RENOVATING A CONDO?
Condominium owners should not carry out any significant renovations without getting permission from the condo board.
Without permission, the ramifications are serious, and the board has legal authority to ask the owner to return the condo to its original state. Why do you need permission to renovate your own property?
This is part and parcel of condominium living - so understand your obligations as a co-owner.
Before owners even think of renovating, they should check the documents that are part of the Condominium Act and the condominium’s bylaw and rules. These documents spell out the specific responsibilities of the owners as well as the condominium corporation. Renovations are governed by Section 98 of the Condominium Act.
Significant structural renovations make condo boards nervous because someone with the most innocent intent may unsuspectingly cause damage to one of the common elements - including the wiring, plumbing or windows - which are not owned by individual owners.
Even if a renovation seems minor, you must get permission if it is more than cosmetic. Your application must be in writing, and the board may deny permission based on the bylaws or rules. In renovating a condo, you should also look beyond the actual renovation costs. Condo living is group living - you may incur the human cost of poor relations with neighbours.
* Reprinted in part from www.icao.on.ca
