Condominium Community living is not without its unique challenges. With neighbours in such close proximity, there are going to be times when your peaceful enjoyment is, unfortunately, disrupted. To some degree a little tolerance is required in this environment, but when it gets beyond the point you can accept, you should reach out to your Condominium Manager for assistance. • In some cases, your neighbours might not even realize that what they are doing in their unit is negatively affecting others in their unit. A friendly reminder from the Manager can often clear up the problem.
Here are some tips & tricks to improve Condominium Living for everyone!
Do your Homework!
• Review the Declaration, By-laws and Rules. This might not be the most exhilarating reading material, but these documents are incredibly important.
• Always review documentation sent to you from the
Corporation, but especially the annual budget. This is the most important document sent to owners annually.
Communicate!
• Never be afraid to ask questions or make suggestions to your Board and/or Condominium Manager.
• Speak up if you see a concern around the building. It’s not
necessarily your responsibility to have to inspect the building, but the more eyes and ears the better to keep the property clean and safe.
Join the Community!
• Get to know your neighbours. Be friendly, and say hello when passing. Neighbours might be less likely to play their music on high volume when they know it might bother the friendly people next door.
• When possible, attend building functions – BBQs, holiday parties, etc. Maybe even volunteer to help with events. This creates a sense of community, and makes residents feel safer and more at home in their Condo.
• Owners should ALWAYS attend Annual General Meetings
(AGMs) or other Owner Meetings. Know what’s going on in your Condo Corporation. If you cannot attend, always supply a proxy.
Be a Good Neighbour!
• Cooking odours are a frequently reported concern. Always use exhaust fans while cooking, and open a window when weather permits. If you are smelling cooking odours, one tip is to use unscented deodorizers that eliminate unpleasant odours in the air while not creating a new stronger perfume smell.
• Place felt pads on the bottom of moveable furniture, the neighbours downstairs will be grateful.
• Place throw rugs in high traffic areas or in areas where there may be music or television. The carpet/rugs will absorb some of the noise.
• Never leave anything in the main suite hallway. This could be a tripping hazard in the event of an emergency.
• Always tie waste bags, and push them fully down the chute. Double bag heavier waste like cat litter. Never leave waste on the floor of the chute room as this contributes to pests and odours. No oversized waste in the chute, please! This causes costly blockages.
• Never pitch cigarettes or matches off of a balcony. The wind catches them and carries them onto balconies below. This is careless and unsightly, but more importantly it’s dangerous. You can’t possibly know what others have on their balcony, and if your cigarette butt just happens to land on something flammable, this could quickly become a serious situation.
• Rain water and snow melt-off will happen, but otherwise there should never be water purposely coming off of your balcony. Just imagine how you would feel if you were reading a book on the balcony and someone’s dirty balcony wash water came down on you.