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#61 sebberry

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 07:28 AM

I've seen situations with chain smokers where somehow smokes makes its way to the neighboring unit via electrical outlets or other means.

 

On occasion my clothes have come out of my dryer smelling a bit like smoke if they were left in while the dryer downstairs was running... 


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#62 curlyfry

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Posted 17 June 2015 - 10:13 PM

I brought up the idea of creating no-smoking bylaw in our condo-building to my landlord & he proposed it at the strata meeting tonight!   They hopefully will take vote at the next AGM (unfortunately 9 months away though) & optimistic it will go through. (Common property already smoke-free, just have to add units/balconies)  Thanks for the encouragement to not put up with smelly carcinogens everyone! 


Edited by curlyfry, 17 June 2015 - 10:13 PM.

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#63 lanforod

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 07:16 AM

You may have grandfather in existing tenants/owners?



#64 D.L.

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 07:57 AM

In my building we've had two votes in the past year to make the building non-smoking. It didn't pass either time :-)



#65 KAS

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 12:00 PM

We put two votes on our AGM on year - the first one to ban smoking outright in the entire building.  And, the second one that if the first one did not pass, to ban smoking on all common and limited-common properties (i.e. balconies) as well as all common property.  The first one failed, after vigorous discussion.  The second one passed almost painlessly because everyone had had their say, sides had been heard, and the second one seemed to be a way to compromise.


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#66 G-Man

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 12:56 PM

Seems weird. Wouldn't you want people to smoke on their balconies more than in their suites? Especially because you could sit at the door of your deck and smoke out the door but still be meeting the rules. 


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#67 curlyfry

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 03:33 PM

Currently common property is smoke-free, but balconies are not.   All I know is my neighbours balcony is only 2 feet from our window & it takes about 1 minute for smoke to go through the entire place.  And units here take about a year to sell & only a few weeks to rent out (so wouldnt be an issue to wait for non-smoking tenants & perhaps the non-smoking rule could increase the saleability for the owners, since 91% of condo owners do not smoke.)

 

Yes they would have to grandfather in existing owners/tenants who smoke - but I believe the only current smokers are student renters (& they are not here long anyway.) Place is almost all renters which is likely a problem in itself! 


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#68 KAS

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 07:29 PM

I don't want to care about what people do in their units. but the neighbouring unit's balcony is about 2 inches from my bedroom window, and I'd rather smell cigarette smoke that's travelled a few feet than be able to smell the ashtray all the time.

Besides, I think the bylaw gave the people that rent out their property a solid out for declaring their unit non-smoking. And it's free monitoring. Eventually a tenant will get lazy and not walk to the curb to smoke. Someone else in the building will complain, and the Strata will notify the landlord who gets to remind their tenant of the agreement.
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#69 sebberry

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 07:32 PM

Seems weird. Wouldn't you want people to smoke on their balconies more than in their suites? Especially because you could sit at the door of your deck and smoke out the door but still be meeting the rules. 

 

The neighbour downstairs from me smokes.  When she's on her deck, it comes in my window.  Her indoor smoky air rises through shared vents and wall cavities.  Considering the health and fire risks, I'd like to see it banned outright too.


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#70 LJ

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 07:34 PM

I think I would prefer them to designate a smoking spot away from the building on common property or best solution half of a rooftop deck on the downwind side.


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#71 lanforod

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Posted 19 June 2015 - 07:23 AM

I don't want to care about what people do in their units. but the neighbouring unit's balcony is about 2 inches from my bedroom window, and I'd rather smell cigarette smoke that's travelled a few feet than be able to smell the ashtray all the time.

Besides, I think the bylaw gave the people that rent out their property a solid out for declaring their unit non-smoking. And it's free monitoring. Eventually a tenant will get lazy and not walk to the curb to smoke. Someone else in the building will complain, and the Strata will notify the landlord who gets to remind their tenant of the agreement.

Landlords don't need a 'solid out' to make their unit non-smoking though. Usage restrictions are up to the landlord. I don't allow smoking in my rental condo, even though the strata only has restrictions on common property.



#72 kirk

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Posted 15 May 2016 - 08:38 PM

New Question:     Issues with the Tenants of Condo Investors

 

I live in a 26-unit condo building that currently is only 9 owners & 15 renters  (so 34% owner-occupied, 66% rentals).

 

A large number of the units are owned by foreign-owners (the original developer did some marketing in China) & as a result rented to international students  -which has led to a revolving door of students who do things like dump everything & their kitchen sink outside the garbage when they leave (local students may do that too, but foreign students are the ones dumping EVERYTHING so the infractions are just more extreme).  

 

Other ideas of issues: 

There is supposed to be a minimum of 1-year for rental leases but we notice people moving in & out more often (scratching paint on their way out).  Or if we approach renters for inappropriately using the visitor-parking (which isn't for tenants) then they will just deny they actually live here.  

 

Just this week met a recent investor-buyer who claimed he didn't know there were realtor fees!  Another investor recently reported she did not know you should have supplemental insurance.  

 

One owner waits months & months to pay strata fees & then pays them all at once  (we were planning on instating a $150/month late fee to stop this.) 

 

The strata council has been the same 4 or so people since the building was built 8 years ago & they are growing very tired of policing issues.  They are also the only ones who show up at meetings. 

 

I just joined strata & am happy to-fine-the-heck out of everyone via our property management company (but then I also see how it is difficult to enforce.. ie. tenants deny they actually live here or saying they were never told the rules & then the fines aren't paid)

 

Any thoughts on how to help us out?   We are just planning to propose some new bylaws & considering our options. 

