Management group made it clear: anyone with Christmas lights up will receive a letter and have to deal with Corporation's solicitor

By Staff

December 7th, 2022

BURLINGTON, ON

 

A Gazette reader, Kevin (the balance of his name is not being released)  sent along the following:  Hard to believe but quite true.

I thought this issue might deserve some attention so I wanted to bring this news tip to your attention.

I currently rent a condo in a condo development off Masonry Court in Burlington. The development appears to be being built by ADI developments, some of the emails I have received in the past have also indicated their name was Halton Standard Condominium Corporation No. 726. Currently the property appears to be managed by Larlyn Property Management Ltd.

In any case, the story is pretty straight forward. As we enter the holiday season, some people have put up Christmas lights affixed to the outer balconies of their units. In emails sent on November 28th, Dec 2nd, and Dec 5th, Larlyn Property Management has told these people that they must remove the lights and that having these decorations is a violation of the rules and regulations of the Corporation. They claim that the lights could result in damage to the doors, balconies, railings and exterior walls. This seems hard to believe since the balcony railings are made of metal and glass, I don’t see how a zip tied cord of Christmas lights could cause damage.

In the most recent email, the Corporation made it clear that anyone who still has Christmas lights up will receive a letter and the matter will be taken up by the Corporations solicitor to ensure compliance, with the unit owner responsible for the fees. The language in section 3.1 (b) make it clear that in some cases permission could be granted to hang decorations on the units, so it appears to me this is a matter of interpretation regarding what is or is not allowed and exceptions could be made for the season.

Click on the small type to enlarge it for easier reading

The management group sent three emails – this was the first. Pretty heavy handed.

Unrelenting – not a word from the ADI Group who built the development, which has yet to see any parkland. ADI recently settled with a provincial Tribunal on sales practices that were deemed to be unacceptable.

I personally do not have any lights hanging from my unit, so this does not directly affect me except for when I go for walks in the evening. Since it gets dark shortly after 5, it was nice to see these decorations hanging from the sides of people’s balconies or doors. The difference is also stark when I walk into other neighbourhoods and see houses with their lights up. This isn’t something I’ve thought about before but I would be pretty upset if I bought a condo and later found out that this is how the rules are being interpreted.

Masonry Court units in their final stages of construction.

 

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2 comments to Management group made it clear: anyone with Christmas lights up will receive a letter and have to deal with Corporation’s solicitor

  • Joe Gaetan

    Condo rules are there, for the people, not against the people. If its a “Rule” or part of the governing documents, the board via their property manager have no choice but to enforce them. The Rules and governing documents are contained in the status certificate that all prospective owners can receive upon request as part of their offer to purchase a condominium unit.
    Generally speaking, most condominiums post the rules so that residents are not surprised when the corporation has to enforce them. If you happen to be a renter, it is up to the owner to provide you with all relevant documents, especially the rules. Rules must also be reasonable and consistent with the Act, the declaration and the by-laws of the corporation. If enough owners feel a rule is not reasonable, they do have recourse, per the link.
    https://www.condoauthorityontario.ca/condominium-living/declaration-by-laws-and-rules/rules/

  • Penny Hersh

    I live in a condominium complex in Burlington and the same thing applies. According to our rules and regulations we are not able to put up any lights on our balconies, or any wreathes on the doors. I am fine with this.

    Why? For a few reasons. One being that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what seems wonderful to one is not so to others. There are safety concerns and also the fact that lights shining on a balcony can impact other units when they shine into their units.

    When anyone purchases a condominium they are given a copy of the Rules and Regulations and it is their obligation to read them.

    In the first condominium I owned in Burlington residents could do whatever they wanted and it ended up being a tacky mess.

    Condominium living is not for everyone. I really enjoy living in a condominium.