Rules are made to be broken! But whether or not you are a rule-breaker, you have to acknowledge and accept that dozens of your condominiums rules and by-laws are being broken, all day, every day, and even as we speak. Some people break the rules because they don’t know any better, and some people just plain don’t care. Here are, in my experience, the five most-broken rules in downtown Toronto condominiums… Visit: www.torontorealtyblog.com

1. Five Rules That Residents Of Your Condo Are Breaking
You might not realize it, but a
LOT of condominium residents
park in visitor parking.
This one really bothers me.
I had a friend in my old building
that used to encourage his
friends and family to use our
visitor parking. I remember
seeing his cousin in the
underground parking one day,
and I said, “Oh hey, (name), are
you going up to see
(name)?” She said, “No, we’re
just heading over to the Jays
game!”
Imagine a 4am fire alarm goes
off because somebody burnt a
pizza in the oven? And you
don’t want to wait 40 minutes
for the Fire Marshal to get
there, inspect the building, and
give the go-ahead to silence the
alarm?
Well, I suppose that’s when you
get out your ladder, take screw
driver, open up the speaker, and
cut the wires.
I know about……oh……..a
hundred million people who
have done this. Give or take…
I’ve witnessed some ridiculous
by-laws regarding renovation,
most of which are not enforced.
I tell my clients that a
reasonable rule of thumb is that
you can change what you can
see – your flooring, your kitchen
counters, your backsplash,
etc. Once you want to change
something you can’t see, like
plumbing, electrical, etc., you
need the condo’s permission,
and there’s no guarantee that
you’ll get it.
In actual fact, barbecues are ALL
illegal on balconies, terraces, or
any outdoor space, unless there
is a gas-line built into the
exterior wall of the condo, or
the condominium’s Declaration
specifically notes that
barbecues ARE permitted.
So yeah, about 90% of all the
barbecues you see on condo
balconies are illegal.
But do the owners care?
That’s rhetorical…
Garbage left on the floor.
Do we really need a notice that
says, “Please do not leave
garbage on the floor”? Yes, we
do! This rule is constantly
broken because human beings
lack common courtesy, and
respect for other people.
Throwing large items down the
chute. You can’t stop people
from being stupid. My client
sent me a photo of the ironing
board that somebody jammed
down the chute in his condo.
Anything And
Everything
Regarding The
Garbage Chute…
Abusing “Visitor”
Parking
Disabling The
Fire Alarm
All Renovations
Require
Permission
No Barbecues On
Outdoor Space