A Board’s Ultimate Guide To Condo Parking Garages

condo parking garage

Your condo parking garage has structural and water management components requiring maintenance. Understanding the most common components makes it easier to plan your maintenance budget. Here we provide your ultimate guide to common parking garage components and risks. Understanding Condo Parking Garage Slabs In most cases you will have a combination of the following “slabs”:…

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How To Keep On Top Of Your Condo’s Garage Maintenance

condo garage maintenance

If your condo’s parking garage is over 20-years old, you should develop a five-year schedule for condition assessments. This proactive approach allows you to make incremental repairs resulting in more manageable garage maintenance costs. Here are the tests you should be applying every five years. Delamination Testing: Chain Drag and/or Hammer Tap Survey While this…

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Building Restoration: Does Your Condo Board Know Who Does What?

Condo Building Restoration

When your condo board is about to embark on a building restoration project, you want to have the right experts on the job. Do you need an architect, an engineer, a building envelope contractor, or all three? Here, we look at the key players in building restoration to ensure you have access to the most…

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Condo Life Stages: What Makes Buildings Vulnerable at Each Life Stage

condo life stages

Condo buildings go through five life stages, each with its own vulnerabilities. Here, we look at what makes condo buildings vulnerable at each stage of the aging process to help you create a more predictive maintenance plan.  Under a Year: The Pre-Natal Life Stage  Feeling confident your reserve fund won’t be needed during the pre-natal…

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What’s a Healthy Reserve Fund?

condo reserve funds

Your condo reserve fund sets aside money for non-routine repairs and replacements. However, if your board isn’t careful, you can make critical errors that make it impossible to cover these necessary capital expenditures. As a result, your residents face the risk of special assessments.  Here we look at what is considered a healthy reserve fund…

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3 Hidden Condo Damages Every Board Should Know About

hidden damage to condos

Your building envelope is susceptible to direct and indirect damage. Direct damage is obvious and occurs to the building envelope itself. Indirect damage is hidden and results when direct damage is not addressed. As a result, indirect damage ends up costing your condo money as it is slow and progressive. Here, we look at three…

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4 Frequently Overlooked Details When Managing Shared Amenities In Condos

condo amenity management

Effective management of shared amenities can often focus too much on cleaning and maintenance. Here we look at four frequently overlooked details when managing shared condo amenities. 1.Visitor Parking Visitor parking is often difficult to monitor due to the location. However, a comprehensive management plan helps ensure use aligns with your condo parking bylaws. Visitor…

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Ways an Experienced Property Management Company Can Lower Condo Maintenance Fees for Its Owners

lower maintenance fees

Monthly maintenance fees can indirectly effect condo property values. High fees can often discourage buyers, which decreases demand for units in your building. However, there are ways you can lower condo maintenance fees by working with an experienced property management company. Here’s how they can help. Improving Energy Efficiency Property managers conduct energy audits to…

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The most cost-effective upgrades to make your condo building more resilient this winter

condo maintenance in the winter

Resilient buildings hold up to major damage caused by catastrophic weather conditions. With climate change wreaking havoc on Toronto properties, your winter maintenance strategy should focus on ways to improve your building envelope to reduce risks for weather related issues. Here we look at the most cost-effective upgrades your board should consider this winter. Window…

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