Tips for first-time condo owners
February 22, 2022 5:01 AM Subscribe
My wife and I have recently bought a condo in Toronto. Although the building itself is pretty old, the seller had made substantial improvements, putting in new laminate flooring throughout the condo and renovating the bathroom and kitchen with new fittings and appliances. The condo is heated by electric baseboards, and while the building does not have central air-conditioning, the use of window ACs is permitted. As first-time homeowners who have never lived in a condo before, we would appreciate any tips and suggestions for both maintaining the condo and ensuring that our time in it is comfortable.
The Midea U-Shaped Window AC is the quietest AC on the market. If you need one, I highly recommend it.
posted by A Blue Moon at 6:28 AM on February 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by A Blue Moon at 6:28 AM on February 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
You should have gotten a copy of the declaration, by-laws, and rules as well as financial statements and a status certificate with your purchase. Check with the Property Manager to see if there is an info package for new residents. That will include things like operational hours for common amenities, etc.
The building may have a preferred list of contractors for doing repairs. An advantage of this is getting tradespeople that are familiar with your building's quirks. You'll need to get that list.
Even if you don't want to get involved on the board, you should attend the Annual General Meeting.
posted by TORunner at 6:42 AM on February 22, 2022 [4 favorites]
The building may have a preferred list of contractors for doing repairs. An advantage of this is getting tradespeople that are familiar with your building's quirks. You'll need to get that list.
Even if you don't want to get involved on the board, you should attend the Annual General Meeting.
posted by TORunner at 6:42 AM on February 22, 2022 [4 favorites]
Best answer: If you have laminate flooring in an old condo building, please do your downstairs neighbours the favour of buying a lot of area rugs. You may actually be required to cover a certain percentage of the floor space with rugs per the condo rules, but even if you aren't, it is a kindness.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:07 AM on February 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 7:07 AM on February 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you plan to have pets, make sure that it's allowed in the rules as well.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:27 AM on February 22, 2022
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:27 AM on February 22, 2022
Best answer: Where I live, condo buildings are juicy targets for unscrupulous contractors. I bought a unit recently, and in the month after I closed, a long-delayed roof project went from $1.2M (and they had the money saved up) to $9.7M (and a huge special assessment). The contractors, an engineering consultant, and the HOA's own attorney had convinced the board that if they didn't do the $9.7M project, the homeowners would sue the HOA into a smoking hole in the ground. This was right after Surfside in Florida collapsed, so they had fertile imaginations to play on, but they were simply taking advantage of two asshat BOD members and three old ladies who didn't know any better.
(All's well that ends well: the homeowners revolted and now I'm in charge of a $1.6M roof project, but the same group of contractors and lawyer had stung the building for millions before I moved in, and another local building asked to consult with our board because the same contractors and lawyer (!) were doing the same to them.)
Go through the HOA papers & minutes, and if you don't understand something, ask! Running a building is not rocket science; any college grad should be able to understand how things work.
posted by spacewrench at 7:34 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
(All's well that ends well: the homeowners revolted and now I'm in charge of a $1.6M roof project, but the same group of contractors and lawyer had stung the building for millions before I moved in, and another local building asked to consult with our board because the same contractors and lawyer (!) were doing the same to them.)
Go through the HOA papers & minutes, and if you don't understand something, ask! Running a building is not rocket science; any college grad should be able to understand how things work.
posted by spacewrench at 7:34 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
Get to know at least one or two people on the board. If you need to do anything that requires permission (in my case, extending an area to plant a tree), it will help if they know you and think of you as a positive person in the community.
Be kind to the maintenance folks and the rest of the staff. Learn their names, and always treat them with respect. Aside from it just being the right thing to do, it can make your life much easier when something goes wrong.
It's also a good idea to get to know your neighbors no matter where you live.
posted by FencingGal at 10:13 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
Be kind to the maintenance folks and the rest of the staff. Learn their names, and always treat them with respect. Aside from it just being the right thing to do, it can make your life much easier when something goes wrong.
It's also a good idea to get to know your neighbors no matter where you live.
posted by FencingGal at 10:13 AM on February 22, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: How well insulated is your unit in general, do you have good windows or old leaky ones, and are your baseboards located near the outside perimeter of the unit? Baseboard heater in the washroom?
You might benefit from from a small oil-filled eater with wheels and move it around where you are/ pre-heat the washroom before showers/ pre-heat the bedroom instead of cranking your baseboards.
Canadian tire stocks Noma brand ones that are cheap and reliable.
Keep an eye on your windowsills/ sliding doors especially if they're metal; condensation leads to mould. Bathroom cleaner for mould/ mildew works remarkably well if you do start growing stuff.
