Condo Management Associations

Effective condo management associations starts with a transparent financial system and budget, preventive maintenance programs and solutions to enhance the value of the condo property and the lifestyle of the co-owners.

Then, incompetent condo management associations want to gain power while suffering from a lack of communication and collaboration. They are unresponsive to co-owners, they order around, dictate plans, avoid all kinds of discussions and create unnecessary conflicts.

City of Montreal - Photo RLB

Skills and Abilities

Condo management associations must take into account the presence and the absence of certain abilities. A condo manager needs to assume his or her duties and meet most if not all the expectations and requirements of the co-owners.

Unfortunately, Quebec law does not impose any abilities, skills or specific conditions regarding the role and responsibilities of a condo manager. Anybody with or without proper knowledge, qualifications and expertise can submit his or her candidacy and, if elected or hired, can become a condo manager.

City of Montreal - Photo RLB

The Right Condo Manager

Most condo managers are reliable and able but, finding competence requires vigilance and caution. Condo management is not officially recognized, at least not yet, and having to make a fair assessment can be difficult.

Condo managers who must make decisions in areas such as construction projects and repair or replacement work that are both complex and diverse and co-owners who must nominate a condo manager with the proper knowledge mostly in law, accounting and construction.

City of Montreal - Photo RLB

What is Co-Ownership

A condominium is a building with individual units called condos where co-owners share co-ownership and some of the costs such as insurance and maintenance of the common areas.

Each owner owns a private condo unit and, in some cases, profits from a lobby, a hallway, elevators, recreational facilities, walkways, gardens and other amenities such as a parking space and a locker.

City of Montreal - Photo RLB

After a careful assessment of the needs of a particular condominium building, condominium management associations determine the tasks to be entrusted to the condo manager and ask for follow-up reports.

Co-Ownership Staff

The declaration of co-ownership can and should stipulate that certain qualifications such as a degree or experience in condo management is required along with listening abilities and communication skills.

City of Montreal - Photo RLB

Condo management is not an easy task even with strong management skills. A good condo manager is personable, skilled and good at multitasking while dishonest and incompetent managers are the biggest threats to co-ownership associations.

Tasks such as resolving co-owner complaints, ensuring maintenance and repair, hiring service companies, preparing annual budgets and reserve funds and monitoring insurance policies. Condo managers who also make sure common areas and assets are maintained and complaints from residents are resolved.