Check, and then Check Again

Buying a car?  Automatically you check to see what the sticker price includes.  Changing telephone service providers?  Again, you see what is being offered for the price quoted.

The same goes for a single-family home.

But a lot of people buying a condo, whether new or used, don’t check what’s included in the monthly condo fee.  And that, Bernie Winter says, is a mistake.

Winter knows what she’s talking about.  For more than 25 years, she has been involved in the condominium industry in Calgary, in everything from sales and management to being an investor and suite owner.  Now it’s as owner of a condo support business and president of the Southern Chapter of the Canadian Condominium Institute.

“Buyers, from young people starting out to empty-nesters and retired people moving down, look at the fee and whether they can afford it.  That’s it.  What they don’t look at is what the services are they receive for that fee,” she says from the northwest Calgary office that serves as the institute’s headquarters and office for Condominium Support Services Inc.

Winter says many people are attracted to condominiums by the maintenance-free aspect and the fact they can go on holidays and be assured their homes are secure – and then they’re angry or surprised when things aren’t done as they expected.

“Look at the bylaws of the condominium corporation.  They outline the level of services provided for the monthly fee that is being paid,” she says.

There are, she adds, basics that are covered, such as the upkeep of suites including flooring, appliances and cabinets as well as common areas such as the lobby, and maintenance of he mechanical areas of the building itself.

But when it comes to how often the grass is cut and watered or how often the parking lot is plowed in the winter, that depends on how everything is spelled out in the condo by-laws.

“Don’t shop around in fear of fees.  There’s a reason some buildings’ fees are higher than others.  Typically, the higher the fee, the higher the level of service provided,” Winter says.

She adds that part of the condominium institute’s mandate is to educate and inform owners, board members and industry professionals in all aspects of condo living.

It was a major player in the re-design and introduction of the new Condominium Act that was legislated into law in September of last year.

“It’s a good piece of legislation that protects both the owner and the condominium board,” Winter says.