Tag Archives: Property manager

“We want to remove the board because we want to fire the manager”

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So, this won’t be like my usual posts where I share a recent case or discuss a section of the Condominium Act, 1998. Today I’m going on a rant about the relationships between owners, directors, and managers.

Last night I attended another requisition meeting. Nothing out of the ordinary about a requisition meeting; the best managed condominiums can have them from time to time. They are often a result of owners feeling in the dark about an issue and wanting more information. However, in this case the requisition was to remove a majority of the directors, which usually signals bigger issues. I can’t identify the parties involved because of privilege, but one of the reasons the owners sought removal of the directors was that the owners wanted to terminate the property management company and the directors refused or failed to do so. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this as a reason for a requisition to remove the board of directors. It seems to be a trend in recent years. Continue reading →

How to properly conduct an owners’ meeting

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As a lawyer, I rarely get to experience the good meetings in condominiums. Ordinarily, if I am at a meeting it is because there is a contentious issue on the agenda, such as a special assessment, unexpected repair, or requisition. Yelling, interrupting, name-calling, foul language, security guards, and even chair-throwing are not unheard of at meetings. However, in the past few weeks I was fortunate enough to experience two meetings that went off without a hitch. Although I’d love to take credit for the way these meetings went, the real heroes were the property managers and directors.

Although many factors contributed to the success of the meetings, there were three that stood out in my mind. First, the property managers and directors were organized. They had pre-meetings to discuss each of their roles, prepare a presentation to the owners, and discuss anticipated questions. This ensured that there were no awkward pauses or blank stares when responding to questions from the owners. Continue reading →