Condo Living TV - Article #7

While owning a condominium has similar benefits to owning a single family home, people looking to buy a condo also have to realize that there are other factors involved. Depending on the type of building or structure purchased, buyers will have to share walls with the neighbours beside them and possibly the ceiling and floors above and below as well. Hallways, entrances, walkways, trees, shrubs, courtyards and parking areas are also considered common areas.

All of this common ground means keeping close quarters with your neighbours. Condominiums are communities after all and while that is a draw for many people, and not a big deal for those who have lived in apartments, others will have to get used to that level of constantly close proximity to their neighbours.

Stuart Laird, Condo Board President of Gateway Garrison Woods explains, “I’d say the most common issue amongst neighbours would be noise where people in one unit don’t respect the privacy and quietness for anybody around them and crank up their sound any hour of the night.”

Respecting your neighbour’s right to the quiet enjoyment of their home is part of the arrangement. Your neighbors will appreciate, and hopefully reciprocate, your efforts to lower the volume, walk quietly, as well as limit your vacuuming and entertaining to reasonable hours.

A little flexibility is important too. If your neighbours are willing to turn down the volume for you and keep things as quiet as they can, perhaps you can be more understanding to their situation as well. They’ll really appreciate the give-and-take relationship. For your neighbours with children, try to remember that kids will be kids.

Maricel Baltazar lived in a townhouse condominium with her husband and four children for two years and says that it was a struggle sometimes.

“We taught our children to use their quiet voices at night and to respect the rights of our neighbours,” explains Baltazar. “But there were times when they’d be laughing and having fun innocently and we would get complaints from our neighbours about the noise. We felt that it was a little unfair because sometimes kids just want to have fun.”

“Pets are a big thing,” says Laird. “Most people are good about looking after their dog, but a lot of people want to exercise them and they’ll take them to the courtyard and of course, a lot of them don’t clean up the mess.”

For the most part, condo boards will ask people to resolve these kinds of problems themselves. They will recommend going to the neighbour and sitting down to talk with them to work things out.

Luba Filipoff, Condo Support Coordinator for the Calgary Real Estate Board says, “One thing that people need to remember is this is a community, so we need to deal as community members and try to resolve the issues together. If that fails, the board will then intervene.

“We’ll send them a letter and say we’ve had complaints that there’s too much noise here, or that pets are making a mess here in the hallway, and we’ll bring it to their attention. A lot of people will respond to that, they’re pretty good about it,” says Laird.

At the end of the day, people who are interested in buying a condo have to understand just what a condo lifestyle entails. They have to familiarize themselves with the condo bylaws for the specific unit and also the condo act of Alberta. Most condos have a long list of regulations which you'll have to agree to abide by if you purchase in the building. These rules may limit the number, type, and weight of pets; how many visitors are allowed at a time and other pertinent information.

Taking the initiative in learning all of the rules in your building makes you aware of the rights you have as an owner and the rights that your neighbour deserves as well.

Curious about condo ownership? For more helpful hints about buying and owning a condominium in Calgary, tune into Shaw TV's Condo Living segments with host Barb Mitchell each Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

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Love Thy Neighbour