A recent survey from the Homeowner Protection Centre (HPC) found that seven in 10 respondents across Canada support regulating condo managers and companies through specific qualifications and standards.

The Condominium Property Managers: Examining the Impact of Regulation on Consumers report found that condo owner vulnerability could be alleviated in the following ways:

• The establishment of an independent regulator to receive owner complaints and take disciplinary action;
• Minimum qualifications, including education, examination, designations and experience for licensing condominium property managers; and
• The establishment of alternative dispute resolution outlets aside from the traditional court system.

“The condominium market has grown and expanded over the last few decades, especially in Canada’s largest cities,” says Scott James, chair of the HPC’s board of directors and author of the study. “As the number of Canadians living in condominiums continues to grow, the need for knowledgeable and experienced condominium property managers will likely increase.”

Canadian condominium property managers have a wide range of responsibilities and, in British Columbia, strata managers and brokerages have been required to meet qualifications and become licensed since 2006. Ontario and Alberta have also announced intentions to regulate the profession.