Problems identified
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
—Ecclesiastes 1. 9-10

As I read the report, I was surprised to find that most of the problems that condo corporations face today were clearly identified by the authors of this report so long ago.  I can only think that if this report was taken seriously, a lot of grief could have been avoided.

Here is a partial list of the major problems with condo corporations that the authors of this report identified.

•	poor quality construction.
•	poor sound proofing.
•	aluminium wiring.
•	poor water protection for underground garages.
•	bricks falling off highrise condos.
•	weak building codes.
•	poorly designed and built roads in townhouse complexes.
•	insufficent parking.
•	municipalities not enforcing by-laws.
•	overcrowded condo units. (one two-bedroom unit housed 27 people.)
•	tensions when condo corporations have both towers and townhouses.
•	high-pressure sales.
•	owners unaware of what they are buying.
	uninformed real estate lawyers.
•	condos are not low-cost housing.
•	government incentives lure low-income buyers into condo units.
•	low-income buyers should not be buying condos.
•	declarations and by-laws too complex for owners to understand.
•	court system too expensive and slow for condo disputes.
•	no central registrar for condo corporations in Ontario.
•	inadequate consumer protection for condo buyers and owners.
•	no standards for property management.
•	conflicts of interests & sweetheart contracts.
•	poorly trained and inexperienced boards.

Many of the problems that were highlighted then still haunt Ontario condo corporations today.

top  contents  chapter   previous  next