Another fascinating gem appeared in the meeting minutes recently, and it raises a simple question:
If a project is private, why are condo resources being used to organize it?
Letās unpack what the minutes actually say.
First, weāre told a meeting was organized for owners interested in replacing their balcony enclosure windows. Fine. Owners can renovate their units if they want.
Then the minutes carefully clarify something important:
āThe board clarified that this is not a project that the corporation is part of and is the responsibility of owners to pay for.ā
Excellent. Thatās exactly how it should be. Balcony enclosures are private upgrades, not a common expense project.
But then the story takes a curious turn.
Management will āhelp facilitate the work.ā
Owners will sign agreements.
Management may even apply administrative charges to help coordinate it.
And meetings are being arranged to discuss pricing and logistics.
So letās pause.
If this is truly not a corporation project, why are:
ā¢ Corporation meetings being organized
ā¢ Management coordinating the work
ā¢ Administrative structures being created
ā¢ Corporation resources being used to facilitate it
Because at that point, it starts to look very much likeā¦ a corporation project.
š§ The Principle That Matters
Condominium corporations operate on a very basic principle:
Common resources are for common interests.
That means:
ā building maintenance
ā safety
ā infrastructure
ā shared assets
It does not mean organizing renovation projects for a subset of owners who want upgraded balcony windows.
If a group of owners wants to do that, they are perfectly free to coordinate with a contractor themselves. Thatās how private improvements normally work.
šø The Slippery Slope
Once a corporation starts organizing private upgrades, where does it stop?
Should management also coordinate:
ā¢ kitchen renovations
ā¢ bathroom upgrades
ā¢ flooring replacements
ā¢ interior window replacements
Of course not.
Because the moment the corporationās time, staff, and administrative structure are used, every owner is effectively subsidizing a private renovation project.
Even if an āadmin feeā is mentioned, it rarely captures the true cost of staff time, coordination, liability, and oversight.
š The Best Part
The minutes also note that one board member specifically requested it be recorded that she does not support the corporation being involved.
Which raises another interesting question:
If even members of the board recognize that the corporation should not be involved, why is the involvement happening at all?
š The Bottom Line
Balcony enclosure replacements are private improvements.
Owners who want them should absolutely be free to proceed – on their own initiative and at their own coordination.
But the condominium corporation should not become the project manager for private renovations.
Because once that line blurs, it opens the door to something every condo owner should worry about:
Private upgrades quietly turning into collective effort.
And thatās how small governance problems become very expensive ones.
