The right fit – condo rules and your lifestyle

If you’re like most of my condo-buying clients, your home search is centred around location, suite layout and building amenities. These are the physical aspects of your home, and they’re incredibly important. But there are also intangible aspects, such as rules and regulations, which may affect the way you actually live in your condo.

The vast majority of these rules are reasonable; however, they do vary from condo to condo. They can be found in the Condo Declaration, and it’s well worth your while to read them as part of your home-hunting research. (While rules can be added or eliminated by the condo board, owners are given a vote on important issues, and can demand meetings to review other changes.)

Depending on your lifestyle, you may be passionate or indifferent about any of the following issues, each of which is often regulated by condo rules:

• Smoking. Smoke-free condominiums are a relatively new development, but they have indeed made their Ottawa debut. These condos ban smoking even in the privacy of your own suite, so that the highest air quality is maintained.

• Rentals. Some Ottawa condominiums have restrictions on short-term rentals (that is, leases of less than a year or even Airbnb-type rentals). One condo complex recently made the news for disallowing renters who don’t constitute a family. While sometimes controversial, such rules are meant to ensure that all residents have a vested interest in maintaining a well-kept building with a pleasant atmosphere.

• Pets. Some condos ban all types of pets, while others embrace them. Some place restrictions only on certain types of animals.

• Barbecues. While Ottawa has no bylaws pertaining to natural gas-line barbecues on balconies, some condos do restrict them due to safety concerns.

• Parking. Condos may restrict parking for commercial and/or oversized vehicles.

• Plug-ins for electric cars. This issue caught my eye when an Ottawa condo made headlines for deciding that a resident with an electric car should pay for his own electricity and for the installation of a meter. At the other end of the spectrum, some “green” condos provide plug-in stations for this very purpose.

While rules and regulations may not be the stuff your condo dreams are made of, I’m happy to report that there are condo rules to suit every demographic. Find the set that works for you, and I promise, you’ll love your home that much more.

Related reading

Condo living and being single