In addition to the time it takes businesses to complete these communications, the new departmental mandates have increased the number of messages sent that must be sent each year. While a condominium can usually get by with at least two mailings per year, it may now be necessary to send up to eight messages per year. For many condos, sending a notification can cost thousands of dollars, so multiplying that number eight times is an important part of their budget. There are ways to combine some of these mandatory messages, but even when delivering shared messages, condos are still “on the hook” to print these packages and send them to the owners. This can be a lot of effort for businesses. Condominium businesses should not start sending notices to owners until they ensure that they follow the steps required by the Condominium Act. The Condominium Act has specific requirements on how notices must be sent to owners: To begin the process of electronic distribution of communications, condominium corporations must collect as many email addresses from owners as possible. With an updated database of owner email addresses, condominium corporations can electronically distribute meeting notification kits and new certificates instead of traditional printing and postage. To strengthen consumer protection, amendments to the Condominium Act have now introduced new mandatory notices and certificates that must be distributed to condominium owners each year. These new certificates include the new Owner`s Information Certificate (NOIC), the Periodic Information Certificate (PIC) and the Information Certificate Update (ICU). In addition, the ministry has introduced two new standardized announcements that must be sent before each owners` meeting, such as the general meeting. With all these acronyms, it`s a veritable alphabet soup of certificates designed to keep homeowners informed about the financial health and condition of their condo.
Electronic delivery of notices and information certificates can help condominium businesses manage the cost of the growing number of notifications to homeowners and promote green initiatives. Try to make sure that the process of collecting email addresses and maintaining the database becomes a “common practice.” The process of regularly updating your database can be tedious and time-consuming, but it is an exercise that, when done correctly, becomes systematic and offers huge benefits. All members of the management and administration team must understand this to ensure the long-term sustainability of the co-ownership operation. Sending notifications and electronically distributing meeting plans can be a more efficient way to keep owners informed and remind your community of upcoming meetings while reducing the cost of distributing your notification. Amendments to the Condominium Act of November 1, 2017 introduced new disclosure requirements for condominium corporations. For example, companies must now send two information certificates to all owners each year (unless 80% of owners agree in a given year not to receive information certificates) and preliminary meeting announcements (in addition to the AGA package). Once you have a database of email addresses and have obtained consent from your owners, you can start distributing your email communications. For small condominiums, you can use your favorite email client to send these messages.
For larger condos, it`s time to use condominium management software or e-governance distribution services to send notifications to your owners. Yes, there is a way! The solution is to use technology, but don`t let that scare you, it`s not really high-tech. In fact, it can be considered an old technology – email. Email has become ubiquitous in everyday life. With every ping on our phones or computers, we do business, take care of bills, shop, chat with friends and family and have fun. So if we use email and we`re online for the rest of our lives, why don`t landlords get their condo reviews online? Unfortunately, it is easier said than done to get the owners to sign the agreement and present it to the company. In an ideal world, owners would return the forms to the management office in a timely manner. In the real world, the biggest challenge in getting things off the ball in electronic communications is for owners to respond to requests for information. If your condo business doesn`t collect email addresses as a routine procedure, creating a landlord database or updating an existing database can seem like a daunting task. However, there are a number of approaches you can take, which are described below: The transition to electronic communications and encouraging owners to consent to receive communications electronically is a way for condominium companies to manage their new communication tasks. Actually, no. Under the Condominium Act, notices may be sent by “email or other electronic method of communication if the owner agrees in writing that the party issuing the notice may do so.” .