Search results for: garage
A Board’s Ultimate Guide To Condo Parking Garages
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”:…
Read MoreHow To Keep On Top Of Your Condo’s 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…
Read MoreWhy Reserve Fund Studies Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Most condo board members understand the importance of a reserve fund study. After all, it’s one of the most important financial planning tools available to a condominium corporation. It helps boards understand future repair and replacement costs, establish reserve fund contribution levels, and prepare for major capital projects. But there’s a common misconception that once…
Read MoreThe Hidden Costs of Deferred Maintenance
Few condo boards intentionally decide to neglect their buildings. In most cases, deferred maintenance begins with good intentions. A project gets postponed to avoid a fee increase. A repair is pushed into next year’s budget. A component still appears to have some life left, so replacement is delayed. Individually, these decisions may seem reasonable. The…
Read MoreSpecial Assessment vs. Condo Fee Increases: Which Is Better for Your Condo Corporation?
Few decisions create more anxiety for condo boards than figuring out how to pay for major expenses. The situation is familiar. The reserve fund study has been updated. A major repair project is approaching. Costs are higher than anticipated. Or perhaps years of underfunding have finally caught up with the corporation. The board suddenly finds…
Read MoreUnderstand Your Condo Budget: A Guide for Board Members (No Accounting Background Required)
Serving on a condo board comes with a surprising responsibility that many volunteers don’t expect: You become responsible for overseeing a budget that may range anywhere from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars annually. Yet most board members aren’t accountants, financial analysts, or auditors. They’re owners who volunteered because they care about their building…
Read MoreHow to make sure your board aces your condo performance audit
Performance audits identify common element deficiencies under warranty by the Ontario New Warranties Plan Act. Use our quick performance audit overview to help your condo board ace the process. Performance audit 101 Tarion administers the warranty protection required for new homes and condos. A condo corporation’s common element warranties last up to seven years following…
Read MoreWhy It’s Time For Your Condo Board To Achieve Operational Resilience
The past five years have shown condo corporations the importance of quick recovery from unexpected events such as pandemics and flash floods. As a result, condo boards need to embrace sustainable operation plans that help reduce the impact of these events. Here we explain why it’s time for your condo board to achieve operational resilience…
Read MoreHow Condo Boards Keep Things Moving with Stack Cleaning
Condo apartment plumbing systems rely on shared “stacks” that carry wastewater and sewage from condo units to the main sewer line. With hundreds of residents flushing waste down these systems several times a day, stacks present a high risk for blockage and unit backups. Here we look at stack risks and how your condo board…
Read MoreResponsible Waste Management Practices Every Condo Board Needs Right Now
Despite overall residential waste production declining in Ontario, the province produced 3.8 million tonnes in 2020. As a result, now is the time for your condo board to adopt waste-diverting strategies and responsible waste management practices. Here’s how. Waste Management Bylaw Updates Reviewing and updating your waste management bylaws/policies can help reduce your condo’s waste,…
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