In a story that sounds a little far-fetched, an elderly woman is being sued by her condominium association in Tampa, Florida – for feeding a feral cat. Don’t be cruel. Meow. Cleo is hungry! The lawsuit alleges the 78-year-old woman feeds a stray cat, which she has named Cleo, and is thereby breaking the association’s rules by continuing to attract and feed the cat on the common element areas of the condominium. This, despite…

You are invited: Overview: On October 1, 2020, regulatory changes under the Condominium Act, 1998 allowed for expansion of the jurisdiction of the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT). Prior to this date, the CAT was responsible for hearing unit owner and corporation disputes related to requests for records. Effective October, 1, 2020, the CAT can now hear disputes about provisions in the corporation’s declaration, bylaws or rules, specifically, pets and other animals; vehicles; parking and storage;…

When a unit owner feels it is necessary or warranted to sue their own condominium corporation, the owner is typically very frustrated or upset about a situation. It can often be an emotionally charged decision. In some instances, an owner’s frustration or anger can cause them to also seek recourse from the condominium corporation’s Board members in their personal capacities. While there are rare instances where seeking a claim against the condo board members personally…

Lash Condo Law’s Natalia Polis was a guest on Zoomer Radio today discussing enforcing municipal mask requirements in condominiums.  Another guest, Carleton Grant, who is the Executive Director of Municipal Licensing and Standards at the City of Toronto, advised that By-Law enforcement officers will be conducting inspections in various apartment buildings and condominiums in the City. He noted that while the City’s ability to ticket/fine individuals within the common elements of a building may be…

We have the privilege of representing many condominium corporations throughout the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario at large. Many condominium law firms, management companies and service providers have this privilege. Our communities, cities, and province rightfully pride themselves on having a diverse and multicultural population. This is also very much the case when it comes to the condominium corporations, board members and unit owners. More particularly, the make-up of condominium corporations throughout the province, including…

It’s hard to believe we are approaching the one-year mark since the COVID-19 coronavirus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Public Health agencies around the world, including Canada, Ontario and Toronto Public Health, laid out guidelines for our protection and to stop the spread of the virus. For the most part, Ontarians have followed these directives to wash hands, stay 6 feet (2 metres) apart, to wear masks indoors in public spaces…

Resident safety and security are of utmost importance in our condominium communities regardless of the size of the property or whether in a small town or larger urban setting. The following question was posed by a condominium corporation board of directors: Can the corporation install surveillance cameras in the common element hallways of their property? From a security perspective, this seems like a wise decision. As stated, the hallways of a townhouse or high-rise property…