What is the management of co-ownership?

Condo property management is the effective administration of one or several buildings

under the jurisdiction of a co-ownership syndicate according to the rules of the Quebec

Civil Code and the guidelines of the declaration of co-ownership. Each year, the

Syndicate of co-owners elects a board of directors. During this term, the board is in

charge of making the right decisions to maintain or even enhance the value of the

building. The board may work alone or hire the services of a professional management

company.

Indeed, the tasks to be carried out are many and varied. To give just a few examples:

Accounting: budgets need to be prepared and condo fees collected, unpaid fees

promptly dealt with. Technical management: drawing up maintenance specifications,

preparing requests for quotes, monitoring contracts, scheduling repairs, analyzing and

implementing the technical report recommendations, ensuring conformity to the asset

management plan.

Solid legal and insurance knowledge is also required to guide the decision-making

process of the condo board. In particular, new regulations such as bylaws 16, 141 and

122 must be taken into account to follow proper industry practice. Finally, the

administrative burden created by the above examples is significant, even before taking

into account the preparation and chairing of board and annual general meetings as well

as the taking and forwarding of minutes to co-owners.

Because of the knowledge required and time-consuming nature of these various tasks, a

professional property manager is frequently called upon. Even though board members

may be commended for their efforts, they can hardly be expected to dedicate all their

time and energy to this duty, particularly since a great number of new rules and

regulations impacting the condo association are constantly being introduced – the aim of

such new legislation being to ensure the implementation of checks and balances to

guarantee the sustainability of constructions going forward.

Societal transformations are also having a profound impact on the role of board

members and impact their relationship with co-owners. Topics such as environmental

sustainability, energy transition, and socially responsible behavior at the local level –

condo community or neighborhood – are indeed being raised with increasing frequency.