With the winter season approaching there are many considerations property management must take into account related to a Condominium Corporation. As part of our seasonal process a full site inspection is completed of your condo by your Property Manager.
We follow-up by ensuring that all exterior garage ramp heating systems at the condo are checked. Reports are provided to the Property Manager of the Condominium and if concerns are noted they are immediately addressed.
The Property Manager also arranges for all heating tracing electrical systems to be inspected within the Condominium where applicable. Arrangements are made to ensure that proper snow removal contracts are in place for the Condominium prior to the 1st snow fall. For standard condominium townhomes, the Condo will arrange for eaves trough cleaning and roof inspections, ensuring all leaves are cleared to avoid un-necessary back-ups. The Property Manager also arranges for all summer systems (i.e. lawn sprinklers) to be winterized at the Condominium. Finally, any Corporation which has plumbing or fire protection systems that may be vulnerable to the cold weather will have heating systems checked/turned off to prevent frozen pipes.
Of course, many Condominium Corporations have unique needs that will be considered as part of the seasonal inspections.
Winterization of Hose Bibs
Most units with a townhome Condominium have a tap at the front and/or rear of the unit. We strongly recommend all condo owners / residents to ensure these taps are properly winterized. This will reduce the possibility of a flood within your condo due to freezing.
Common Element Condominiums
A number of Condominiums in Toronto are Common Element Condos. This means that the individual dwellings do not for part of the Corporation and that the unit owners are responsible for the exterior maintenance. Property Management strongly urges all condo owners to ensure that eaves troughs are cleaned, exterior heating cable checked (if installed) along with other routine exterior building maintenance. If you are unsure of what should be considered please feel free to contact Property Management. Your Property Manager will be glad to assist.
Hello: I am not sure if I understood correctly, are we supposed to check the eaves troughs and the exterior of the building?
Thanks Luisa for your note.
In most standard condominium corporations, the condominium would be responsible to check the eaves and exterior of the building. Although it doesn’t hurt for the homeowner to do a visual inspection as well to report any issues to property management. For common elements condominiums, it would be the responsibility of the owner to maintain their eaves and building structure.
If you are unsure, it’s best to check with your property manager to understand your responsibilities specific to your community.