December 2021
The strategy of scare tactics is popular in politics and condo living because it is effective.
A few individuals using scare tactics can manipulate a condo board and get owners, including directors, to work against their best interests. They present their personal agenda as a “public good”, ignore reliable information, and present unreliable opinion in an authoritative manner. For directors utilizing this strategy to get elected, facts often get in the way thus preventing them from pursuing their promised agenda.
It is easy to claim condo fees are “too high” or misused. It is more difficult to review financial statements and identify savings without sacrificing something of importance.
Electricity tends to be the largest expenditure for a condominium corporation. Suite metering has been documented to provide significant savings. Yet it is opposed by condo boards and residents who dislike change, prefer not to see a monthly electricity bill with metering surcharge, are disbelieving of the data while claiming their community is “different”, and others in opposition. Communities in opposition to suite metering fall prey to scare tactics and accept unnecessarily paying higher condo fees.
Control of pets and smoking odour may require more than a supportive board. Both likely require consent of owners, in the form of a majority vote, if either is to be prohibited. Without majority owner support the best a board can do is implement rules to hopefully limit the extent of problems.
Facts have a way of getting in the way of a compelling argument. Neighbours and friends tend to be trusted more than consultants and unbiased data. This leads to uninformed decisions not in the best interests of communities.
This is the cost of failing to adapt to changing circumstances.
