There are a number of reasons why a board might choose to proceed to research and enter into an agreement with a condominium management provider or a condominium manager to receive services for their community. In order to maintain transparency within the community, it is important that directors are clear on their reasons before proceeding. The Condominium Act also states that the provider or manager shall be licensed under the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015. You can find important information about this Act here . Small communities are very often board managed; but is it sustainable? Every owner will not wish to serve on the board, often for a variety of very valid reasons, leaving a very small pool of owners to fulfill the needs of their community board of directors. Then the question might well be: how long can or will each of the current directors who take on a position persevere in the role? Board management is not for every community. There are some areas that the board should consider prior to taking any steps to seek management services. 1. Review the corporation ’ s governing documents regarding the governance of the property and methods that the board of directors will use to carry out their duties. 2. The board should be very clear as to their needs. There is no standard management contract and each corporation may require different duties according to the size and type of property. 3. While the decision to hire is up to the board, it should be recognized that such a hiring would affect the corporation ’ s budget, so it might be prudent to be transparent with the owners, in advance, on the plan of action the board is taking. Sometimes, the concept of increased common element fees will encourage more owner participation on the board. While this might be considered a positive sign for now, again, is it only a stop gap and is it sustainable? The relationship between a board and manager is significant. When boards and managers have a strong and open relationship with each other, work well together, and complement each other, the corporation will be made stronger for the now and hereafter. The board is responsible to govern in accordance with the Condominium Act, the corporation ’ s governing documents and other legislation that affects condominiums; to make all critical decisions The Condominium Manager Hiring Process By: Trish Kaplan, CCI (Hons), Jennifer Dickenson, RCM
Trish Kaplan , CCI (Hon’s) is the current part-time Adminis- trator for the CCI-London and Area Chapter, also having served in the position from April 2003-September 2010 and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from CCI Na- tional in November 2006. Jennifer Dickenson, BSc (Hons), RCM is a condominium manager with Dickenson Con- do Management. She was first elected to the CCI Board of Directors in 2016, currently serves as Vice-Present and the chapter’s National Representa- tive. Jennifer is involved in all aspects of the chapter and shares her expertise.
CCI Review 2020/2021 —June 2021 - 19
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