Co-ownership: What have the new laws changed?
New laws to protect your property
Have your condo fees increased over the last few years? That’s probably because of Bills 141 and 16. These laws were created to guarantee the protection of your property—which means benefits for you!
Adopted respectively in 2018 and 2019, Bills 141 and 16 affect co-owners and syndicates of co-ownership. They involve several changes that can have an impact on syndicate and co-property insurance, as well as building maintenance.
Here's what you need to know.
Bill 16
To keep condo fees to a minimum, some syndicates of co-ownership neglected to put enough money aside in their contingency fund. This meant any major or emergency work often had to be delayed due to lack of funds—potentially leading to the building’s deterioration. To prevent this, the government imposed additional obligations on syndicates of co-ownership, including but not limited to:
1. Creating a maintenance log
This log identifies completed renovation work as well as any work still to be done. It provides co-owners with a list of when work was undertaken, who did the work, and the total cost. It is essential for keeping track of renovations and ensuring the syndicate adheres to the budget.
2. Carrying out a contingency fund study every five years
A contingency fund study will serve to describe and evaluate the cost of major renovations to be completed over the next 25 years (windows, doors, roof, concrete, exterior cladding, stairs, etc.).
Bill 141
This Bill obliges syndicates of co-ownership. to create a self-insurance fund, in addition to the existing operating fund and contingency fund. This new fund will allow the syndicate to cover the deductible in the event of an insurance claim. The syndicates of co-ownership must also have a property assessor determine the value of the property every five years, which may increase the deductible.
From now on, when you begin the process of purchasing a co-property, be sure to take a look at the syndicate budget and meeting minutes to ensure the syndicate has updated its policies to comply with Bills 16 and 141. If they haven’t, you may be in for a large increase in monthly condo fees.
Get in touch with us any time to discuss co-property insurance.
*Certain conditions, limitations, and exclusions apply. Visit belairdirect.com for more information. The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and cannot be regarded as legal opinion or insurance advice. Your insurance contract prevails at all times.
