Found out my condo fees are paying for someone else's plumbing disaster

I was looking over the monthly financial report for our building in Toronto and noticed a huge line item for water damage restoration in a unit three floors down. Turns out our reserve fund covers common elements only, but the board approved using operating funds to fix a private owner's burst pipe because it 'threatened the structure.' I had no idea they could do that without a vote. Has anyone else had their board pull something like this with shared money?

2 comments

2 Comments

saraho4824d ago

That pipe was probably leaking for a while before anyone noticed. Water damage that bad doesn't happen overnight, and if the board only found out when it 'threatened the structure', they were probably reacting to a mess that was already there for weeks. The real question nobody's asking is why the unit owner's insurance didn't cover it first, and if the board's lawyer even looked at the condo act before writing that check. You should ask for the full maintenance records and any emails about when they first knew about the leak. If they knew before the damage got bad and did nothing, that's on them, not on your fees.

river35123d ago

Oh man, I've been through this exact circus. First thing you do is send a written request to the board for all water intrusion logs and any work orders from the last six months. Keep it simple, just ask for "any records related to moisture, leaks, or pipe inspections in that unit." They have to give you that stuff under most condo acts, and if they stall, that tells you everything. Also check your own insurance policy for "loss assessment" coverage. Mine paid out when the association tried to stick me with a repair bill for a leak that started in a common wall. The board lawyers will talk a big game about liability, but the second you mention getting your own attorney involved and filing a complaint with the state, they usually start talking settlement. And don't forget to ask for the board's meeting minutes from before the damage got bad. If they mentioned a "minor drip" three months ago and did nothing, that's your smoking gun. Had a friend who won a whole case just because a board member wrote "noted, will monitor" in the minutes and then nothing happened for two months.