Is there a lot of positive pressure from the hallway? Is the hallway not heated? Get a door sock (and/ or weather strip your door) or roll up a beach towel to place across the gap at the bottom of the door.
posted by porpoise at 1:02 PM on February 22, 2022
You might benefit from from a small oil-filled eater with wheels and move it around where you are/ pre-heat the washroom before showers/ pre-heat the bedroom instead of cranking your baseboards.
Canadian tire stocks Noma brand ones that are cheap and reliable.
Keep an eye on your windowsills/ sliding doors especially if they're metal; condensation leads to mould. Bathroom cleaner for mould/ mildew works remarkably well if you do start growing stuff.
Is there a lot of positive pressure from the hallway? Is the hallway not heated? Get a door sock (and/ or weather strip your door) or roll up a beach towel to place across the gap at the bottom of the door.
posted by porpoise at 1:02 PM on February 22, 2022
I live in Toronto in a condo. Our biggest issues were numerous water leaks. It’s a long story but my advice is to get a plumber to come and proactively inspect your stuff. I would ask them to make sure your seals are intact (sinks, toilets, appliances) and your hoses are set up right (appliances). Don’t run any water-using appliances when you aren’t home. Know how to access the water shut-off valve for your unit (or how to quickly contact the person who has the access). We hired “Man With a Wrench” and they were AWESOME to deal with.
posted by cranberrymonger at 5:42 PM on February 22, 2022
posted by cranberrymonger at 5:42 PM on February 22, 2022
Oh, awesome anwser cranberrymonger!
Get that as a written report and submit that as evidence into Strata and your insurance company, just in case.
posted by porpoise at 6:28 PM on February 22, 2022
Get that as a written report and submit that as evidence into Strata and your insurance company, just in case.
posted by porpoise at 6:28 PM on February 22, 2022
Best answer: Here's the most important one I can think of ... make sure your homeowners policy includes a rider for water damage to common areas and other units (from your unit). If your plumbing goes haywire while you're not home, you may be in for a whole lot of grief if that water goes elsewhere.
Make sure your board has reputable auditors to make sure the numbers aren't fucked up. Make sure your board hires a professional large-building engineering firm that does not do contracting. Make sure that all significant projects are sent out for multiple bids. Make sure the fire/smoke detectors in your unit work (there should be yearly inspections).
Maintaining a huge building is sometimes shockingly expensive, but repairing it is vastly more expensive. Don't let the board delay small fixes that can turn into huge problems. There's a lot of rules in Toronto for maintaining reserve funds, but a shitty board can fail to have proper inspections or engineering reports so it looks like everything is fine in the same way that Doug Ford not testing for COVID makes it look like everything is great in the schools.
Let's see, here's a Toronto-specific one: our building was put up in the mid-80s, and they used copper water pipes, which it turns out is bad, because Toronto water is so soft it eventually causes pinhole leaks throughout the system, which we were getting. The board installed a water hardener system that keeps everyone's pipes from failing. It's calibrated to keep the pipes intact but not be obnoxiously hard or taste funky.
The best way to make sure your condo is well run is to be on the board, or failing that, to know someone on the board. It isn't for everyone, though. Petty politics is the worst kind.
Oh, and make friends with the super.
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:06 PM on February 23, 2022
Make sure your board has reputable auditors to make sure the numbers aren't fucked up. Make sure your board hires a professional large-building engineering firm that does not do contracting. Make sure that all significant projects are sent out for multiple bids. Make sure the fire/smoke detectors in your unit work (there should be yearly inspections).
Maintaining a huge building is sometimes shockingly expensive, but repairing it is vastly more expensive. Don't let the board delay small fixes that can turn into huge problems. There's a lot of rules in Toronto for maintaining reserve funds, but a shitty board can fail to have proper inspections or engineering reports so it looks like everything is fine in the same way that Doug Ford not testing for COVID makes it look like everything is great in the schools.
Let's see, here's a Toronto-specific one: our building was put up in the mid-80s, and they used copper water pipes, which it turns out is bad, because Toronto water is so soft it eventually causes pinhole leaks throughout the system, which we were getting. The board installed a water hardener system that keeps everyone's pipes from failing. It's calibrated to keep the pipes intact but not be obnoxiously hard or taste funky.
The best way to make sure your condo is well run is to be on the board, or failing that, to know someone on the board. It isn't for everyone, though. Petty politics is the worst kind.
Oh, and make friends with the super.
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:06 PM on February 23, 2022
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How does the board work, do you want to consider getting involved there (condo boards are of then the same few old dudes who have been there forever).
posted by rockindata at 5:59 AM on February 22, 2022 [4 favorites]