CondoBusiness - Mechanical
REMI

Mechanical

homebuyers

Unconventional ways condos can reduce capital project costs

Ongoing challenges to capital replacement project costs are wreaking havoc on already stressed reserve funds and causing anxiety for boards and property managers throughout the province.
renter feedback survey

Construction costs rattle the condo industry

Construction cost increases are a significant concern if a condo needs to complete work in the next year or so. But the concern isn't just the here and now.
maintenance and repair

Cases shed light on maintenance and repair obligations in condos

Maintenance and repair obligations of both owners and condo corporations are defined in the Condominium Act, which sets out the minimum default obligations. T
CAO

Condos at high risk from reserve fund shortfalls

The growing crop of condo owners across Canada will likely encounter huge annual fee increases and lump-sum payments due to low reserve fund contributions, authors of a new research report are warning.
IAQ

Home owners and builders lack awareness of IAQ health risks

After exposure to scientific findings, the number of homeowners who viewed their homes as somewhat or very unhealthy more than tripled.
governance

5 ways technology is uplifting condo communities

Technology is revolutionizing the way condo buildings operate and positively impacting the lives of residents and managers.
smart home

Security, privacy and the rise of smart homes

What security and privacy threats should condo communities watch out for due to the rise of internet-connected smart home devices?
reserve funds

Reserve funds ignore climate target impacts

We should be asking our reserve fund planners to look at the Paris accord target dates and compare the end-of-life replacement of our gas-burning appliances against the target dates.
condo collapse

Could a Florida condo collapse happen in Ontario?

How would this scenario unfold in Ontario? Leaving aside the construction process itself, there are vast differences between Ontario and Florida condominium laws that would have given the Champlain towers significant added protections following registration.
fire code

Condos lag on fire code compliance

Fire plans may need an overhaul as the resident population ages, building systems are updated, and renovations alter the layout of floors or rooms.
real estate

Insurance crisis affecting reserve fund planning

The insurance crisis in condominiums is affecting how boards are planning for disasters in Ontario.
repairs

Condos in precarious spot if small repairs sit idle

Should the corporation move forward with certain maintenance repairs if the issue has the potential to become exponentially worse?

Canada’s condo insurance crisis

Impacts of the hard insurance market are trickling into condominium corporations across Canada, challenging boards and managers in their wake.

How is COVID-19 impacting reserve funds?

Many reserve fund projects have not been able to proceed this year. Even now as construction has “opened up,” contractors have backlogs that will allow them to complete only some of the previously planned projects.

Are condos prepared for climate change?

While many condos haven’t yet experienced the major effects of climate change, statistics and case studies foreshadow the impacts that could come.

Energy efficiency powers condo to LEED Platinum

Perched on the edge of the waterfront, south of the Distillery District near Sugar Beach, Toronto’s first LEED Platinum high-rise condo stands in the Bayside

IAQ standards dissect freshness of outdoor air

Guidance related to natural ventilation, particulate filtration and compartmentalization of multi-residential HVAC systems are prominent in the list of identified "significant changes" compared to the incumbent 2016 version of the standards.