 

Ideas/ Options?

-Impose a 50% owner / 50% Renter Bylaw   (assumedly this would never pass, but might get some investors attention? Or at least get some more people out to a meeting?)  

-Impose some sort of deposit on owners-who-don't-live-in-the-building (which we could then deduct their fines from?)

-Translate more of our rules into different languages (many of the foreign students have limited English & it perhaps is they don't understand the rules?) 

-Make handouts with a checklist that new owners have to sign to prove they understand the rules & will pass onto their tenants  

 

Does anyone have any resources to point me to?  


Edited by kirk, 15 May 2016 - 08:43 PM.


#73 kirk

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Posted 15 May 2016 - 09:31 PM

New Question:     Issues with the Tenants of Condo Investors

 

I live in a 26-unit condo building that currently is only 9 owners & 15 renters  (so 34% owner-occupied, 66% rentals).

 

A large number of the units are owned by foreign-owners (the original developer did some marketing in China) & as a result rented to international students  -which has led to a revolving door of students who do things like dump everything & their kitchen sink outside the garbage when they leave (local students may do that too, but foreign students are the ones dumping EVERYTHING so the infractions are just more extreme).  

 

Other ideas of issues: 

There is supposed to be a minimum of 1-year for rental leases but we notice people moving in & out more often (scratching paint on their way out).  Or if we approach renters for inappropriately using the visitor-parking (which isn't for tenants) then they will just deny they actually live here.  

 

Just this week met a recent investor-buyer who claimed he didn't know there were realtor fees!  Another investor recently reported she did not know you should have supplemental insurance.  

 

One owner waits months & months to pay strata fees & then pays them all at once  (we were planning on instating a $150/month late fee to stop this.) 

 

The strata council has been the same 4 or so people since the building was built 8 years ago & they are growing very tired of policing issues.  They are also the only ones who show up at meetings. 

 

I just joined strata & am happy to-fine-the-heck out of everyone via our property management company (but then I also see how it is difficult to enforce.. ie. tenants deny they actually live here or saying they were never told the rules & then the fines aren't paid)

 

Any thoughts on how to help us out?   We are just planning to propose some new bylaws & considering our options. 

 

Ideas/ Options?

-Impose a 50% owner / 50% Renter Bylaw   (assumedly this would never pass, but might get some investors attention? Or at least get some more people out to a meeting?)  

-Impose some sort of deposit on owners-who-don't-live-in-the-building (which we could then deduct their fines from?)

-Translate more of our rules into different languages (many of the foreign students have limited English & it perhaps is they don't understand the rules?) 

-Make handouts with a checklist that new owners have to sign to prove they understand the rules & will pass onto their tenants  

 

Does anyone have any resources to point me to?  

 

Sorry when I wrote an investor didn't know there were realtor fees, I meant they didn't know there were condo fees   (can you believe it? -scary world out there eh?)



#74 Rob Randall

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Posted 15 May 2016 - 10:07 PM

Re: waiting months to pay strata fees: don't let this fester, if they don't pay after a certain time (3-4months?) I would send warning letters and impose a lien on the property.

I would also encourage your idea of translating rules and suggestions as many residents actually don't want to be trouble but simply don't know or understand procedures regarding recycling, waste disposal etc.

Have you considered a professional management company to do your dirty work? You may find it worth your while.
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#75 Rob Randall

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Posted 15 May 2016 - 10:14 PM

Residents must read and sign a "Form K" (Google it) stating they understand all condo bylaws. Is this being done?

#76 jklymak

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Posted 16 May 2016 - 02:11 PM

Yes, you have to be ruthless with owners and, by proxy, their tenants.  After a month's warning, strata fee accounts overdue by >$1500 should be referred to a lawyer, who will the threaten to place a lien; note the owner will have to pay the strata corp for the privilege of involving the lawyer, so there is no real barrier to the strata corp doing this.  Theoretically, you can foreclose on unpaid liens over a pretty small amount (I think the guidance we got was $2000, but I could be misremembering).

 

You can't recover fines via a lien, but the strata can refuse to transfer ownership until all fines are paid, so you will be paid if the owner ever tries to sell.  

 

As for dumping garbage, the only way to enforce that is to set up video surveillance.  We also had the caretaker agree to make dump runs for a nominal fee.  That really helped, as most folks are willing to pay $50 to make their stuff disappear if they don't have to spend time to arrange it.



#77 Rob Randall

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 06:19 AM

I remember one jerk put his huge mattress in the dumpster. Because of that, the dumpster got stuck and couldn't be extracted from the garbage room. Because of that, the garbage truck driver gave up and left the dumpster unemptied and within hours it quickly overflowed with horrid garbage.

 

I really think the last year of high school should have one mandatory course called "How To Live Like Grownups".


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#78 jonny

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 07:38 AM

Some people are seriously dumb and / or don't give a hoot. The only way to get these people straight is to tow their cars, fine them, etc.

 

It is not your job as a strata council member to educate every single owner and tenant on what living in a strata is about.



#79 Rob Randall

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 08:43 AM

That's why Air B&B and unauthorized vacation rentals are causing stratas such grief.

#80 kirk

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Posted 17 May 2016 - 09:44 PM

Thanks for the thoughts!

 

Good point about it's not our job to educate.  

 

Thanks for the info on liens - we did recently switch property management companies but it seems it is also hard for them to act in a timely manner as well. 

 

The biggest barrier to fining people (for things like dumping garbage) is often it's hard to know who did it! 

 

I wonder how many condos have video surveillance now?  Seems like the cost of it must be coming down.

 

I can't even imagine what a mess AirBNB could be 


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