What happens if nobody is willing to serve on a strata council? Our council members are volunteers and every time they try to enforce a bylaw or address an issue, they are met with hostility and threats. What steps can be taken?
Marlene, Penticton
There is certainly a growing rise in abuse toward people in leadership and responsible positions. Whether elected, appointed, employed or volunteers, the growing pressure has forced many good candidates to reconsider election or appointment to strata councils.
We cannot prevent disruptive and abusive individuals, but we can manage our strata corporations, business affairs and communications to reduce misinformation, abusive behaviour and costly conflicts. The best tool is communication.
In my experience working with strata corporations across the province, the most successful and harmonious communities communicate with owners and tenants regularly. They respond to inquiries in a timely manner, convene meetings when there is major construction or a crisis, provide financial projections for major upcoming projects, and keep everyone educated on the bylaws and rules.
Crisis comes in many forms for strata corporations and owners. Deferred repairs dramatically compound costs, they result in losses generating insurance claims, deductibles, higher future policy costs, and they place owners in financial crisis, which is a stress and conflict flashpoint for everyone. The solution: provide strata councils with sufficient budgeting and reserve funding to ensure they have the resources to properly operate your properties.
You referred to council members as volunteers, and volunteers require reliable and professional advice and support to manage your assets. Underfunding is a significant problem for many strata communities, and this is tied to the affordability of home ownership.
Strata councils require legal and mediation support where there are conflicts. If a council is being abused or attacked, don’t elevate the conflict, respond formally. However, strata councils need to reach out to professionals for support.
In extreme conditions, it may require legal action, police involvement, court orders or, in the most extreme conditions, an order for sale of the strata lot to remove the offending parties.
No one steps in to appoint a council if no one is elected. Ultimately a court application by an owner or owners for an administrator is an option and might be required. A strong group of owners rallying around their elected council members will send a strong message to confrontational individuals.
Tony Gioventu is executive director of the Condominium Home Owners Association.
