When asked to describe what a property manager actually does on a day-to-day basis, it’s hard to explain the myriad of roles and versatility required. The reality is that the job may require a chameleon-like approach to challenges.

Many condominium communities have had to grapple – or are currently grappling - with residents with hoarding disorder. This has proved to be challenging in most cases, given the safety risks hoarding can pose to the community. And predictably, incidents of dangerous hoarding have only increased during the pandemic, as people with hoarding disorder have become more anxious and mental health supports have become less easy to access.

The last few years have been extremely challenging in many ways, especially as we have learned to adapt to a world turned upside down by Covid and how it has drastically changed our daily lives. Hopefully, one lesson we can take away from this is the importance of work/life balance.

I have been in the property management industry for 20 years, and I am an RCM and OLCM. I live with Complex PTSD, and this is my story.

Property Management can be a challenging job at the best of times, but with the pandemic and the associated increased stress of the past two years, the job often has been difficult for many managers. With an increasing number of young people and older retired people living in condominiums, there are two very different mental health issues staff and managers may find some of their residents trying to maneuver.

The increase in disputes and issues arising from, or exacerbated by, mental health issues has had – and continues to have – a powerful and negative impact on property managers, who are the direct interface between owners/occupants and boards of directors.

Condominium living can be a haven for seniors needing to down-size but are still active in their community, travelling or just enjoying all life offers. Although the owners and residents of condominiums vary, it is critical to identify all the needs of your community as a condominium manager. 

As managers, one of our primary functions is to identify and seek to resolve issues within the corporations and communities we are assigned to manage. Just as you would recognize a potential building condition that could lead to structural concerns, a manager must sometimes identify a burgeoning mental health crisis within their community. 

Condominium managers and their teams, including contractors, are often not thought of when “Essential Service Providers” are discussed. As such, they have felt excluded from pandemic recognition of essential workers. However, we know that the work of managing and caring for condominiums and their residents has not gone away. In fact, it has been complicated with supply-chain constraints, lack of resources, and navigating Public Health Guidelines, leaving condominium managers and their teams unable to meet the expectations of our important clients.

We all feel angry sometimes. Most of the time, we can deal with feelings of anger or irritability quickly. We may resolve the situation or look at the problem from a different perspective. However, anger can cause problems in our lives and the lives of those around us.

We all talk about stress, but we’re not always clear about what it is. Stress comes from both the good and the bad things that happen to us. If we didn’t feel any stress, we wouldn’t be alive! Stress may feel overwhelming at times, but there are many strategies to help you take control.

As of January 2021, there are reportedly over 11,000 condominium corporations across Ontario, with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reporting that 55% of homes under construction in Ontario are condominiums. As the number of condominiums rises year after year, managers across the province are bound to experience managing the replacement of capital equipment projects sooner or later.

Board members are often hesitant to approve projects because of associated costs, lack of information, or an overall resistance to change. As custodians of the industry, condominium managers empower their directors to make critical decisions within the corporations they manage. A useful method that can help managers in this process is the application of alternative scenario analysis.

How do you optimize refurbishment budgets while adding value to properties and improving condominium communities? Read on for some tips and advice, along with a case study showing real-world examples.

When you think about it, the amount of documentation accumulated throughout the lifetime of a condominium may likely reach the height of the Niagara escarpment. Each condominium requires extensive documentation of processes, minutes, purchase orders, and corporation records, which are often required for reference purposes years into the future.