April 2020
Condo fees – rules – restrictions – disagreement over spending and priorities. Perhaps life would be simpler if condo owners terminate their condo government and operate independently.
Not so fast. Terminating government of the condominium requires support of 80 percent of units. Once achieved, condo units no longer exist as legal entities.
Each owner would become a tenant in common for the entire property. Nobody could sell their unit without approval of all tenants. Proceeds from any sale would belong to the collective. Tenants would have to come to agreement on all decisions relating to the property – condo fees, what maintenance to be undertaken, when, and by whom. Someone would have to oversee all of this, address problems and get owners involved when each decision needs to be made.
This may be manageable for a condo community of four or six units. For a typical high-rise condo community of hundreds, there are thousands of decisions made regarding responsibilities, obligations, and management of a high-rise residential building. Each day someone attends to specific unit concerns, tradespeople and other tasks necessary for maintaining a large building. When a more serious problem arises, such as a pest infestation or water leak, everything else must be dropped so that the crisis is handled.
Condo living and governance may be flawed. Yet it remains the most effective and popular form of residential living for the region.
