October 2022
Are you aware of condo owners forming their own association in their building to have a strong voice? I believe that creating an association of condo owners who reside in the building would be a definite advantage. Your opinion would be much appreciated.
M. H.
Response from Toronto Condo News
While there is nothing preventing you from forming an association, the results you hope for are unlikely.
Building and maintaining an association can be a full-time job in itself. You identify the purpose of the association as to have a “strong voice” which I presume to mean influence over governing and decision making of your condo board.
Condo directors are elected by owners. Once elected and part of the board, they are under no obligation to listen to owners or respond to their individual concerns. If your condo board chooses not to establish and/or be advised by committees, there is little likelihood they will listen to an independent owner association.
If owners disapprove of how their community is governed, the Condo Act provides a mechanism for removal of directors, or they can be replaced when individual terms end through the election process. Owners can vote out directors they disapprove of and reverse decisions made by the board.
Condo boards are under no obligation to be influenced by individual owners or owner groups. I encourage you to review the following Condo Archives sections for a better understanding of how condo boards make decisions and interact with owners:
- Condo Boards, Communications & Community – Condo Boards & Directors
- Condo Boards, Communications & Community – Condo Boards & Resident Relations
- Condo Community Dynamics
- Condo Boards, Communications & Community – Managing Disputes and Disagreements
The best condo boards obtain information from many sources, individual experiences and consider owner input. They then make the best decisions they can regardless of how some owners feel.
The real challenge is that most owners choose not to get involved and it is unclear how an association would change this. Only when owners are in agreement about the key issues to address in their community, and how to do so, can they properly organize to remove an ineffective condo board.
The ideal is to have a condo board made up of directors who individually make the best decisions they can from available information without consideration of personal self interest. They will make mistakes, there will be conflict, and many may disagree. They will be the foundation of a successful community.
