inc, the Maryland-based company that owns embezzlement.com. “It’s a time drain, it’s expensive and it gets your name in the paper. And God knows, you don’t want your name in the paper,” she said.

Another reason for the reluctance to prosecute is that the organization bears some responsibility for the theft, Crane said. They don’t put in the checks that would deter embezzlement. They make it easy for the person to become a thief, Crane said. And then when the board members or owners suspect something is amiss, they stick their heads in the sand and refuse to acknowledge what’s going on.
http://bit.ly/2hom99f

On Twitter
• Condo fire victims may have 2 year wait in Langley City.
• Langley condo fire could have been prevented by sprinklers on balconies.
• 9 St. Boniface residents oppose low-rise riverfront condo complex.
• Roommate of North Attleboro condo owner charged in setting fire.
• Airbnb is banned from more and more Chicago condo buildings.
• Thieves use key to access mail in Surrey townhouse complex.
• Texas law firm sues over negative online review; Gets what it deserves.
https://twitter.com/condo_madness

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Condo News
06 December 2016

Mall manager says report altered, unflattering photo removed
The criminal trial over the report that an engineer prepared weeks before the roof at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake collapsed is ongoing. The trial should be completed by the end of this year.

A CondoMadness reader in Elliott Lake wrote:

Everybody knew about the leaks at the mall, problem was that no one cared, just like no one cares about the problems in condominiums.

Carol Hughes and Michael Mantha MPP both had offices at the mall. How could they can ignore buckets all over the mall every day? Are they blind?

City, health & safety were all oblivious to the problem. Just amazing how the system works. There is a petition going on to prosecute more people whether this will happened or not I have no idea.

They are all hypocrites focusing only on one man.

Mr. Write engineering advice to our condo was to install siding over the bricks to prevent water leaks that was in 2009, and board did nothing. The basements are still leaking because of deteriorated bricks. No matter what anyone says no one does anything about anything.

Articles from USA
Condo landlord allegedly caught on camera having sex in tenant’s bedroom
The landlord allegedly used the tenant’s wedding dress as a towel to clean up the mess. His tenants had hidden video cameras in the unit. The husband saw the sex act live on his cellphone.
http://huff.to/2gRqHF2

Former HOA treasurer accused of embezzling $200,000
Mr. Stamper said, when he joined the board a couple years ago, he could tell something was wrong. But, he said many of the longtime board members did not want anything reported.

“We just told them we don’t need your permission to file a police report and we’re not going to be involved in a cover up,” Stamper said.

An audit has uncovered dozens of checks cashed since 2008 written by the treasurer, signed by the treasurer, endorsed by the treasurer and deposited into his personal account. One check was for $17,800. Board members said he also cleaned out a CD account that had more than $44,000 in it.

Stamper and two other board members took it upon themselves to write letters and send them to approximately 550 homeowners in Summit Place letting them know what’s going on.

Two things really stand out. The first is that the treasurer had the ability to write cheques to himself. The second is that the long-serving board members wanted the $200,000 embezzlements covered up. —CondoMadness
http://bit.ly/2gdCbE4

Special Districts
Special districts spend more public money than all city governments combined. That's odd considering most of us don't know they exist. A "Tonight with John Oliver" video.
https://youtu.be/3saU5racsGE

Article from Asia
Owners of undies stolen by man at Penang condo urged to reclaim them by end of next week
All kinds of people live in condos; both saints and weirdos. A resident in a Malaysian condo stole women's underwear.

As you will read, returning the stolen goods was not so easy.
http://bit.ly/2gw7Puh

On Twitter
• Boy, 13, charged in Baltimore carjacking in a condo parking garage.
• Cambridge 10-Alarm Fire Contained, 50-60 People Displaced.
• Victoria mayor: Those who are pro-condo development verse the NIMBY.
• Rents through the roof in Sydney's Airbnb hotspots.
• N.L. privacy commissioner blasts harassment with camera drones.
• More schools needed near Toronto condos.
• The marketing hype for Vietnam condos just like here.
• Dropping the curtain on a Chinese opera singing neighbor. Oh my gosh.
https://twitter.com/condo_madness

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