September 2024
Editor’s Note
Toronto Condo News receives numerous communications from condo residents and directors regarding the challenges and frustrations of securing and retaining a great condominium manager. Recently we received a Letter to the Editor from an owner in a downtown Toronto boutique condo asking for help in understanding why her management office has become a “revolving door of managers”. We thought this question was worthy of a full article and hope it helps to explain some of the major issues related to this increasingly common concern.
You can learn a lot about the state of a condominium community by looking at how long they are able to retain the same manager.
Your building is now on their 20th condominium manager in 12 years. Next door, they have had the same manager for 12 years.
Talk to board members in a community unable to retain a good manager and they will moan about the poor quality of candidates. They will complain about what is not getting done. Residents are dissatisfied about the state of their building and lack of communication. Yet board members believe they are doing a good job considering the challenges they are up against.
That other building continues to operate with quiet efficiency, better communications, few problems and no major disputes. While much of this is to the credit of that community’s condo board, a big part of their success is in hiring a qualified, competent and capable condominium manager, and knowing what it takes to retain them.
Requirements for working as a Condominium Manager
Ontario requires that a condominium manager be licensed by the province. This is both good and bad. All condominium managers have taken some basic courses and spent time working under an experienced individual. This means any manager has a basic set of skills.
These basic skills are nowhere near sufficient to ensure a condominium manager is capable, competent and good at their job. Any condo board relying on this basic designation and the advice of their management company without undertaking a more extensive hiring process is setting themselves and their community up for failure.
The Hiring Process
The hiring process is entirely under the control of the condo board. They decide how this process proceeds, compensation and subsequent results.
One problem is that many condo boards don’t actually know what they want in a condominium manager. Some desire a highly-experienced manager capable of acting independently, making good decisions and implementing improvements. They want someone to offer stability, advice and guidance to the condo board, and to interact with residents in an effective and efficient manner. Others desire someone lacking in experience and good judgement but willing to work for less salary.
The hiring process should begin by creating a detailed job description for the condominium manager and including a salary. It should identify what is expected of them, hours of employment and evaluation criteria for periodic performance reviews. Salary provides job candidates with an indication of how serious the board is in obtaining a high-quality and experienced manager. Job interviews are a necessary part of the process. It allows the prospective manager to evaluate their potential employer, and allows the condo board to evaluate the candidate on a more personal level. Circumventing any part of this process causes problems for both parties later on.
Employment references are important, and a board member should speak with those provided by the job candidate. A personal conversation helps understand if the candidate left a prior employer on good terms; the relationship between them, the board and residents; and how the transition to a new manager went. It may be possible to determine the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. Always end the conversation by asking if, knowing what they now know, would they hire the candidate. A job candidate failing to provide good employment references willing to speak about them is itself an important consideration.
Condominium managers can become disillusioned by their condo boards, particularly if the job is not what was expected or promised. Some managers have no decision-making authority or require board approval for even the smallest of expenditures. They have no authority over employees or are not respected by board members. Some boards insist on operating in a manner that is not transparent, ethical or honest. It should come as no surprise when the condominium manager looks elsewhere for employment where they are respected, enjoy working and develop their skills. Periodic performance reviews are one way to communicate and address concerns of the condo board or manager.
Obtaining good and stable condominium management expertise is essential to the smooth operation of condominium communities. Taking the time to get it right is the best path to stability and success.
