Few, if any, people actually enjoy paying their monthly strata fee.
But it’s a necessary evil. You pay that money each month – and the annual raises – because the money theoretically goes towards good management of a building or townhouse complex. This includes hiring a competent strata management company.
I say “theoretically” because this often is what doesn’t happen. I’ve had to deal with numerous property management companies and they are sometimes lazy and incompetent. The strata councils are often even worse.
George would agree with me.
He’s a Burnaby resident who started living in an apartment building a few years and has had nothing but heartache ever since. He told me things got off to a terrible start when his vehicle was nearly destroyed by a white, powdery debris that was leaking onto it from the ceiling over his parking spot. That took an eternity to be deal with and was never truly “fixed.”
That was just the prelude.
Late last year, George had an expensive bicycle stolen from the “secure” underground bike storage area.
I put the word “secure” in quote marks because it was anything but secure, according to George.
The problem was the main garage gate was “inoperable and left opened all the time.” This allowed a thief to just waltz into the area and go to work.
George contacted the property management company, but was told the strata council will “not be responsible.” That’s probably technically true, a sad commentary on how rules are drawn up. But you can’t tell owners that they live in a “secure” building, but then just leave the barn door open for the coyotes to come in and kill all the animals.
It’s ludicrous.
Fix the damn thing, George thought. Months later, the strata claims it is waiting for a “missing part” in order to fix it, leaving the vehicles and property of the residents vulnerable to thieves.
Since the bike was stolen, George has had his vehicle broken into. Thieves, once inside the open garage door just cut holes in a wire fence and stroll in. This has happened multiple times and George says the strata just rewires it, but doesn’t warn the building residents of what’s going on.
George is out of work due to COVID-19. Now he’s stuck paying an ICBC deductible for the damage to his vehicle and theft of items inside.
All because of blatant mismanagement by the people he pays each month.
Good times.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
