How can your strata better manage rentals in your building?
With the removal of the rental restrictions in all strata corporations in BC, many strata corporations are worried this is going to lead to an influx of issues at their property. Here are a few things that strata corporations can do to improve the situations regarding rental in their building.
The first thing is to improve communication between the strata corporation and the landlord, landlord’s agent and tenant. Quality communication in any relationship is important and will improve outcomes. Today’s almost all strata management companies use online communication tools to connect to the ownership of the property. These tools are used for communicating many different issues at the building from distributing meeting minutes, to notices regarding work being completed at the property. Work can be the annual fire testing which if the unit is tenanted the tenant must provide access for. If a notice for the fire testing is distributed electronically to the landlord and they have to forward or pass that on to the rental manager who then forwards it to the tenant, the communication is naturally delayed in comparison to when an owner receives the same information. This causes a delay in the response and or lack of cooperation due to the timely nature the information is received.
The second thing strata corporations need to improve is their understanding of the enforcement of bylaws when the unit is tenanted. All strata corporations should review with their management company the process they follow when dealing with a complaint of a tenanted unit. The CRT has heard multiple cases where the application of fines hasn’t followed the correct process of providing a tenant the opportunity to respond in a timely manner and in these cases the fines have been overturned. When a unit is tenanted the renter has the same right to reply to a complaint as an owner, and in the same time frame. If the management company is not sending tenants directly a copy of a bylaw notice and is expecting the owner to forward it to their tenant, which fails to allow a tenant to respond to a bylaw notice, you are not meeting the requirements in section 135 of the SPA. Many cases have been brought to the CRT and the fines are being thrown out due to lack of proper procedure when a bylaw letter is not sent to the tenants directly.
The biggest change can be with attitude. Most tenants are good people and all people want to be treated with respect. If strata corporations stop treating renters like they are outcasts and don’t belong, the experience for owners and renters will be a positive one. The old adage of don’t let a few bad apples spoil it for everyone applies here.
Cartref Properties manages multiple properties in the lower mainland and they are managed by many different strata management companies all of whom use electronic communication to the owners. At this time of the over ten strata management companies we deal with only two allow Cartref Properties to receive communication as the landlord’s agent and the tenant to receive the communication about the building electronically. Two other companies allow the rental agent to receive the communication but not the tenant.
The challenge we are putting to strata management companies is, it’s time to improve your communication skills to all parties involved with the strata lot. A more informed tenant and landlord’s agent will improve many issues owners complain about.
Renting your property can be confusing. Cartref Properties can assist you, call today to discuss your needs or find more information about us at: www.cartrefproperties.com
